Maddie Feaster talks to us about Trout Unlimited's partnership with NJ, PA, NY, and EBTJV in the Upper Delaware Watershed.

In January 2026, New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Amanda Lefton announced the release of the final Adirondack Brook Trout Pond Management Plan.

Among the expected benefits are protection of existing and establishment of new self-sustaining Brook Trout populations, actions to reduce detrimental bait fish additions, safeguarded hatchery protections, standardized data management, outreach, citizen science, and the incorporation of climate change considerations.

The EBTJV congratulates the DEC and the Plan's authors Fred Henson, Anthony Bruno, Jim Daley, Dave Erway, Jon Fieroh, Rob Fiorentino, Steve Hurst, Greg Kozlowski, Jana Lantry, and Chris Powers.

A final copy of the plan and more information about Adirondack brook trout pond management can be found on the DEC website.

See the Press Release from NYS DEC.

The metro DC area isn't exactly an outdoor mecca, but outdoor adventure is where you find it.

Nat Gillespie was named acting director of the Forest Service’s fisheries program in 2025. TU's Mark Taylor wrote this post about Nat's journey in aquatic conservation, in December.

Nat is an integral member of the EBTJV, and served as Chairman for six years.

Freeing US waterways of several hundred thousand low-height barriers could help restore watersheds, improve water quality, and enhance public safety.


"A big effort is underway to change that. In 2013, the Southeast Aquatic Resources Partnership — a regional collaboration of natural resource and science agencies, conservation organizations, and private interests — began mapping river barriers, including low-head dams in its region (which comprises 17 states and territories in the US Southeast). The group has since teamed up with the US Fish and Wildlife Service on a national campaign. So far, the effort has revealed 553,000 dams of all sizes and counting. It’s a far cry from the 92,000 in the national inventory. Getting accurate numbers is important to understanding the threats dams can pose to people and wildlife."

When President Grover Cleveland, an avid outdoorsman, went fishing on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, he hired Irving Oakley of the Mashpee Wampanoag Tribe to take him. Sea-run brook trout were still abundant in the late 1800s, and the Mashpee Wampanoag were known as "guides to the stars" for their skill in finding them.

We are honored and humbled by the work of WildFly Productions in promoting brook trout conservation!

Their generous donations to WNTI and EBTJV are making a real difference. Thank you, WildFly!

If you missed it last year, make sure to check out their video, North Woods Brookies, on YouTube. It's beautifully shot, entertaining, and even contains a healthy dose of history.

Fish Division Director, Vermont FWD

Supervisory Regional Fishery Biologist - Maine DGIF

Positions with Trout Unlimited - Several in the Northeast