TROUT UNLIMITED2014 Project List

… by the next generation, TU will ensure that robust populations

of native and wild coldwater fish once again thrive within their North American range, so that our children can enjoy healthy fisheries in their home waters.

This is an ambitious goal and to accomplish it TU is employing a comprehensive strategy to…

* Protect the highest quality trout and salmon habitat.* Reconnect vital coldwater habitat through dam and culvert removal projects and the

improvement of in-stream flows.* Restore degraded habitats so that they again support healthy trout and salmon.* Sustain our progress by educating and motivating the future generation of

environmental stewards.

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I. PROTECT

Shale Gas Project (NY, PA, WV, VA, MD, OH)

Unprecedented gas drilling is underway in the Marcellus and Utica shales, which underly six Eastern states. TU is leading sportsmen and women to ensure that drilling is done responsibly, despite inconsistent environmental laws and underfunded regulatory agencies. Using volunteer-collected monitoring data and TU’s Conservation Success Index (CSI), TU is working to protect exceptional coldwater fisheries, as well as working with gas companies to implement pilot projects using best management practices. This is a major, multi-year effort in which TU’s expert staff, and deep connection to sportsmen and women on the ground, make us a widely-recognized and highly-respected leader.

Bristol Bay (AK)

Some call Bristol Bay the most important salmon ecosystem on earth. It is the most prolific sockeye salmon-producing system in the world, and is also home to large runs of chinook and coho salmon, as well as world-famous rainbow trout. TU continues to lead the fight to prevent the development of the proposed Pebble Mine, an enormous gold and copper mine that would be located in the middle of salmon spawning grounds in the headwaters of Bristol Bay. If developed, Pebble Mine could decimate this irreplaceable ecosystem and the $445 million fishing-based economy it supports. TU’s leadership in all facets of the fight to protect Bristol Bay is vital to a successful outcome, and a tremendous step was taken in the right direction in the form of the recently-released (January, 2014) Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) watershed assessment for the proposed project. The EPA found that the Pebble Mine would: cause the direct loss of more than 90 miles of salmon-spawning streams; destroy up to 5,350 acres of wetlands, ponds, and lakes in the Bristol Bay region; directly affect salmon and trout in up to 35 miles of river and stream beyond the mine footprint, and 51 miles within the mine footprint, as a result of copper leaching during standard operation; generate millions of tons of waste that would require treatment and storage in perpetuity. There is still much work to be done, and TU will continue its efforts until Bristol Bay’s fisheries are protected.

Tongass Rainforest (AK)

At 17 million acres, the lush Tongass is both the country’s largest national forest and the biggest swath of relatively intact temperate rainforest left in the world. It produces about one-third of Alaska’s total salmon catch, and is an internationally-renowned sportfishing destination for both salmon and trout. TU continues to work closely with commercial and sport fishermen, recreation and tourism business owners, and community leaders to restore watersheds damaged by past timber harvesting, and to protect permanently the best salmon and trout waters on the Tongass.

Aquatic Invasive Species Program

Aquatic Invasive Species (AIS) rank second only to habitat loss as the primary threat facing America’s fish, wildlife, and plants. Our AIS program is: working to engage TU volunteers in an aggressive AIS prevention effort; working with federal, state, and local entities on prevention measures and education; and working with fisheries managers to investigate and restore trout populations that have been affected by AIS. The

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AIS program also continues to collaborate with wader and wading boot manufacturers to develop new materials to improve wader and boot designs, making them easier to inspect, clean, and dry.

Protecting Streams from Off-Highway Vehicle Abuse The irresponsible use of off-highway vehicles takes a heavy toll on fish and wildlife habitat across the country. In 2014, as in years past and future, in state legislatures and in the halls of Congress as well as in the development of Travel Management Plans for federal lands, TU is bringing to bear the voices of anglers and other outdoors lovers to bring about better management and enforcement, as well as stiffer penalties for scofflaws. There is a place for recreational OHV riding, but it should be on designated trails, not in rivers, streams, and wetlands.

Responsible Renewable Energy Development

A landscape vision for renewable (wind and solar) energy development is needed to ensure responsible development that protects ecologically-significant natural communities and landscapes. Development of renewable resources on our federal public lands should be a deliberate process that seeks to minimize impacts on the nation’s land, water, and fish and wildlife resources. Focusing energy development on degraded lands that provide minimal ecological and fish and wildlife values, and that have high renewable energy potential, should be a priority. TU’s Government Affairs team led the effort in 2012 to introduce a bipartisan bill that would help to balance renewable energy development with fish and wildlife habitat conservation on public lands, and to dedicate project-generated revenues to that end. Our strong efforts to build bipartisan support for the bill have yielded 52 House cosponsors and eight Senate cosponsors, and we are now actively seeking hearings in both chambers to move the legislation forward on the path to passage. Protecting Headwater Streams thrrough the Clean Water Act After years of effort by TU and many other conservation groups, the EPA and Army Corps of Engineers have announced their intention to complete a formal rule-making process to clarify the jurisdiction of the Clean Water Act to improve protections for small headwater streams. EPA Administrator Gina McCarthy came to TU’s Annual Meeting in Wisconsin in September, 2013, to tell us about it personally, and to seek our help to see the rule across the finish line. Clean Water Act protections for millions of small and intermittently-flowing streams and many wetlands have been in limbo for more than a decade because of a pair of Supreme Court cases, and the flawed policies put in place to implement those court rulings. The changes have stripped 20 million acres of wetlands of the law’s protections, and placed “at risk” 59% of U.S. stream miles. 2014 will be a very busy year for TU, working through the upcoming public comment period to ensure that the issue is resolved in a manner that restores Clean Water Act protections for small streams and wetlands.

Eastern Land Protection

With so much of their native habitat degraded across the East Coast, Eastern brook trout cannot afford to lose any more healthy streams. For example, genetically distinct Southern Appalachian brook trout occupy just 2% of their historic habitat in North Carolina, and with half of the remaining populations on private land, engaging in land protection region-wide is more important than ever. TU, armed with data generated

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by the CSI and aided by our extensive grassroots volunteer network, is working in partnership with land trusts to protect and restore critical habitat, and to advocate for critical land protection funding. This work is taking place strategically along the length of the eastern seaboard, and includes focused efforts in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and the Southeast, where TU provides grants through its Coldwater Land Conservancy Fund. Over the past two years, TU has permanently protected over 6 miles of high quality brook trout habitat with the help of TU’s Coldwater Land Conservancy Fund

Maine Brook Trout Project (ME)

Maine is the last great native brook trout stronghold in the United States; indeed, Maine brook trout are one of the most intact populations of native trout remaining anywhere in the lower 48 states. To protect these fish, TU is using the CSI to advocate for better fishery management, creating partnerships with outfitters and lodges to generate ecotourism dollars, and collaborating with timber companies, land trusts, and other landowners to improve land management. TU is a leader in the statewide effort to sample and identify native brook trout ponds, a huge undertaking that since its inception has resulted in increased regulatory protections for dozens of these precious wilderness waters, and in protections for the wild landscapes that surround many of them.

Native Fish Conservation Areas

Native Fish Conservation Areas (NFCAs) help manage native fish communities while simultaneously allowing for compatible recreational and commercial uses. In an ongoing effort, TU has identified a handful of watersheds in the Colorado River Basin that could be managed under the NFCA concept to benefit Colorado River cutthroat trout (not to mention sensitive warmwater fish), and in New England to help native anadromous (sea-run) salmonids such as Atlantic salmon and salter brook trout.

