Trout Unlimited

Montana Trout Unlimiteds exempt purpose achievements continue to include protecting and restoring trout habitat, advocating for clean water and wild fish management and educating the public on Montanas fishery issues.Examples of Montana TUs FY 2020 accomplishments to protect water quality and quantity to benefit coldwater fisheries include:Providing public education on prevention and the impact of aquatic invasive species. Pushing state agencies for greater protections against pollution posed by a copper mine proposed in the headwaters of the Smith River. Educating the public and media on the importance of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agencys proposed rules clarifying what streams and wetlands merit protection under the federal Clean Water Act. Engaging the public and media on the importance of the Land & Water Conservation Fund as a funding source for public access and habitat enhancement.Montana Trout Unlimited strives to protect high-quality fish habitat and to restore degraded streams and watersheds. Our FY 2020 accomplishments include:Funding portions of wild or native trout habitat improvement projects in the Blackfoot, Beaverhead, Missouri, Clark Fork, and Bitterroot River watersheds.Securing funding to increase grant opportunities for restoration and conservation projects by local TU chapters. Providing leadership to the states advisory group charged with preventing introduction and spread of aquatic invasive species by employing watercraft inspection stations and a rapid-response program for eradication of new invaders.Advancing project work to restore native trout and increase habitat and stream flows in the Jefferson watershed through the work of a full-time project manager.Healthy, abundant populations of wild trout are the best measure of Montana TUs success. We emphasize conservation of sustainable wild and native trout populations. Our actions the past year include. Creating the states most robust reward program to help stem illegal introductions of fish in Montana waters. Partnering with utilities, agencies and other conservationists in efforts that further improvement of populations of native fish in the lower Clark Fork River drainage.Montana TU is first and foremost a people organization. Achieving our mission requires engaged members, supporters and partners. We strive to improve and protect the values the public treasures about rivers and trout. Because of the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, we protected these values in FY 2020 through safe, remote working, online engagement of our members and the public and, where possible Covid-safe direct engagement: In place of our annual overnight Youth Conservation Camp, we created a new online MTU River Life home education program during the early stages of the COVID-19 shelter-in-place orders. The program, designed for parents and children, is a 5 module course designed to teach families trout and stream biology, hydrology, and stream restoration concepts.Assisted TU chapters with navigating the new world of online digital local fundraisers in place of traditional banquets and other fundraising events. We attended several online event seminars and passed this knowledge to chapter leaders around the state.We continued to engage fisheries professionals, watershed groups, government advisory bodies and college students on coldwater conservation priorities, especially through two separate fish tracking studies we worked on in partnership with Trout Unlimited and Montana Fish Wildlife and Parks.Assisted TU chapter leaders with orgaznizing virtual public meetings, and connected them with online educational resources for conservation advocacy, fundraising and organizational development.