Author

Chris Wood

  • From the President

    Fishing with, and learning from, Sharon

    There are so many unsung women responsible for making Trout Unlimited what it is today. In honor of Women’s History Month, I want to celebrate one woman who has made an outsized impact on coldwater conservation and me, personally, Sharon Lance.

    "Whoo hoo!" The first time Sharon shouted as she brought a fish to hand on the Roaring Fork, I waded out of my hole, ran upstream, pulled out my camera and took a few pictures of her with the fish. The next time it happened, I walked to the bank and asked if she needed…

  • From the President

    Improving on the Global Deal for Nature

    Protecting 30 percent of the planet by 2030 may not be enough. In 2019, a group of international scientists came up with the notion of a Global Deal for Nature. Their idea is straightforward, and very ambitious. To “save the diversity and abundance of life on Earth,” the scientists said, we need to “save 30…

  • From the President

    Best, maybe last, chance for salmon

    One of the great mythologies in America is that conservation is a "zero-sum game"—a term used by economists when the gain of one person is offset by the loss of another. Conservation is often, for example, described as “job-killing,” or pitting fish and wildlife versus people. Congressman Mike Simpson’s (R-ID) proposal to re-imagine the relationship…

  • From the President

    Looking back, looking ahead

    Engaging with young anglers about conservation, policy and people It is easy to get cynical about the future, until you spend some time with it. I recently had a great time virtually speaking with over 100 college students who belong to our TU Costa 5 Rivers clubs and agreed to post my answers to their…

  • From the President

    Helping trout and helping America

    A small trout stream in Yellowstone National Park.

    As he was sworn in as the 46th president of the United States this week, Joe Biden made a powerful call for unity as the necessary foundation for tackling our nation’s challenges. Many celebrate and welcome the change. Others are angry and frustrated. Here is what I wrote four years ago when President Trump was…

  • From the President

    It’s time for the lower Snake River dams to go

    “It is our collective opinion, based on overwhelming scientific evidence, that restoration of a free-flowing lower Snake River is essential to recovering wild Pacific salmon and steelhead in the basin.”  So reads a remarkable letter recently sent to the governors of Oregon, Washington, Idaho and Montana by 10 of the finest and most-respected salmon and steelhead scientists in…