Pacific Salmon and Steelhead Spawner Project

Allowing abundant, diverse adult wild salmon and steelhead to return to their spawning grounds is essential to their productivity and health, but fish managers are using outdated methods to set goals for these spawning fish and consequently allowing too few adults to spawn. This undermines the public’s enormous investment in habitat protection and restoration. TU is leading a group of highly-respected scientists in developing a new method for establishing ecologically sound, habitat-based goals for spawning fish that will take full advantage of available habitat. The ongoing debate, in which TU is a key player, about how to restore wild salmon and steelhead to Washington’s Elwha River now that its dams have been removed, is just one example of why the need for this project is so acute.

Bodie Hills (CA) The Bodie Hills are a remarkable complex of undeveloped public lands, bounded by Mono Lake and the East Walker River, where California’s majestic east slope of the Sierra Nevada range meets the Great Basin. This area has very high scenic, historic, and habitat values, and TU is a founding member of the conservation partnership working to protect historic spawning and rearing habitat for native Lahontan cutthroat trout, as well as critical habitat for sage grouse and hunting opportunities for trophy mule deer in the Bodie Hills. The partnership is working to gain permanent protection for this unique area through special designation – the Bodie Hills qualifies to be a National Monument or a National Conservation Area.

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We will continue to oppose an ill-advised, large-scale gold mining operation which is proposed for the Bodie Hills, to work to protect the large roadless areas, headwaters of trout streams, and sagebrush steppe habitat that define this scenic landscape, and to work with local stakeholders to deliver economic benefits to northern Mono County.

Meiss Meadows (CA) TU is leading the multi-stakeholder campaign to gain special designation under the Wild & Scenic Rivers Act for the headwaters of the Truckee River. The 25-mile stretch proposed for this designation is the primary source of fresh water for Lake Tahoe, and the focus of recovery efforts for native Lahontan cutthroat trout in this watershed. Our efforts to build local and resource agency support for permanent protection for this roadless area have paid off with key endorsements from county and federal officials. The beautiful Meiss Meadows section of the upper river now contains the only healthy self-sustaining population of rare Lahontan cutthroat in the Tahoe Basin.

Southern Sierra Forest Project (CA) TU is playing a lead role in a coalition of conservation groups working to protect and restore lands and waters on national forests in the southern Sierra Nevada. Collectively, these public lands provide some of the best fishing in California, and are home to three species of native trout. These forests harbor 100% of the native range of the fabled California golden trout, California’s state fish and the focus of an intensive, ongoing restoration effort by TU and other partners (the Golden Trout Restoration Project). The Sierra, Sequoia, and Inyo National Forests are also test cases for new planning regulations and procedures for the U.S. Forest Service, and they are updating their master Forest Plans over the next two years. TU staff and grassroots are working in tandem to rally sportsmen around the state to support the protection of roadless areas and headwaters, improved fishing and hunting access, and the better management of alpine meadows.

Southern California Trout and Steelhead (CA) Trout and steelhead have adapted to living in the challenging climate and geology of southern California, but their existence in this region is tenuous. TU is working with partners in three coalitions to protect and restore fish habitat that has been hard-hit over the last half century by diversions and development, and more recently by drought. We are working to gain special designations for lands and waters in the Los Padres, Angeles, and San Bernardino National Forests around Los Angeles, and to conserve popular trout streams such as Piru Creek, Deep Creek, and the San Gabriel River. We are also working to recover the southern steelhead, one of the rarest freshwater fishes in North America, by removing barriers to fish passage and restoring habitat in coastal streams in Los Angeles, Orange, and San Diego counties.

Pine Forest Range (NV)

The Pine Forest Range/Blue Lakes region in northwest Nevada, which was named to the TU/Field and Stream 2010 list of “Best Wild Places,” boasts excellent coldwater fisheries. Several of the precious high-desert perennial streams in this area have the potential for native Lahontan cutthroat trout restoration, and the landscape is rich in terrestrial wildlife as well. Recently, in a tremendous demonstration of conservation leadership in a very challenging social and political environment, TU worked collaboratively

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with local counties, state and federal agencies, and elected officials to gather bipartisan support for a bill that has been introduced to Congress to protect this area as wilderness. TU will be working hard for the passage of this bill in 2014.

Green River (UT) The Green River below Flaming Gorge Reservoir in Utah is a virtual “fish factory,” holding an estimated 15,000 trout per mile. Good fishing opportunity is the foundation of an annual $118 million, recreation-based, local economy. TU is leading a Sportsmen for the Green Coalition (ourdamwater.org) comprised of business owners, fishing guides, and local and statewide sportsmen’s organizations to protect the key 17 miles of the Green below Flaming Gorge Reservoir as “scenic” under the Wild and Scenic Rivers Act.

Elk River (OR) The Elk River in southwest Oregon is an exceptionally productive salmon and steelhead river, and is one of the few coastal watersheds in the area that has not experienced heavy logging. TU is leading a broad bipartisan coalition of local conservationists, elected officials, business owners, fishing guides, and local and statewide sportsmen’s organizations (sportsmenfortheelk.org) to protect the remaining backcountry lands in the Elk River watershed. TU has succeeded in designating part of this watershed as a federal wilderness area, and we continue our work leading the coalition of stakeholders working to secure comprehensive protection for the entire watershed.

Little Mountain (WY)

Little Mountain—named one of six TU/Field and Stream “Best Wild Places” in 2010— is located in southwest Wyoming, along the Green River. It is prized for its unique native trout fisheries and abundant big-game herds; it is also an area targeted for natural gas extraction. TU has formed the Greater Little Mountain Coalition, a grassroots, citizen-led group of local sportsmen and women, to keep gas rigs out of the best habitat and to ensure that any natural gas drilling done in the area is done responsibly, in a manner that minimizes impacts to fish and wildlife. In 2014, work will be focused on the development of a new Resource Management Plan, and associated Master Leasing Plan for the area.

Montana Headwaters Initiative (MT)

TU is the lead sportsmen’s conservation group pushing for passage of the Forest Jobs and Recreation Act, sponsored by U.S. Senator Jon Tester of Montana. This collaborative bill is an innovative effort by sportsmen and women, recreationists, industry, and regional government to solve a long-simmering controversy in Montana over wilderness. If passed, the bill will create the first new wilderness in Montana in a generation, and protect the headwaters of legendary trout rivers including the Madison, Beaverhead, Big Hole, and Rock Creek.

Hermosa Creek (CO) Located just twenty minutes from downtown Durango, the Hermosa Creek watershed contains Colorado’s largest unprotected roadless area, and is a sportsman’s paradise. TU led a community-driven process

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which, after three years of meetings, came to a consensus for protecting this watershed. In 2013, a bipartisan bill was introduced in Congress to protect the entire basin as a Special Management Area, including 38,000 acres of wilderness. The Hermosa Creek Watershed Protection Act enjoys broad, unopposed support from local county commissions, town boards, a Native American tribe, and water developers. As the effort’s leader, TU formed the Sportsmen for Hermosa coalition representing dozens of sportsmen’s conservation organizations, guides and outfitters, and sporting retailers and manufacturers. TU is working hard to pass this bill in 2014.

