To conserve, protect, and restore North America's cold-water fisheries and their watersheds |
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At this writing; Happy Father’s Day. Bass Pro Shop is honoring Fathers this month with a large sale on equipment and gear. Many of us will be back on the water this summer. Their advertisement states, “Pledge to take someone fishing”. They refer to the web site: takeakidfishing
Trout Unlimited has long been an advocate for a mentoring program for children and fishing. Many recommendations can be found online on how to get children involved in angling. As always, it is important to have fun. Here is a recommendation from a local sportswriter from years ago. He suggested that when you are teaching children the art of angling, DO NOT take your fishing rod with you. Your focus is on the children having fun of any type on the water. Catching fish is helpful to the children. Having fun is not always about just catching fish. Summer is a great time for family fun. Getting your family, friends and children outdoors is rewarding. Enjoy your summer and have fun.
As the Bass Pro Shop advertisement stated, “take a kid fishing, you’ll be happy you did”. Johnny Morris, Founder Bass Pro Shop.
OPTU will return to regular meetings and outings starting in September. Hope to see you at our events. Watch for our monthly newsletter. For now, enjoy our National Independence Day holiday on July 04. Have fun and play safe. Hope to see you on the water.
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Gone fishing for the summer |
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Tentative Schedule for 2023 |
June-August - Summer Vacation
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There won't be any monthly meetings over the summer. Have a great summer of fishing and conservation and we'll see you back in the fall! |
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NZ Mudsnails Confirmed in Canyon Creek
Anglers and others recreating in Canyon Creek are now required to clean, drain, dry and decontaminate their equipment after each visit.
Checkout the AZGFD news release for more details.
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A must see 3 1/2 minute video, just released, provides an overview of the Arizona program with testimonials from the students and teachers on the positive benefits they received from the program. The video can be seen on www.aztic.org.
Steve Reiter is the OPTU TIC chairman. If interested in the TIC program to spread the word or to volunteer, contact Steve at [email protected]
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Check out Jim Strogen's latest article in the Payson Roundup.
AZ TU has a new website with lots of great information about public policy, conservation and more. Check it out at the link below.
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June Meeting Summary
The AZTU-PPC meeting held in June 2023 included a recorded presentation from Dr. Caroline Nash, a professional hydrologist and geomorphologist with Blue Shift, regarding a Bureau of Reclamation Grant for a Northern Arizona Black River conservation project that is in the planning phase.
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?
Upcoming Events
The July 2023 AZTU-PPC Meeting will be held Thursday, July 13, 2023 at 7:00 PM. This meeting will have a presentation from David Fernandez, the Legislative Policy Administrator for the Arizona Game & Fish Department, to give us the AZGFD's perspective of the 2023 Legislative Session.
The AZTU-Public Policy Committee received a request from the Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation to weigh in on whether to support, not support, or abstain on AZTU's support of a Grand Canyon National Monument. The Committee abstained from taking a position on the Grand Canyon National Monument at this time as it is important to have a "seat at the table" when the rules and regulations are drafted for the monument status if the Grand Canyon National Monument is ultimately enacted by the current Administration.
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National Leadership Council |
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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 [email protected].
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Native and Wild Trout Conference |
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The Native and Wild Trout conference presentations are now available. Click the link below to checkout the presentations.
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Montana train derailment and bridge collapse. Sound familiar? Because it is.
June 29, 2023
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In mid-June, just as high waters were still flushing the Yellowstone River, sixteen railcars derailed after a bridge collapsed. The train, carrying hazardous materials such as hot asphalt, molten sulfur, and scrap metals, is just one of several train derailments making the news this year. This time, in an iconic river with its fair share of recent challenges.
Montana Rail Link is responsible for cleanup costs from the Yellowstone incident. Of the sixteen derailed cars, ten of them submerged in the river about 40 miles west (and upstream) of Billings. The asphalt and sulfur spilled into the river, solidified, and moved downstream. No injuries were reported, and the environmental impact of the derailment is still unknown. But one thing is certain: aging infrastructure and lack of oversight is endangering the future of our freshwater resources.
... Continue reading on tu.org
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THE STUDIO
A Film by Trout Unlimited with support from Simms
Scot Simmons has dealt with various forms of anxiety, PTSD and depression for most of his adult life. He is committed to creating a better life for himself and others, and he strives to be a better role model for his own family.
Premiering on YouTube, a new film from Trout Unlimited highlighting Twin Cities TU board member Scot Simmons’ path to creating a better life for himself and others as he strives to be a better role model for his own family. Fly fishing has helped him find his equilibrium.
You can watch the film for free here.
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