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August 2023 | View Upcoming Events

Greetings!

August 2023

Welcome to August Zane Grey Chapter newsletter. This time of year, many of us find a reasons to escape the valley heat other than retreating to one’s air conditioning. Education Chair Arthur Greenway and I escaped for a couple of days to AZGFD Outdoor Sports Network (OSN) and Fishing Sports Network (FSN) held in Flagstaff Nordic Center. Alec Young and I gave a well-received overview of the 2023 Fish Camp. Additionally, we got some great ideas and suggestions for improving our outreach.

We’re headed to Calgary to fish the Bow River and see if Canadian Bows and Browns say “Eay!” when caught.

We have some new faces in TU Arizona. Please see editor Woody’s column for more on Alec Young, Josh Criswell, and the new Trout Unlimited Rocky Mountain Region Vice President, Emily Olsen.

Last month we made an appeal to contractors to help with Phase 2 of the R-C Scout Ranch Pond pipeline and springbox replacement. We’re pleased to report we received some interest and are awaiting a formal proposal. Thank you all who expressed interest.

The Arizona Women of Trout Unlimited (AWOTU) has sold out their trip to Lee’s Ferry in November. Sorry if you missed this great event, but there are more to come.

August is also back to school time, and Trout in the Classroom is starting again. Jim Walker is reaching out with direct notices to teachers and interested volunteers later this month. Watch your email for notice of the upcoming Trout in the Classroom training.

Your ZGTU board asks that as you read through this newsletter, to please think about how you would like to join in and help promote fishing, conservation, education, and love of nature. You may contact me or any board member to let us know about your ideas.

Finally, we would like to thank all our volunteers and supporters for their continued dedication to Trout Unlimited and our mission. We could not do what we do without your support, and we are grateful for each one of you.

Thanks again for the generous amount of time, effort, and toil you gave to our R-C Scout Ranch conservation projects. We accomplished a lot!

Until then,

Tight Lines.

Alan Davis

By Woody Wilson

Yes, it has been a scorcher in Arizona this summer, or so I’ve heard. I left AZ on June 30 and I’m not coming back until things cool down. Geez! Friends kept texting me to find any pretext to stay away. Fortunately, I’ve been blessed with other friends who opened their homes to this itinerant trout bum escaping the inferno.

Elsa, my dog, and I headed to Montana via Idaho and Wyoming to fish every river and stream we could find along the way. It’s my do-it-before-it’s-too-late fly fishing tour of the West. If not now, when?

In past weeks I’ve fished the Snake below Jackson with old friends and the upper Swan River solo above Kalispell and Flathead Lake. I’ve driven to the top of the Big Horn Mountains in Wyoming and fished the gnarly North Tongue River (really a stream) with my good friend, Jeff English. We had so much fun up there (a giddy 8700 feet) we did it twice. Out of Sheridan, WY we took Jeff’s new drift boat over to the Big Horn River and did a double float of the three-mile stretch below the afterbay. The weather has been perfect every day and we were never skunked.

Jeff and I parted in Sheridan last week and he went over to Debois, WY to fish with another friend. At this writing, I’m in Helena, MT (thank you Brock and Jenny) investigating the myriad of fly fishing opportunities within striking distance. Jeff and I hooked up again yesterday and we fished the Blackfoot over the weekend with a stop at the Montana State Fair. We have a place to stay, a trout dog, a drift boat and nowhere to be for at least two weeks. One thing for sure we're not going back to Arizona anytime soon.

So, where did fly fishing take you this summer? Did you head north? High country? The Rockies? Salt water? Let us know and send a photo editor@zanegreytu.org.

Speaking of fly fishing tours, AZFlyShop is presenting the Fly Fish Film Tour on Sunday, September 24, 5 p.m. at Moon Valley Country Club, 151 W Moon Valley Dr, Phoenix, AZ. The 2023 show will feature locations from Cuba to Patagonia, Mexico to Australia, Alaska, Wyoming, the Deep South, Massachusetts and beyond. Tickets are $22-$30 and can be purchased here.

THREE NEW MEMBERS OF OUR TU TEAM

EMILY OLSEN is our new Vice President for the Rocky Mountain Region. Based outside Denver, Olsen will lead TU’s coldwater conservation, habitat restoration, and advocacy programs in the region.