Dolores River Basin (CO) The Dolores River Basin offers outstanding trout fishing, hunting, and other outdoor recreational opportunities that make it a destination for local, regional, and international visitors. TU is engaging sportsmen and women (upperdolores.com) in a comprehensive effort with the long-term goal of federal legislation to create permanent land protections throughout the Dolores basin.

Rio Grande Gorge (NM) In March 2012, President Obama designated the Rio Grande del Norte as a National Monument, resulting in the permanent protection of 240,000 acres of public land, 66 contiguous river miles, and, most importantly, the largest block of wild trout habitat in New Mexico. For eight years, TU was the driving force behind a local, sportsmen-led effort to protect the Rio Grande del Norte. The designation had broad-scale bipartisan support from state and national sportsmen’s groups, the Taos County Commission and Mayor, Native American tribes, ranchers, and others. This designation protects the sporting heritage of northern New Mexico for future generations, and helps to build and sustain local and regional economies (the annual economic impact of the designation is estimated to be $32.2 million).

Columbine-Hondo (NM) The headwaters of the Rio Hondo and the Red River comprise a refuge for Rio Grande cutthroat trout amid 46,000 pristine acres that could be protected through a wilderness designation. TU has worked with local citizens, sportsmen, businesses, state and federal agencies, and elected officials to gather broad bipartisan support for federal legislation to protect this area as wilderness. TU will be working hard for the passage of this bill in 2014.

2. RECONNECT

Penobscot River Restoration Project (ME)

The Penobscot River Restoration Project is the arguably the most comprehensive and innovative river restoration project in the nation, restoring access for Atlantic salmon and 10 other species of sea-run fish to nearly 1,000 miles of river through the removal of two dams and a bypass around a third. TU and its Penobscot River Restoration Trust partners -- who acquired the dams after raising $25 million for their purchase -- have now removed the first two from the river. While these steps bring the restoration of the

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Penobscot River closer to reality, efforts are still underway to raise the additional funding needed to complete the bypass around the third dam. Maine is home to the last remaining wild Atlantic salmon in the nation; the Penobscot holds the state’s largest population of these fish, and this project is considered to be the last best chance for their recovery in the United States.

New England Culvert Project (VT, NH, MA, PA)

By removing, replacing, or retrofitting currently impassable stream crossings, TU aims to reconnect Eastern brook trout habitat across the northeast. This year, we will target at least 20 key culvert restoration projects in sub-watersheds of the Connecticut and Susquehanna rivers, projects that will reconnect over 100 miles of upstream habitat to the rest of the watersheds downstream. TU is undertaking this work in partnership with state fish and wildlife managers, volunteers, and with the support of the U.S. Forest Service, National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

Delaware River Project (NY, PA, NJ)

Building on the success of our landmark restoration projects on New Yorks’s Beaverkill River and Willowemoc Creek, TU is advocating for strong protections on gas drilling in the Delaware River watershed as a whole, and for instream flows that meet the needs of both coldwater fish and the citizens in New York City. The monitoring of and engagement in complex political and regulatory questions like this are long-term commitments that require constant vigilance and a steady TU presence; 2014 will be no different from the many years that TU has spent to date doing this critical work. Additionally, TU has completed 4 restoration projects with the support of the Millennium Stream Improvement Fund. The completed projects include floodplain restoration on the Nature Conservancy’s Neversink Preserve and habitat improvement projects in the Catskills. The remaining Millennium-funded projects will be completed in 2104, and include two perched culvert replacement projects on tributaries to the Beaverkill.

The Eastern Water Project

Finite water supplies, gas drilling, development pressures, and climate change are among the factors that underscore the great and increasing need for TU to be as involved in water management in the East as it is in the West. And we are: across the region, TU staff and volunteers work to reform state water policy and to engage in water management processes at the state and local levels. In 2011, we helped to lead the effort that successfully passed water withdrawal legislation in New York, and in 2012 we worked to ensure that New York’s new regulations (required by the legislation passed in 2011) provide strong protections for coldwater resources. Building on this success, in 2014 TU is working to implement similar legislation in Pennsylvania. The overarching goal is to create a framework of checks and balances through which significant water withdrawals will not have a negative impact on stream health and aquatic life.

The California Water Project (CA)

The California Water Project is achieving durable streamflow protection for salmon, steelhead, and trout, and changing the way that water rights are managed in California. TU is realizing these major outcomes through a combination of tactics: reform of California's system of water rights administration, developing strategic agreements for instream flow protection in key watersheds, entering into cooperative programs

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with water users, and helping drive hydropower reform efforts. TU worked successfully with the wine industry to enact legislation which will improve and expedite permitting for small off-stream storage ponds for frost protection. In the Central Valley, we are working to improve streamflows and fishing opportunities in the Yuba, Merced, and Tuolumne Rivers. This comprehensive program evaluates and supports the needs of cold water fish throughout entire river systems, and delivers benefits to fish and fishing through actions such as improving dam operations in the mountains to restoring floodplains in the lower watershed.

The Washington Water Project (WA)

Washington State has some of the most innovative water laws in the West, and as a result TU’s work there has set a high bar for implimenting instream flow projects, using the laws to improve steelhead, salmon, and trout rivers like the Yakima, Wenatchee, Entiat, Methow, and Okanogan. The Washington Water Project is identifying willing partners, especially in ranching and farming communities, and then working with their water rights and put water back instream and to retrofit outdated irrigation systems to improve stream flow and to remove fish passage barriers. The Water Project is also working directly with farmers and ranchers to help them implement fish-friendly land and water management practices that will qualify their operations for “salmon safe” certification, which will make their products more appealing in the market. Among the numerous projects completed in Washington in 2013, the Pioneer Project, completed in partnership with the Wenatchee Irrigation District was a highlight. The project’s key elements included moving the point of diversion downstream 7 miles to the confluence with the Coumbia River, completely piping the entire irrigation sytem, installing a state of art pressurized pump system, and removing an 85 foot tall dam from a side channel. The result of this multi-million dollar effort are critical flow improvements to aid Endangered Specis Act-listed salmon and steelhead..

The Utah Water Project (UT)

TU scored a major victory in 2008 with passage of a bill that allows TU to lease water from ranchers and landowners to boost instream flows for trout. Six years later we are continuing our efforts to put that bill to work, in partnership with landowners, to develop and implement leases in priority river systems including the Bear, the Weber, and Colorado River tributaries. The Utah Water Project’s efforts have led to three water leases being teed up with the State Engineer’s Office as we strive to “prove up” the 2008 legislation and help move the state toward permanent adoption of the water leasing concept when the pilot bill expires in 2018. TU also led behind-the-scenes efforts to pass 2013 legislation that will streamline the water leasing process for the remainder of the pilot period. Elsewhere, while pursuing water leasing opportunities, TU is restoring fish passage by replacing antiquated irrigation diversions and culverts with fish-friendly structures. Finally, TU has been selected by the Governor to help chair a multi-year water plan development process, providing an important opportunity to ensure that coldwater conservation is part of the state’s vision for the future.

