Currently browsing… Forest Service
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Visitation surges on U.S. national forests in 2020
An angler casts to trout on the Targhee National Forest in Idaho. Chris Hunt photo. Agency says pandemic spurred more people to explore the outdoors By Andrew Avitt Over the last year, people across the U.S. chose the great outdoors to reduce stress and find a physically distanced alternative for having a little fun. National forests and…
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Unattended campfires a symptom of higher public-lands use during the pandemic?
With more and more people escaping outside for safe recreation, it’s vital that people understand the impacts they’re having on public lands, not the least of which is the potential for wildfires caused by unattended campfires and careless behavior in the woods. Case in point: the Bridger-Teton National Forest in western Wyoming reported a 300…
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Building bridges for logging trucks … and native cutthroat trout
How a timber sale led to fish passage on the storied Greys River The impact a dam has on fish movement on big rivers like the lower Snake is easy for people to understand. But there are a number of obstacles fish face throughout a river system that are not so easy to comprehend. Sometimes…
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Newsletter features 2020 highlights for Great Lakes team
We all know that 2020 was far from a normal year. Despite the challenges brought on by the coronavirus pandemic, Trout Unlimited’s Great Lakes team soldiered on. The team, which continues to grow, was able to accomplish many key projects in the field as well as to continue advocacy efforts. Below are a few of the highlights from 2020, as well as a look ahead…
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TU and Forest Service team up for Michigan intern program
In 2020 Trout Unlimited, in partnership with the Huron-Manistee National Forest, ran a program that employed interns on three Wild and Scenic Rivers. The interns represented both Trout Unlimited and the Forest Service, informing river users of the regulations, providing information on coldwater resources as well as Wild and Scenic designations and Leave No Trace principles. Interns were stationed at river landings to check permits (where required) and educate…
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Forest Service oil and gas rulemaking is a public land fire sale
Oil and gas leases on public lands continue to be offered for fire-sale prices, oftentimes in conflict with fish, wildlife and public land users. In fact, millions of acres of public land offered for oil and gas leases are being let go for as little as $1.50 per acre. This speculative leasing is creating mounds of unnecessary analysis and paperwork, diverting public land managers from other priorities…
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Fixing what ails our western forests and communities
The haze over the early morning sun spurred a call from a friend. “Did you see the moon this morning? It’s wild!” It wasn’t the moon, but it was wild. Wildfires 3,000 miles away shrouded the sun in smoke. The light smoke in Washington, D.C., signaled devastation in the West. In California, for example, at least 26 people have perished from wildfire, and more than 7,000 structures were destroyed. In…