“With over a decade of experience building conservation programs, leading dynamic teams, and working with partners and federal and state agencies to restore land and water, Emily will be an important partner to me as we continue to grow the organization to meet the challenges faced by trout and salmon,” said Chris Wood, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited. “Emily’s brand of collaborative stewardship will be welcomed by our staff, volunteers and partners, and we are thrilled to welcome her to the team.”

ALEC YOUNG is the new Angling Recruitment Partnership Coordinator, a joint staff position with AZ Game and Fish and AZTU. Alec is an Arizona native born in Tucson. He grew up hunting and fishing all over the state and has always been an advocate for conservation. He received my bachelor’s degree from the University of Arizona studying Fisheries Conservation & Management. "It is a great honor to have become the first shared angling position with Trout Unlimited and the Arizona Game and Fish Department. I’m looking forward to continuing to meet my TU colleagues and working with all of you in the future!"

JOSH CRISWELL is Trout Unlimited’s Arizona Conservation Project Manager, He comes to TU with a decade of experience working in the field of conservation and is a specialist in making things happen in the middle of nowhere with nothing. Josh has a goal of restoring stream miles and having a landscape level effect on conservation. Born and raised in West Texas he studied Fish and Wildlife Conservation at New Mexico State University. When not hunting and fishing he spends his time restoring vintage vehicles of all sorts.

On July 31, 2023, AFTER WAITING NEARLY A YEAR, Commissioner-elect Marsha Lynn Sue and Jeffrey Scot Buchanan were with unanimously confirmed by the Senate Natural Resources, Energy and Water committee to the Arizona Game and Fish Commission. Congratulations Commissioner Sue and Commissioner Buchanan.

JUST A REMINDER: If your TU membership has lapsed, please take a moment and renew. Our Zane Grey TU team is doing great work and we need you! And after you’ve re-upped, tell a friend to join us. New members get an introductory half-price membership here. Pass it on. Here’s the renewal membership link. Click here to renew.

Emily Olsen

Alec Young

Josh Criswell

NLC Vision for 2023 -2027: You Are Helping!

The National Leadership Council (NLC) of Trout Unlimited is a conduit from national TU staff and Board of Trustees to the Councils and Chapters--establishing and implementing TU's conservation agenda and building the organizational structure to accomplish these goals. The 36 volunteer NLC Representatives are elected by each state Council.

TU's newly elected NLC leadership--Richard Thomas (Chair) and Sharon Sweeney Fee (Secretary)--have outlined a bold direction that will enhance TU's mission by re-thinking the organization's collaboration and engagement. Instead of a top-down structure, NLC leadership is placing TU's goals as the top tier and encouraging each facet of the organization to work together and share in the responsibility for moving coldwater conservation forward. In addition to identifying priority waters and ways to preserve them, NLC goals include diversifying staff, volunteers and partners so that TU has the tools, technology, training and resources to achieve our shared objectives. TU proudly is increasing our diversity. We have 729 women and 185 people of colors serving in Chapter and Council board positions

You as members, volunteers and supporters should be proud of the part you play in moving the needle on conservation. Last year Trout Unlimited volunteers:

Volunteered 566,056 hours (equivalent to 272 full time employees) resulting in
$18,000,596 in volunteer value
3,058 conservation or science projects
3,124 youth activities engaging 92,990 young people
515 events for veterans and first responders reaching 3,055 participants
93 events designed for under-represented communities reaching 2,388 people
4,328 community engagement activities reaching 87,451 attendees

In the coming months, the NLC leadership will meet with each Trout Unlimited Workgroup to develop meaningful and measurable goals and means to achieve them. Popular workgroups are:

Communications
Climate Change
Delaware River
Great Lakes
Land Conservancy
Native Trout
Youth Education

If you are interested in participating in or learning more about any of these national workgroups, contact your Arizona NLC Representative at Diversity@AZ-TU.org.

Rod Builder Wins a Rod!

Marco Cecala, left, of Yarnell was the winner of the recent Arizona Council Trout Unlimited bamboo rod sweepstakes. Marco, a great rod builder in his own right, was delighted to win this 1949 Wright and McGill Granger bamboo rod. The rod doesn't appear to have ever been fished. It still has its original cellophane cover on the cork handle. Marco can't wait to fish his new rod and plans to do so soon. Good Luck Marco! Thank you, Marco and all the participants, for your donations to the Arizona Council Sweepstakes. Look for new sweepstakes coming soon.