The Idaho Water Project (ID)

Idaho has a wealth of spectacular trout, salmon, and steelhead rivers, all of which need sufficient water, and connected river and stream habitats, to thrive. TU is partnering with landowners, government agencies, and local communities to remove fish passage barriers and to put water back into rivers. Rivers benefiting from this work include the Portneuf, Snake, Teton, Big and Little Lost, Big Wood, Lemhi, Pahsimeroi, and Yankee Fork (the last a tributary of the Salmon River, having highly-valuable steelhead

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and salmon spawning habitat). The Idaho Water Project is also protecting critical watersheds from unwise water development that would reduce flows and damage fishieries. Buoyed by the Idaho Department of Water Resources’ denial of the water right application for the proposed Oneida Narrows Project, TU is now focused achieving a similar result so that the dam will not be approved by the Federal Energy Regulatory Commmission (FERC). In addition, TU hopes to work with conservation and irrigator partners, once the Henry’s Fork Basin Study is completed in 2014, to expand drought planning and management concepts and better protect Henry’s Fork flows, especially winter flows, below Island park Dam, and to restore the lower Teton River.

The Colorado Water Project (CO)

Colorado has remarkable trout fisheries to match its renowned scenery—but many of the state’s rivers and streams are in trouble. We are currently working at a watershed scale to reconnect and restore coldwater habitat in the Gunnison, Yampa/White, Rio Grande, and Dolores River basins by forging partnerships with farmers and ranchers to implement new irrigation practices that will keep more water in these rivers and prevent trout from being killed in irrigation ditches. We are also linking these on-the ground programs to education and outreach efforts geared toward expanding Colorado’s water policies to allow the use of water conserved via irrigation efficieny projects to restore streamflows. TU contributed critical negotiating and organizing muscle to ensure that the permitting disputes on the Windy Gap Firming Project on the upper Upper Colorado River were settled, and that they included long-term wild trout protection and restoration provisions. TU has now pivoted to the similar Moffat Tunnel Firming Project, a proposal to divert water from already-depleted trout streams in the upper Colorado River Basin and pipe it to cities on the Front Range. The Colorado Water Project has developed a balanced, pragmatic plan (“Filling the Gap”) of solutions that would meet Colorado’s future water needs without inflicting further damage to trout streams. We are advocating for the implementation of this plan instead of the construction of large-scale dams and pipelines.

The Wyoming Water Project (WY)

The Wyoming Water Project continues to combine on-the-ground work to reconnect and restore key coldwater fisheries with legislative activities designed to pass a bill that will allow private landowners to use their water rights flexibly to restore streamflows. TU has place-based staff in every major river basin in Wyoming – the North Platte, Green, Bighorn, and Upper Snake – working with local elected officials, federal and state resource agencies, and ranchers and farmers to design, fund, and implement projects that provide fish passage, eliminate ditch entrainment (trout diverted into irrigation canals), and conserve water. The project work not only addresses critical coldwater fishery issues, but also helps to build trust in rural towns and with agricultural producers – key constituencies to securing legislative gains that expand the streamflow restoration toolbox in Wyoming. TU has drafted a variety of market-based, non-regulatory streamflow restoration bills over the past six years, and continues work toward the goal of passing water leasing legislation that has the support of traditional water users. Since 2006, TU has reconnected over a thousand miles of Wyoming coldwater fisheries habitat. 2013 projects included restoring sinuosity and channel complexity on the Encampment River, providing fish passage on Crow Creek in the Salt River drainage, and expanded reconnect projects along Greybull River tributaries like Timber, Francs Fork, and Rawhide creeks.

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The Montana Water Project (MT)

The Montana Water Project continues to build on its already remarkable record of restoring dewatered streams, repairing aging water infrastructure, and working to improve water policy for the benefit of Montana’s treasured coldwater fisheries. Our strategy focuses on restoring streamflows in key watersheds like the Blackfoot, Madison, and Yellowstone Rivers, where projects improve native and wild trout populations while testing and reforming water policy and regulatory processes along the way. Flow restoration projects recently brought to completion included the first permanent instream flow acquisition in Montana at Nevada Spring Creek, irrigation water rights converted to instream flow in Bridger Creek and 4 tributaries, and collaboration with a major irrigation district on the Sun River to generate significant instream flows to a chronically dewatered reach. Another project “outside-the-box” was launching Montana Aquatic Resource Services, Inc., an independent non-profit organization dedicated to directing mitigation dollars from regulatory and enforcement actions into meaningful stream and wetland restoration across Montana. Together, the Montana Water Project’s three areas of focus—restoring dewatered streams, addressing aging water infrastructure, and making water policy more friendly to fish—are a comprehensive effort to protect and restore cold, clean water to Montana’s trout streams.

The New Mexico Water Project (NM) TU identified New Mexico as a key need and opportunity for expanding our water activities, and thanks to a challenge grant from the Turner Foundation, TU hopes to open a New Mexico Water office sometime during 2014 or 2015. TU hosted a group of ranchers, industry representatives, and elected officials from New Mexico (in partnership with the Audubon Society) in Montana during the summer of 2012. The goal was to show the New Mexico participants some of the on-ranch innovation related to streamflows, both in terms of improved agricultural infrastructure (piping projects, sprinklers, modernized diversions, fish screens) and conserved water, and the strategic taking out of production of some marginal lands in order to provide opportunities for leasing water. We would like to bring the TU experience in Montana and other western states to bear on solidifying water transactions as a recognized and flexible tool for traditional water users in New Mexico, and to expand protection and restoration efforts for some of the most at-risk native and wild trout fisheries in the region. We are working to leverage Turner funding to raise additional funds over the next two years, with the goal of putting a full-time water staffer on the ground in Santa Fe, Taos, or somewhere else with clear and easy accessibility to small, rural communities in the northern part of the state. Working with ranchers and farmers to develop flexible water use management tools takes consistent face time and an on-the-ground presence in order to understand producer operations and how to meld the business dynamic with resource needs. TU’s proven operating plan of placing boots on the ground will be conducive to success in rural New Mexico, and will complement existing efforts by Audubon to achieve similar goals.

Klamath Basin (OR, CA)

The Klamath River was historically the third most productive salmon river on the West Coast. However, the Klamath’s legendary salmon and steelhead runs have been reduced dramatically by loss of habitat due to dams, and by massive water diversions. Years of engagement by TU and other stakeholders have built a broad coalition dedicated to implementing the largest river restoration, dam removal, and community stability project ever proposed in this country. TU is a key leader of this coalition, and helped to broker two major settlements that will implement the goals of this project: removing four dams, opening migratory fish access for the first time in almost a century to some 500 hundred miles of salmon and steelhead habitat, and

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ending what has been the West’s most contentious water war. The project is expected to increase Chinook salmon runs by 80%. In 2013, TU’s appointment to a Congressional task force led to the resolution of several outstanding questions, and produced an Agreement-in-Principle between tribes and upper basin irrigators which should pave the way for the new legislation needed to authorize certain provisions in the two settlements. TU and its partners are currently implementing many of the settlement provisions, improving habitat in the Klamath Basin, working with Congress to secure enabling legislation, and keeping the entire program on track to remove the dams in 2020.

Water and Wine Program and Coastal Streamflow Stewardship Project (CA)

“Water and Wine” is a unique and highly-successful effort by TU, grape growers, and wineries in California’s wine country to improve streamflows and salmon habitat, to improve water supply reliability for fish and water users, and to promote wine industry leaders to consumers. We accomplish these goals by providing leadership and resources to coordinate better water management, improve irrigation efficiency, build small off-stream storage faciltiies, and other projects. . The success of Water and Wine led us to expand this concept beyond the wine industry and form partnerships with schools, ranchers, flower growers, and homeowners in ten key coastal watersheds, to adopt water management practices that restore and reconnect critical salmon and steelhead habitat on their properties. These outcomes are accomplished through our Coastal Streamflow Stewardship Project and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation-sponsored Russian River Coho Water Resources Partnership.

