TROUT UNLIMITED 2017 ANNUAL REPORT FISHING CONSERVATION AND SCIENCE COMMUNITY The work that Trout Unlimited does to make our nation’s watersheds more resilient in the face of development and Dear Reader: a changing climate also makes our communities stronger. For example, when we protect public land, we reduce downstream drinking water On behalf of Trout Unlimited’s 300,000 members and supporters, 220 professional staff, and our trustees and grassroots leaders, we want to share with you the 2017 Trout Unlimited annual report. We realize that filtration costs. When we reconnect rivers to their flood plains, we reduce the effects of downstream flooding. When we restore rivers, we annual reports are essentially ritualized bragging, and should be generally read as such. Please consider these produce thousands of high-paying family wage jobs in rural communities. When we help wounded veterans to heal through fishing, teach kids to numbers, however, before you dismiss this one: fish and train the next generation of conservation stewards, we make the world a better place. • 1,164 miles of streams protected. • 737 miles of streams reconnected. • 361 miles of streams restored. P Protect: That is what Trout Unlimited accomplished on-the-ground in 2017. Aldo Leopold, who we like to think was We protect the highest quality rivers and streams— the intellectual predicate for that dozen or so people who first met on the banks of the Au Sable 59 years ago and the sources of cold, clean water. founded Trout Unlimited, once said: “The only thing that matters is progress on the landscape of the back 40.” It is difficult to think of an organization that accomplishes more on that landscape than Trout Unlimited. R Reconnect: What do these big numbers mean for the places we live and love? Because fish need to move in response to floods, fire, drought, In the Driftless Area—the unglaciated portion of Wisconsin, Minnesota, Iowa and Illinois—we have accom- and, in some cases, their lifecycles, we reconnect high-quality plished more than 100 miles of restoration in the past 10 years, including 20 this past year. Pre-restoration, we streams to downstream areas through changes to law and policy, and by removing unneeded dams and addressing find about 200-300 trout per mile in a Driftless stream. One year after restoration, those numbers increase to stream blockages such as perched culverts. 2,000-3,000 fish per mile. In Pennsylvania’s Kettle Creek—a stream decimated by the scourge of acid mine drainage—after more than R Restore: 15 years of hard and patient restoration work, we have recovered populations of wild and naturally reproduc- We identify and restore ing brook trout, which is a first for an Appalachian acid-mine damaged stream. Similarly, in Kerber Creek in areas where we see the southwestern Colorado, the work of Trout Unlimited and our partners has led to the first wild, naturally repro- highest return on invest- ducing trout populations in an area lost to the impacts of hard rock mining over 100 years ago. We could tell you ment for coldwater fish. story after story about once-dead, now-recovered landscapes because of Trout Unlimited. We have a national tendency toward forgetfulness in this country. We see it reflected in how we treat the elderly and those who served our nation’s flag. Relative to conservation, that lends itself to an “out-of-sight- out-of-mind” perspective. How else to explain tolerance for abandoned mines, dry western rivers, disregard for public lands, and loss of protection of headwater streams under the Clean Water Act and in places such as Bristol Bay, Alaska? Trout Unlimited never forgets. Instead, in thousands of communities across our great country, our mem- bers and staff work quietly and patiently to bring people together to apply common sense to common problems for the common good. We literally build community in a fractured world. And in so doing, we make your fishing better. Consider the fact that our 400 chapters and councils this past year donated over 730,000 hours of service to the places they live and love. 730,000 hours. That represents a passel of volunteers who educated state and federal legislators about clean water. That represents tens of thousands of kids who learned about the wonder of S Sustain: nature. That represents thousands of veterans whose lives have been made better through our Veteran’s Service We sustain this work over time by investing Partnership because of time on the water and fly-tying. Most important is that those veterans—and all of us who in kids, volunteers, fight to protect the places we live, love, and fish—are welcomed into the hundreds of communities built by Trout veterans, and the Unlimited volunteers across the country. communities in which That is the secret sauce of Trout Unlimited. No-one, no-one does a better job of protecting, reconnecting, we live. and restoring the places you love to fish—and