Travel TU Costa 5 Rivers

Native Trout Odyssey Team

Native Trout Odyssey team to make final stop in Washington D.C. Five college students; 10 weeks; 10 states; 18 native trout species. The Native Odyssey crew (left to right): Brett…

Kate Miller
Sep 28, 2017

Native Trout Odyssey team to make final stop in Washington D.C.

Five college students; 10 weeks; 10 states; 18 native trout species.

The Native Odyssey crew (left to right): Brett Winchel, Matt Crockett, Jacob Lacy, Heather Harkavy, Austin Burroughs.

This Summer, TU, in partnership with U.S. Forest Service, Costa Sunglasses, Simms Fishing Products, and Fishpond, sent five college students on an epic cross-country conservation highlight tour. Their mission was to explore public lands across 10 states, in search of 18 native species of trout, in 10 weeks — with a goal of raising awareness and knowledge about the importance of preserving public lands and waters for future generations to enjoy, and the role that these lands play in preserving habitat for coldwater species.

The Native Odyssey was created by Andrew Loffredo, coordinator of the TU Costa 5 Rivers Outreach Program. The students just wrapped up their final stop (seeking three native trout species in California’s Sequoia National Forest) and are now headed to Washington D.C. to share stories and lessons learned from their journey with policy makers in Congress and the Administration.

The first native trout crossed off of the list by the Native Odyssey team was the Southern Appalachian brook trout. Courtesy Native Odyssey team.

Following the path of native discovery through the eyes of these students was both educational and inspirational. Catch up with the journey by reading the Team dispatches from the trip:

Native Odyssey: A conservation road trip of a lifetime.

https://vimeo.com/234941666

Meet the Team:

Read the Dispatches from Team Odyssey:

Story Map Journal

Learn More:

    • Vimeo videos from the team: https://vimeo.com/234501439