3. RESTORE

North Coast Coho Project (CA)

California’s North Coast is the home of legendary steelhead and salmon rivers such as the Russian, Garcia, Navarro, and Eel. These streams flow almost entirely through private land, and their watersheds have been harvested for redwood and other coastal timber for over a century. TU’s North Coast Coho Project engages timber companies and other private landowners in partnerships to restore habitat over half a million acres of private timberlands in Sonoma, Mendocino, and Humboldt counties. Since the inception of this project, TU has improved or eliminated 480 miles of logging roads, removed eight major fish migration barriers, reconnected greater than 47 miles of stream habitat, and installed more than 930 instream structures to improve coho salmon and steelhead habitat. This project has been active for over a decade, and is one of the most important anadromous fish restoration projects in the state. Additionally, TU was instrumental in the passage of Assembly Bill 1961, the Coho Salmon Habitat Enhancement Leading to Preservation Act (Coho HELP Act), which speeds permitting of voluntary habitat improvements for California’s endangered coho salmon, and will help landowners quickly provide habitat improvements for these spectacular fish.

San Joaquin River Restoration (CA) Since the 1940s, when the federal government completed construction of Friant Dam on the Central Valley’s San Joaquin River, California’s second-longest river has dried up completely for most of each year over 60 miles of its length, extirpating the river’s remarkable Chinook salmon runs. But in 2008 an historic settlement charted a course to re-water this great river and bring back the salmon. TU is playing a lead role

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in implementing this high-profile river restoration project, and in building the base of durable public support that will be necessary to implement successfully the full restoration project, and to bring about the recovery of the San Joaquin’s once-prolific salmon and steelhead runs. In 2013, TU organized a first-ever festival (“SalmonFest”) to publicize progress in the river restoration program, anglers’ support for this program, and the return of adult salmon to their historic spawning habitat near Fresno. We will organize and host both a Fishing Derby and the second annual SalmonFest in 2014 as part of our commitment to this precedent-setting project.

Central Valley Floodplains, CA.

Once the largest complex of floodplains and seasonal wetlands in North America, California’s Central Valley was also a fertile rearing ground for one of the West’s great salmon resources. Decades of irrigation and unsustainable land use practices have resulted in much of that fertile floodplain habitat being lost, accompanied by a rapid decline in salmon and steelhead populations in the Sacramento and San Joaquin river systems. TU helped gain approval of a statewide flood-protection plan, the first of its kind in more than half a century, and we and a coalition of partners are advocating for the widespread restoration of floodplains and river functions in California’s flood management efforts. Giving rivers more room to move simultaneously restores critical habitat for juvenile salmon and other wildlife while reducing flood risk and the cost of managing it.

San Clemente Dam Removal, Carmel River (CA) The Carmel River is a top-priority watershed for the recovery of the federally-listed South Central Coastal steelhead. Removing San Clemente, the lower of two dams on the Carmel River, will restore 25 miles of high-value spawning and rearing habitat in the upper watershed of this once-robust native steelhead run. Since 2006, TU has worked to pass state legislation, and helped to design, raise funds for, and build local and regional support for this landmark project (San Clemente will be the largest dam yet removed in California), which broke ground in September 2013. TU will remain fully engaged with our partners in this dam removal and river restoration effort, to ensure that the project is fully-funded and implemented on schedule, and that related water supply issues (i.e. compliance with State Water Board Order 95-10 regarding diversions and minimum flow requirements) do not undermine the process.

Sierra Nevada Meadows Restoration (CA)

High altitude meadows in the Sierra Nevada and southern Cascade ranges supply water to many of California’s famous trout rivers, as well as to municipal water systems for downstream communities. But historic land uses, livestock grazing, and recreational uses have diminished the function of these natural “sponges” to store and to slowly release water. Meadows are the last refugia for some native trout populations in California, and TU helped to form a novel partnership in the Sierra Nevada and the southern Cascades to protect and restore alpine meadows. This partnership is developing new science-based tools and strategies to identify high-priority meadow ecosystems and to improve their function and resiliency, resulting in benefits to native trout, downstream fisheries, and water supply.

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Paiute Cutthroat Recovery (CA) Many fisheries scientists consider the Paiute cutthroat the rarest trout in the world – its native range is just 12 miles of a single stream, Silver King Creek (a tributary of the West Carson River on the east side of the Sierra Nevada). TU has been the lead conservation advocate for recovery of the Paiute cutthroat for three decades. In previous years we helped gain to approval from the regional water board and other regulatory agencies for the critical phase of the federal Recovery Plan: the removal of non-native and hybridized trout from Silver King Creek below Llewellyn Falls. TU helped publicize the benefits of this strategy to overcome the misguided legal challenges that held up the recovery effort for several years. Now, thanks to a strong court decision in 2013, TU will continue to raise money, contribute scientific expertise, and dedicate man-power for field work to help complete this vital phase of the Paiute Cutthroat Recovery Plan. Ultimately, this project will restore a singular native trout fishery, and add a new fishing opportunity to California’s remarkable outdoor heritage.

Lahontan Basin Trout Initiative (CA, NV, OR)

The Lahontan Basin is an exceptional landscape spanning three western states: California, Oregon, and Nevada. Rich in fish and wildlife, this eco-region provides outstanding fishing and outdoor recreation opportunities. It is home to the prized Lahontan cutthroat, the basin’s only native trout, which embodies all that is exceptional about this rugged western landscape: history, beauty, adaptability, and persistence. As the largest subspecies of cutthroat trout, there is no other fish like it anywhere in the world. TU is coordinating our western conservation programs in the Basin to build a community of stewards who will ensure that the waters of the Lahontan Basin continue to support Lahontan cutthroat, and many other fish and wildlife species. As a part of this initiative, TU has formed a 10-year partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, with goals that include creating five resilient Lahonton cutthroat populations (in addition to those already in existence), protecting existing pure populations from non-natives, and increasing Lahontan cutthroat angling opportunities.

Northwest Habitat Restoration Programs (OR, WA, ID)

Northwest Habitat Restoration Programs are regional programs working to develop new “reconnect” and “restore” projects coupled with TU member engagement efforts in Oregon, Washington, and Idaho. Focused on improving habitat and flows for redband trout, steelhead, and salmon, examples of our projects include working with timber companies on the coast to restore salmon runs and communicating with anglers in the Willamette Valley to create a unified voice in plans to recover wild steelhead and chinook salmon.

Upper Deschutes Home Rivers Initiative (OR)

TU is collaborating with local conservation and land conservancy organizations on a comprehensive effort to restore native redband, steelhead, bull trout, and Chinook and sockeye salmon in the Upper Deschutes River, which has been degraded by development, dams, and incompatible land use. To accomplish this comprehensive effort, we have initiated a large adult stewardship education program (Deschutes Restoration Outreach Program) to teach and train our next generation of stewards, and we are working closely with TU’s science team to implement the River’s Calendar Program, a citizen science initiative to engage TU members in monitoring stream conditions. In 2013 we initiated an ambitious restoration project to repair streambanks and restore streamside vegetation along 15 miles of the spectacular Metolius River.

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This project will reduce erosion and sediment inputs into the river, and protect critical spawning habitat for trout and salmon.

