By Jake Lemon West Virginia and Virginia are currently experiencing a major buildout of pipeline infrastructure. Pipelines are being constructed across hundreds of miles of rugged and highly erodible terrain, crossing hundreds of rivers and streams in the process. These large-scale construction projects have the potential to degrade aquatic ecosystems and drinking water supplies. This
Coldwater conservationists getting it done in the Granite State
By Keith Curley I left New Hampshire 16 years ago to come work for TU in Arlington, Va., but often return home to visit family and reconnect with the rivers, lakes and streams where I learned to fish. On one recent trip I had the good fortune of joining TU’s New Hampshire State Council for
Lake trout on the decline in Yellowstone Lake
National Park Service removed more than 280,000 invasive fish in 2019 Yellowstone National Park and its crews of contracted gillnetters removed 282,960 invasive lake trout from Yellowstone Lake this summer, a slight dip from previous years, and a likely indication that overall lake trout numbers are shrinking. Nevertheless, there remains work to be done to
Bridge project in Virginia good for trout, hikers
By Mark Taylor SYRIA, Va. — On any given weekend day, hundreds of hikers roll up and down the scenic White Oak Canyon Trail in Shenandoah National Park. The 7-mile round trip winds through a rugged gorge along a gorgeous, tumbling mountain stream. It’s not an easy hike, but it’s a rewarding one, which is
TU urges Congress to keep funding mine cleanups
Trout Unlimited joined a bipartisan group of partners and lawmakers last week in calling on Congress to provide continued funding for the cleanup of abandoned mines and the legacy pollution of historic coal production. The House Subcommittee for Energy and Mineral Resources met to discuss H.R. 4248, which would reauthorize the Surface Mining Control and Reclamation Act of 1977 and provide ongoing funding through 2036. TU
‘Salmon Forest’ residents won’t be ignored
Mostly, I felt confident that the U.S. Forest Service would make decisions that benefit, instead of harm, the overall health of fish and wildlife in the Tongass National Forest. That is, until now.
New license plate means happy trout in South Carolina
Nov. 12, 2019, will go down as a historic day for coldwater conservation in South Carolina. After a monumental effort by the Mountain Bridge, Saluda River and Chattooga River Chapters, a brand-new South Carolina Trout Unlimited license plate was unveiled. Designed by homegrown artist, Jay Talbot of Columbia, S.C., the tag features a striking native