by so doing to make these areas more resilient to a changing -cli mate—but our work to rebuild the communities that make America great truly distinguishes us. We hope you enjoy the report, and that it motivates you to give back to the resources that give us all so much joy. All our best, 1,682 672 3M 737 361 YOUTH & VETERANS Chris Wood James Asselstine PROJECTS EVENTS ACRES MILES MILES President and Chief Executive Officer Chairman PROTECTED RECONNECTED RESTORED TO SUSTAIN THE MISSION 2017 ACHIEVEMENTS COVER PHOTO BY JOSH DUPLECHIAN 1 2017 ANNUAL REPORT Trout Unlimited is a conservation organization dedicated to protecting and restoring TROUT UNLIMITED’S UNLIMITED’S 300,000 MEMBERS 300,000 AND MEMBERS SUPPORTERS trout and salmon fisheries and the ANDWORKING SUPPORTERS THROUGH OVER IN 400 2017… LOCAL CHAPTERS AND watersheds upon which they depend. STATE COUNCILS MADE AN INCREDIBLE IMPACT IN 2017. “Take care of the fish and the fishing will take WHAT IS care of itself.” –Art Neumann, Trout Unlimited founder 734,824 volunteers hours Trout Unlimited is a community of more than 300,000 members and supporters operating out of over 400 local chapters and state councils. We are the most dedicated trout, salmon and steelhead anglers in America, who not only appreciate the pastime of fishing, but who are also dedicated to keep- ing our resources around for future generations. And we act with incredible 1,013 Total volunteer hours valued at resolve. These “boots in the water” ac- conservation projects TROUT held on local streams counted for 734,824 volunteer hours $17,312,453 of work in 2017… rolling rocks, plac- ing structure, planting trees, cleaning up riverbanks, engaging local commu- nities, teaching the next generation of river stewards, and doing all the other 1,682 UNLIMITED? necessary “dirty work” it takes to make education projects that (and keep) trout water fishable. Mile by engaged youth mile, acre by acre, no organization in the world has the bandwidth, nor phys- ically does more to improve, protect, and sustain trout and salmon waters Raised than Trout Unlimited. Served $10,044,329 veterans Trout Unlimited is guided by science. in revenue and their From evaluating the effects of climate families change on our rivers to devising with strategies to counter these effects, to Spent over understanding the interplay of fish 672 and their habitats, Trout Unlimited’s events network of scientists bring their $8,718,687 and on conservation, education activities collective expertise and experience to and other local projects bear on the key management questions facing coldwater fisheries. Knowledge is power, and Trout Unlimited relies Over the past 10 years, Trout Unlimited volunteers spent $92,524,260 to on the most credible professionals implement our mission locally, including over 11,000 unique conservation in the world, from within Trout projects and over 15,300 youth education projects. Unlimited and through our state, TROUT UNLIMITED 2 3 2017 ANNUAL REPORT agriculture, mining and outdoor TROUT UNLIMITED STAFF IN 2017 recreation to find solutions that work for coldwater fish and people. We work to help families coalesce around conservation ethics that are passed More than 220 from one generation to the next. medium Trout Unlimited is a for professionals angler conservationists to communi- in 45 offices nationwide, including 25 cate with each other, in print, on- RESULTS- staff in Trout Unlimited’s national headquarters in Arlington, Virginia. line, through social media, and most importantly, in person. We inform. We entertain. We educate. We inspire peo- ple to think about fishing… to become better anglers… and to understand Specialized the imperative of giving back to the expertise: resources that give all anglers joy. Trout Unlimited is fun. We are a Restoration Specialists place for learning, camaraderie and Scientists working together to protect and restore Policy Experts DRIVEN the places where people love to fish. Lawyers Whether your idea of fun is learning Communicators new fishing tips or creating and sharing Organizers fly patterns or teaching kids how to fish … all working together in or conducting stream assessments or a strategic, coordinated The following pages illustrate some examples of the work walking the halls of Congress and state manner for the benefit of Trout Unlimited did in 2017. In many cases, these efforts have already coldwater habitat throughout houses, we afford opportunities to get North America. more out of conservation and the sport had a significant impact. The real impact of Trout Unlimited’s work of trout fishing. And with over 400 local chapters and councils initiating will be seen and measured for generations. activities in communities across the federal, and university partners, to where conservation and sporting country, we have many opportunities guide and measure the effectiveness of communities intersect.