Middle Clark Fork River Home Rivers Initiative (MT)

TU’s large-scale restoration efforts on the Middle Clark Fork River are cleaning up abandoned mine damage and improving flows for native westslope cutthroat and bull trout. The work also connects relatively healthy upstream fish populations to populations in the lower reaches. In 2013 we completed the final phase of the St. Louis Mine reclamation project by decommissioning and recontouring the 1.5 mile access road that we used during the clean-up, and we continued to monitor fish populations and remove invasive weeds at our four recently-completed mine restoration sites. This fall we completed the final engineering designs for the upper Nine Mile Creek main stem restoration project—our largest floodplain and channel restoration effort in the Clark Fork to date.

Upper Clark Fork Home Rivers Initiative (MT) In 2011 TU initiated a watershed-scale effort to restore fish passage and habitat for native westslope cutthroat trout and bull trout in Montana’s Upper Clark Fork. A massive Superfund effort to clean up historic mine pollution, coupled with the removal of the Milltown Dam just upstream of the city of Missoula, catalyzed efforts to restore river health and native fish communities in the watershed. TU is working with agricultural producers, landowners, regional conservation groups, and agencies to restore important tributary habitats and reestablish migration corridors for native fish. In 2013, we installed two miles of riparian fence to protect critical tributary habitat for westslope cutthroat and bull trout in Harvey Creek, and we finalized a fish passage assessment that will be used to prioritize restoration projects throughout the Upper Clark Fork watershed.

Boise River Home Rivers Initiative (ID)

In 2013 we wrapped up our Boise River Home Rivers Initiative by completing work on the final 2,800 feet of floodplain reconnection on Grimes Creek. We removed 12-foot high mine tailings piles from the Grimes Creek floodplain, and installed habitat structures to restore complexity and stream function. Over the course of this 8-year project, Trout Unlimited and partners removed 60,000 cubic yards of mine tailings material to restore over seven miles of floodplain in the Boise River watershed, and we installed 250 instream structures to enhance fish habitat. In all, nearly 5,000 people—mostly schoolchildren—participated directly in the project as volunteers by planting thousands of trees on newly restored floodplains. Trout Unlimited created a short video, describing the project and thanking The Tiffany & Co. Foundation and our other partners for making this great work possible. (http://vimeo.com/77296479)

Owyhee Redband Trout Home Rivers Initiative (ID, NV)

Last year we launched our newest Home Rivers Initiative, to restore native interior redband trout in the Owyhee Basin in Idaho and Nevada. Since 2010 TU has been working with the Bureau of Land Managent (BLM) to complete an assessment of redband trout habitats, and to monitor stream temperatures throughout the Owyhee Basin and the Owyhee front. In 2013, we worked in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to use these data to prioritize and implement on-the-ground habitat

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restoration projects that restore and protect critical coldwater habitats. These strategic actions will increase the resiliency of Owyhee redband trout populations, and ensure that they continue to persist in this unique desert landscape as the climate changes.

South Fork of the Snake River Home Rivers Initiative and Blackfoot River (ID)

Over the past decade, TU has helped to keep Yellowstone cutthroat trout off the endangered species list through a three-pronged effort on the South Fork: restoring historical spawning tributaries, improving water management below Palisades Dam, and engaging anglers as part of the solution. Our projects have included fencing off 640 acres of the Willow Creek system, installing solar-powered fish screens to eliminate fish entrapment, and replacing a culvert in Deep Creek. This is a groundbreaking project that encompasses every aspect of watershed-scale management of native trout, and as we wrap up the South Fork project our focus has shifted to another remarkable Idaho Yellowstone cutthroat trout fishery: the Blackfoot. In 2013, we continued our innovative partnership with leading phosphate mining companies in the region as we shifted our focus from 2012’s successful tributary fish passage restoration projects to stream channel and riparian habitat restoration on Upper Lanes and Sheep creeks. These projects will restore spawning and rearing habitat conditions in the newly-reconnected streams.

Bear River Home Rivers Initiative (UT, ID, WY)

Preserving cutthroat trout life history diversity is a fundamental requirement for long-term species persistence. Since 2004, TU has completed more than 40 major restoration projects in the Bear River watershed, reconnecting over 250 miles of tributary spawning and rearing habitat to the mainstem river. These ongoing efforts focus on fish passage restoration, canal fish screen installation, and streambank habitat improvement. We are working with a broad assortment of private, state, and federal partners to implement meaningful, on-the-ground restoration work. Our overall goal is to enhance and secure Bonneville cutthroat populations throughout the watershed, to ensure their long-term survival in the face of climate variations.

Weber River Home Rivers Initiative (UT)

The Weber River Home Rivers Initiative was started in 2011, the result of both of the high-profile restoration successes in the nearby Bear River and the intense energy and interest of TU’s Utah Council for working in this important native fish stronghold. The Weber River provides some of the best large-river habitat for Bonneville cutthroat trout that remains in Utah (it is also home to the imperiled bluehead sucker). In 2013 we completed an innovative restoration project to reconnect Chalk Creek — an important cutthroat spawning tributary — by helping a local rancher install a more efficient irrigation system and move his point of diversion downstream. The project reconnected 26 miles of Chalk Creek for Bonneville cutthroat trout, and it will help to ensure that these unique fish persist into the future.

Colorado Mine Remediation (CO)

TU is restoring Colorado trout habitat by cleaning up toxic discharge from abandoned mines on the Snake River, Kerber Creek, Clear Creek, and the Lake Fork of the Arkansas River. Kerber Creek will likely become the first stream ever to be removed from the state’s impaired waterways list, and TU is currently in

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discussions with project partners to lay the groundwork for reintroducing native Rio Grande cutthroat trout to the watershed once project activities are complete. In 2013 we continued our novel partnership with Freeport McMorRan Copper and Gold, Inc., and completed a challenging project to install a passive water treatment system at the Tiger Mine in the Arkansas River drainage. We also continued project work in Kerber Creek, and we initiated and completed a new project to clean up the Doctor Mine on Clear Creek, near Denver.

Abandoned Hard Rock Mine Restoration (WA, NV) TU received a generous grant from the Tiffany & Company Foundation in 2012 to expand our abandoned mine restoration work into the states of Washington and Nevada, and in 2013 we hired project managers to lead both efforts. These managers worked to develop partnerships and identify project work that will be implemented in 2014. In Nevada, TU spearheaded the formation of the Nevada Abandoned Mine Land Environment Team, which comprises state and federal management and regulatory agencies, mining interests, and NGOs. In Washington, we initiated a project to reclaim an abandoned mill and tailings complex where contaminated sediments enter the Methow River and harm federally-listed steelhead, salmon, and bull trout. These projects will benefit fish and streams by removing mine waste, restoring habitat, and improving water quality. In addition, we will continue to advocate for legislative solutions to address funding shortfalls and liability concerns.

Wood River Home Rivers Initiative (ID) TU launched its newest Home Rivers Initiative in the Sun Valley area in 2013. In partnership with the Hemingway TU Chapter and the Wood River Land Trust, the initiative is up and running – and it could not have happened at a better time. In 2013, drought conditions and the fallout from a large fire exacerbated already substandard streamflow and riparian conditions. TU is working with stakeholders to restore the Big Wood and to make the river and its tributaries more resilient in the face of such threats, Efforts over the past year included continued work in local schools to track fish and enlist the next generation of angler conservationists via the Adopt-A-Trout Program (this effort combines fish tracking and research with an outdoor curriculum to educate local students about the important recreational fishery in their backyard). Restoration work included working with local landowners on Loving Creek to reconnect and restore one of fabeled Silver Creek’s most important spawning and rearing tributaries. In the coming months, TU staff will be working with TU members, conservation partners, and local anglers to identify restoration priorities – including fish passage, streamflows, and riparian protection – throughout the Big and Little Wood basins.

