Trout Unlimited (TU) is an organization we have supported from our inception. Their mission is “to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.” For over 5 years we have continued supporting them with almost our entire 1% for the Planet commitment going to them. And, there are some superb changes happening at TU that will help spread their mission word widely. They just re-faced their website, and also just hired someone to be in charge of their video story-telling campaign (I had the pleasure of meeting him the other day and I know he will do wonders for the awareness of Trout Unlimited). These are important elements when one is trying to tell a story effectively.

The latest campaign they released is the “Ten Special Places”, which “looks at places where expanding natural gas drilling operations in the East could pose risks to fishing and hunting opportunities, and offers recommendations on what sportsmen and women can do to promote responsible energy development and ensure the protection of these areas.” 

One of these places is the George Washington and Jefferson National Forests, in the central Appalachian Mountains. That’s where we held our 2013 Tenkara Summit and it’s home to some beautiful brook trout. They made a beautiful video of the area and the challenges it faces. And, we’re happy they featured tenkara in it!