July Meeting Summary

The AZTU-PPC meeting held in July 2023 included a presentation from David Fernandez with the Arizona Game & Fish Department who discussed at length the process for the approval of the two outstanding individuals to the Arizona Game & Fish Commission.

Legislative Update

The state legislature is very quiet right now, they passed their budget on May 12th and there is no activity on bills. The only items taking place are confirmation hearings. TU will continue to monitor these hearings and continue building relationships with lawmakers over the Summer and into Fall so we can be productive in the upcoming 2024 session.

Groundwater News in AZ

Groundwater continues to be a hot topic in AZ! Here are two articles published in the Arizona Republic recently:

Arizona won't explain why it has paused leases on some state-owned farmland

Is the Arizona State Land Department taking steps to reverse a handful of unpopular leases? Or, more widely rethinking water use on state trust land?

Check out the story here:

Water shortfall could halt growth

Check out the story: here

Upcoming Events

The August 2023 AZTU-PPC Meeting will be held Thursday, August 10, 2023 at 7:00 PM. This meeting will have a presentation from Rebecca Davidson with the National Forest Foundation.

The AZTU-Public Policy Committee (AZTU-PPC) hosts a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 until 8:00 PM. If you are interested, please contact Ron Stearns at PublicPolicyChair@az-tu.org .

REMEMBER:

Your Conservation License Plate Supports Our Programs

The Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC) license plate fund is derived from the sale of wildlife conservation license plates and member organizations as well as non-member organizations are eligible to apply for those funds.

The Arizona TU Council and Chapters have received funds over the past eleven years in support of the Annual Native and Wild Trout Conferences, Fish Camp, Trout in the Classroom programs and conservation projects.

The next time your registration comes up for renewal, choose the conservation license plate option at registration to show your support for conservation and our projects.

PAYSON, Ariz. — The Arizona Game and Fish Department (AZGFD) has confirmed the presence of New Zealand mudsnails, an aquatic invasive species (AIS), in upper Tonto Creek approximately 2.5 miles downstream of Tonto Creek Hatchery. (Ironically, a Session 1 Fish Camp camper discovered the NZ mudsnail while "bugging" in Tonto Creek under Jim Strogen's direction).

AZGFD continues to conduct surveys in the area to determine the extent of infestation. Tonto Creek Hatchery will remain closed to the public. This will provide the department with time to enhance biosecurity protocols and evaluate infrastructure investments that could further bolster biosecurity.

How can you prevent the spread of New Zealand Mudsnails?

Please follow these instructions:

After fishing, scrub the bottom of boots or waders with a brush to remove all mud, plants and other organic materials. Then choose one of the following options before using the equipment and gear in the next body of water:

Option 1: Submerge waders and gear in a large tub filled with a quaternary ammonia-based institutional cleaner. If using consumer-grade 409, the solution does not need to be diluted. If using a product such as Super HDQ Neutral, mix 6 ounces per gallon of water. Equipment must be soaked for at least 20 minutes, scrubbing and inspecting all items before rinsing. The rinse water must be from a source free of AIS (to avoid re-exposure), and the chemical bath must be properly disposed of away from the body of water.

Option 2: Place waders and boots in a freezer overnight between uses.

Option 3: Dry waders and equipment completely for seven consecutive days (May through October) or 18 consecutive days (November through April).

Option 4: Spray or soak waders and gear with 140 degree Fahrenheit water for at least 10 minutes.

*Note: AZGFD does not endorse any particular product. Mention of any brand is for example only.

Social Media:

Check out the Instagram page for

Arizona of Trout Unlimited: @Trout_Unlimited_Arizona

If you're more traditional, try signing up for the private Facebook group: Arizona Women of Trout Unlimited.

Looking for a Fishing Opportunity?

Below is a list of fishing organizations in Arizona. Feel free to join, explore, visit their websites or attend a meeting to find out more information:

Organization

Arizona Flycasters Club

@ The Arizona American Italian Club

7509 N 12th St

Phoenix, AZ 85020

Link To Website

https://azflycasters.org/

Fly-Fishing Social Event night - 2nd Tuesday of each month. Great speaker and awesome raffle. Donations support our Community outreach partners from Veterans to Youth activities.

Contact