Southwestern Native Trout Conservation (AZ, NM, CO) By the fall of 2011, TU’s program to expand southwestern populations of Apache, Rio Grande cutthroat, and Gila trout covered 112 miles of streams in Arizona, New Mexico, and Colorado. These reintroduction efforts involved assessment and project planning guided by the CSI, the removal of non-native species, and habitat improvements. Also in 2011, however, our Apache trout efforts suffered a blow due to the impacts of the largest wildfire in Arizona history. Damage assessments are underway, and TU staff will join TU Arizona Council volunteers and other partners in developing a recovery plan. New Mexico and southern Colorado native trout populations also experienced extreme drought conditions and wildfires (though the damage was not as great as it was in Arizona). A very promising development in TU’s work has been the initiation of Gila trout expansion efforts in Arizona and New Mexico; indeed, reintroduction efforts have already started with a 5 mile project on Frye Creek, Arizona. In addition, a larger stream/lake project on

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Snow Lake, New Mexico will feature a partnership effort among TU staff, the new Gila Trout Chapter of TU, and federal and state agencies.

Driftless Area Restoration Effort (WI, MN, IA, IL)

In this lovely and trout-rich area of the upper Mississippi Valley, TU chapters and staff are leading the effort to restore degraded spring creeks and their watersheds to health. This is TU’s largest Home Rivers Initiative, encompassing 4,000 miles of coldwater stream spread across 24,000 square miles. The Driftless Area Restoration Effort (TUDARE) brings together volunteers from two dozen TU chapters and four state councils to organize and fund projects with natural resource management and agriculture agencies, land trusts, and other nonprofit and community groups. The effort has strengthened TU’s relationships across this area with economic development and tourism groups as well as with policy makers.

Rogue River Home Rivers Initiative (MI)

This project on the Rogue River near Grand Rapids, Michigan, is the first TU Home Rivers Initiative to focus in a true urban area. This presents a different set of conservation problems from those with which TU typically contends, and includes the challenges of concentrated development and storm water management. We are engaging in municipality watershed plannning, conducting studies and assessments of the watershed, and communicating with local TU chapters and organizations in the area. An ongoing focus is on providing training for new volunteers in collecting flow and temperature data, as well as hosting volunteer events, such as river clean-ups, to increase public awareness of the need to conserve the Rogue.

Farm Bill Conservation Programs TU’s growing field staff, working closely with farmer and rancher partners, has increasingly made use of Farm Bill Conservation Program funding to accomplish our on-the-ground stream restoration goals. With that in mind, TU has worked closely with Congress over the past several years to try to re-authorize the Farm Bill, to keep funding flowing through its conservation programs. We are on the verge of success in 2014. Following passage in the Senate last spring, the Farm Bill finally passed the House in the fall, and subsequently a House and Senate Conference Committee has been grinding along trying to reconcile the differences in the two bills. Fortunately for us, the two bills contain strong, very similar, conservation titles. The bills seek to expand the landscape-level benefits of Farm Bill programs by promoting the kinds of regional partnerships which TU has been leading on the ground, such as the Driftless Area Initiative in the upper Midwest. We hope that the Farm Bill will be enacted by February, and that we can get on to the business of working closely with the Department of Agriculture to implement it in 2014.

Eastern Abandoned Mine Program

According to the EPA, toxic runoff from abandoned coal mines is the single largest threat to the environment in much of the Appalachian area. Building on our pioneering mine remediation work in Pennsylvania, TU is helping to clean up abandoned mines throughout the region. In 2013, we celebrated the completion of a mine drainage treatment system that is the last component of TU’s work in lower Kettle Creek -- resulting in seven miles of reconnected and restored native brook trout habitat in the watershed. We also conducted a multi-year fish survey that confirmed increased reproduction in native brook trout

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populations due to successful acid mine drainage cleanup along more than two miles of Middle Branch, which previously had seen no fish populations for over 100 years.

Nash Stream Project (NH)

TU is restoring habitat for wild brook trout, and preparing the way for the eventual return of Atlantic salmon, in Nash Stream, a major component of the upper Connecticut River watershed, located in the northernmost part of New Hampshire. In 2013, TU completed two miles of instream habitat restoration, installed 21 mobile large wood additions, and replaced an undersized culvert. In 2014, with the help of TU chapters, we plan to continue our work to increase habitat complexity through riparian projects, boulder replacements, engineered log jams, and revegetation, as well as by improving or restoring fish passage at road stream crossings in high-quality fish habitat.

Musconetcong Home Rivers Initiative (NJ)

Despite its close proximity to New York City, the Musconetcong River (affectionately known as the “Musky”) still harbors native brook trout, including a strain that dates back more than 10,000 years. TU is working to protect open space along the river, and to mitigate the effects of agriculture, dams, and development through restoration projects. In 2013, as part of a partnership, we raised the funds necessaary both to engineer and design and (ultimately) to remove the Hughesville Dam from the river. In 2014, we will work to implement this removal, as well as to raise the funds required for similar work on the next dam upstream, Warren Glen.

Salmon Kill Project (CT)

The Salmon Kill is an important tributary to the Housatonic River, the banks of which suffer from historic agricultural and industrial impacts. With a $625,000 grant from the natural resource damages assessed to General Electric for the release of PCBs into the Housatonic River Basin, TU is working with local landowners, schools, and other partners on an extensive flood plain and instream restoration project designed to enhance the creek's native brook trout populations. In 2013, TU completed the full assessment and conceptual design plan for six miles of the river. We are currently prioritizing sites for implementation, and expect to break ground in the fall of 2014 on our top priority sites.

Shenandoah Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative (VA)

Through collaborative efforts with local farmers to improve water quality, TU is working to bring wild brook trout back to mountain streams and valley spring creeks in the Shenandoah Valley. In 2013, TU completed projects on Mossy Creek, including removing a dam and restoring over 2,000 feet of spring creek habitat, as well as habitat improvement projects on Garth Run and Wildcat Hollow, two streams in state wildlife management areas. In Garth Run, TU documented adult brook trout in the newly recreated pool habitat just two weeks after completing the work. TU also secured almost $200K in funding for additional stream restoration projects in the Shenandoah watershed for 2014.

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Potomac Headwaters Home Rivers Initiative (WV)

Before it reaches the nation’s capital, the Potomac is a native brook trout fishery flowing through farmland and small rural communities. The watershed bears the scars of centuries of use, from abandoned coal mines to agricultural impacts. TU is working with local students and partner groups to plant trees, install fences, and restore habitat. In 2013, TU installed almost 135,000 feet of conservation fencing – the most fence ever laid in one year -- to keep cattle out of streams; obliterated seven miles of abandoned U.S. Forest Service roads and completed 13 large wood projects to restore the East Fork of the Greenbrier River; hired a three-person riparian crew to protect hemlock trees through individual treatment; stabilized 1450 feet of stream bank to reduce sediment input by over 450 tons annually; and installed 15 in-stream rock/log structures to enhance approximately one mile of stream. 2014 will entail much more of the same great work.

Upper Connecticut Home Rivers Initiative (VT, NH)

Historical timber harvests, perched or blocked culverts, and small dams have all degraded native brook trout habitat in the upper Connecticut River watershed. TU is working with timber companies, municipalities, and private landowners on large-scale restoration projects to address these issues. Current projects include replacing culverts on Indian Stream, restoration work on the East Branch of Indian Stream, a habitat study and assessment of the Nulhegan River, and a fish migration study on Indian Stream and the upper Connecticut. In 2013, TU replaced two culvert crossing barriers with bridges, and completed over four miles of woody habitat restorations in four watersheds. In 2014, TU will restore an additional eight miles of coldwater fisheries habitat.

4. SUSTAIN

Conservation Success Index

The Conservation Success Index (CSI) supplies the roadmap TU needs to achieve its vision of conservation success. It compiles existing scientific data to produce a picture of how a particular trout or salmon species is faring across its range—which populations are strong and which are struggling? What are the most serious threats, and which restoration projects are likely to yield the greatest benefits? How might emerging threats, such as climate change, proposed oil and gas drilling, or new non-native species invasions affect a particular site or species? Armed with this information, TU staff and volunteers can establish work priorities more effectively, and measure success better.

Conservation Planning for West Coast Salmon

TU is developing a CSI for West Coast salmon and steelhead in partnership with The Nature Conservancy, the Wild Salmon Center, and state and federal agencies. Our California results have proven invaluable for informing regional planning efforts, such as designating “salmon strongholds” – those areas identified as containing the best remaining populations and habitats across the West Coast. At local levels, the California salmon CSI is being used with other tools to identify protection, restoration, and reconnection opportunities. Washington, Oregon, and Idaho salmon CSI are coming soon.

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Conservation Portfolio Planning

Management strategies that maximize biological diversity and promote varied approaches to population protection are more likely to succeed in a future in which climate change and invasive species cause rapid environmental change and increasing uncertainty. A diverse management portfolio for native trout can be achieved through the application of the 3-R framework: Representation (protecting/restoring diversity), Resilience (having sufficiently large populations and intact habitats to survive environmental change), and Redundancy (saving enough different populations so that some can be lost without jeopardizing the species). We are systematically applying this approach at the population level to each species and subspecies of native trout, and developing place-based recommendations for the conservation strategies necessary to achieve the portfolio’s goals.

Assessing the Impacts of Climate Change

Climate change poses major threats to salmon and trout from increasing temperatures and additional disturbances. TU is working with the U.S. Geological Survey and the U.S. Forest Service to make assessments of the following risk factors to Western trout: increasing summer temperatures, increasing winter flooding, increasing wildfires, and increasing drought. We have published two peer-reviewed scientific papers on our findings, and three TU staff are authors on an upcoming USGS Open-File report that will summarize risks to Western trout species. In addition, TU is studying how distributions of cutthroat trout and non-native trout in the Rocky Mountain West may shift in a changing climate. The results of these efforts will help to guide future TU protection, reconnection, and restoration efforts, not only in the West but wherever TU works.

Embrace-A-Stream Since its inception in 1975, EAS has funded nearly 1,000 individual projects for a total of greater than $4 million in direct cash grants. Local TU chapters and councils have contributed an additional $13 million in cash and in-kind services to EAS funded projects, for a total investment of more than $17 million spent on the ground for trout and salmon across the country. 2014 will be the 40th year of this extraordinary grassroots program, which is funded entirely by TU members.

Veterans Service Program The VSP is a nationwide effort to engage our 400 chapters and 140,000 members in the good work of bringing rehabilitation, healing, and hope to our nation’s recovering soldiers and disabled veterans. Since its inception, the VSP has worked with partner organizations such as Project Healing Waters, Wounded Warriors, and others to use fishing and conservation as a way for wounded veterans to heal and recover. Veteran participants are introduced to TU’s on-the-ground conservation work, youth education programs, and conservation-based community outreach initiatives, as well as receiving angling instruction and fly tying basics. We began with 31 chapters working on this program, and there are now greater than 50 TU chapters involved. Each year, hundreds of TU members donate thousands of hours (close to 10,000 hours/year in recent years) to deliver our program to 1,800 disabled veterans.

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Volunteer Operations

Trout Unlimited's members number greater than 140,000, and populate 400 local chapters and 36 state councils. The leaders of these chapters and councils are part of a long tradition of forward-thinking anglers and conservationists that dates back to the foundation of our organization. Volunteers are responsible for arranging projects and trips, recruiting new members, coordinating youth education programs, fundraising, talking with the media and elected officials, and much more. The objective of the Volunteer Operations program is to help chapter and council leaders enhance their membership and to accomplish effectively TU’s mission in their local watersheds.

Youth Conservation Camps and Academies

TU offers 22 youth conservation camps and academies across the country. The camps have a comprehensive curriculum at their core, and draw upon the expertise and commitment of professional resource managers, scientists, fly tiers, fishing guides, and experienced TU volunteers. Many camps offer hands-on experience with a habitat restoration project, and the opportunity to fish a variety of local waters. During the camp, the young anglers learn much more than fishing skills—they gain an appreciation for the need to protect our coldwater fisheries and other natural resources. The ages of the youths involved in the camps range from 12 to 17, and each camp graduate is given a complimentary membership to Trout Unlimited. Camp graduates form the core of TU’s annual TU Teens Conservation Summits.

Boy Scout Fly Fishing Merit Badge

TU chapters across the country act as instructors for Boy Scouts interested in earning their Fly Fishing Merit Badge, which encourages scouts to gain a thorough knowledge of fly angling, fly tying, and stream safety.

Trout in the Classroom

Trout in the Classroom (TIC) is an environmental educational program through which participating teachers and K-12 classrooms raise trout in a classroom tank throughout the school year, and then release the fish into a stream in the spring. Caring for the trout emphasizes the importance of teamwork, shared responsibility, and careful monitoring of water quality. Currently, TU works in partnership with state fish and wildlife agencies, and operates more than 1,000 TIC programs nationwide on behalf of tens of thousands of students annually. With the merger of the New York Headwaters Initiative into TU, the goal is to expand greatly this program across the country.

Five Rivers College Outreach Program

The Five Rivers program focuses on the development of college campus TU sub-chapters, academic service-learning projects, and volunteer field trips. Five Rivers provides students and faculty members an opportunity to get involved with nearby TU chapter restoration and fishing activities. Founding student members of each Five Rivers sub-chapter are TU members, and work in close connection with TU staff to recruit and sustain student interest in fly fishing and conservation. The overall goal of the Five Rivers program is to create an on-line network so that these college-aged TU members will have opportunities to fish and serve as volunteers together, and in the long run become the voices of tomorrow’s TU.

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Adopt-A-Trout Program The Adopt-a-Trout program combines research projects with youth education to provide a curriculum for the next generation of anglers, highlighting local watershed dynamics and coldwater habitat conservation. TU and local resource agencies identify native and wild trout movement studies to collect data about trout life cycle patterns, and to identify and help prioritize restoration projects. Local students then participate in the field work and data collection efforts, and “adopt” the fish carrying telemetry tags, to see where and when movements are made. Throughout the year, lessons are given by TU staff, volunteers, and resource managers about ecology, biology, and conservation work. The program culminates with a restoration project identified and implemented by the students. For example, in 2013 five Adopt-A-Trout programs took place in Wyoming, including movement studies on the Bear, Gros Ventre, Salt, Little Snake, and Green rivers.

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