Latest news with #TroutUnlimited
Los Angeles Times
26-06-2025
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Letters to the Editor: The interests of a few logging companies shouldn't come before forest preservation
To the editor: Revoking our forest protection rules is a shining example of what happens when money can influence politics in a negative way ('Trump administration rescinds 'Roadless Rule' that protects 58 million acres of national forests,' June 23). I am not against capitalism and the pursuit of wealth. Having said that, I am against the idea that a few can generate their wealth by harming the many. This is exactly why we have certain rules and regulations in place designed to protect society as a whole. The greater good of all should trump the greed and wishes of a few if those wishes are potentially a large danger to others. Our forests are important areas that help sustain life on our planet. They soak up much of our heat-trapping carbon emissions and provide us with oxygen that we need to breathe. They give us pristine waterways with clean drinking water. They also provide a habitat for other species besides humans. We need this biodiversity to maintain the ecosystem that sustains life for all of us. Removing the forest protections is a disservice to everybody, causing much damage while only helping the few logging companies with their own economic agenda. This is not a sustainable model if we want to keep our world livable. Jonathan Light, Laguna Niguel .. To the editor: It makes no sense that the current leadership of the United States Department of Agriculture alone can overturn an act as important as the 2001 Roadless Rule, especially in public lands areas close to urban communities like the San Gabriel Mountain National Monument. This would open up public lands for more logging and new logging road builds. Trout Unlimited Chief Executive Chris Wood has it spot-on when he says the Roadless Rule serves as a highly significant guardrail in a climate change era when all our natural capital is at risk. Common sense indeed. We all live downstream. Drew Irby, Lincoln, Calif. .. To the editor: Our administration seems to be obsessed with dismantling regulations that protect us, our environment and wildlife. USDA Secretary Brooke Rollins argues the Roadless Rule is too restrictive, but I strongly disagree. The goal seems to be to privatize everything for the benefit of the few and that leaves the rest with the loss of our treasured national public lands. To that end, the administration seems particularly aggressive in destroying our public lands — lands held in trust for all and for the future. Thank you, staff writer Hayley Smith, for shining a bright spotlight on this land grab issue. American businesses used to be leaders of innovation and can be again without destroying our land further. Energy independence is a national security issue. If this administration were serious about it, officials would be helping grow our renewable energy sector, realizing that fossil fuels are a finite resource and cause harm. Renewable sources are a better way for the future. We must protect our forests and ecosystems for the future for all. Melissa Waters, Laguna Niguel
Straits Times
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Straits Times
Trump administration to end protection for 23.5 million hectares of national forests
Untouched landscapes in the US include Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the largest temperate rainforest in North America. PHOTO: CHRISTOPHER MILLER/NYTIMES The Trump administration said on June 23 that it would open up some 23.5 million hectares of backcountry in national forests to road construction and development, removing protection that had been in place for a quarter-century. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins announced the plan to repeal the 2001 'roadless rule' that had preserved the wild nature of nearly one-third of the land in national forests in the United States. Ms Rollins said the regulation was outdated. 'Once again, President (Donald) Trump is removing absurd obstacles to common-sense management of our natural resources by rescinding the overly restrictive roadless rule,' Ms Rollins said in a statement. She said the repeal 'opens a new era of consistency and sustainability for our nation's forests'. Environmental groups said the plan could destroy some of America's untouched landscapes, and promised to challenge it in court. The unspoiled land in question includes Alaska's Tongass National Forest, the largest temperate rainforest in North America; Reddish Knob in the Shenandoah mountains, one of the highest points in Virginia; and millions of hectares of the Frank Church-River of No Return Wilderness in Idaho. 'Most Americans value these pristine backcountry areas for their sense of wildness, for the clean water they provide, for the fishing and hunting and wildlife habitat,' said Mr Chris Wood, chief executive of Trout Unlimited, an environmental group. When then President Bill Clinton used executive authority to protect the forests in 2001, it was hailed by conservationists as the most significant step since former president Theodore Roosevelt laid the foundation for the national forest system. It blocked logging, road building, mining and drilling on 23.5 million hectares of the remaining undeveloped national forest lands. Mr Wood, who served as a senior policy adviser to the chief of the US Forest Service when the rule was developed, recalled that it had wide public support. 'I don't think the timber industry wants to get into these areas,' he said. 'They're wildly controversial and they're too expensive to access. I believe when they take this to rule-making, they will realise how wildly unpopular getting rid of that rule is and how little gain there is to be had from it.' The announcement comes as the Trump administration is moving to significantly increase logging in the US. Mr Trump has called on Cabinet secretaries to bypass endangered species laws and other environmental protection measures to boost the domestic supply of timber. NYTIMES Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Yahoo
08-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Utah students raise and release trout in hands-on learning program
SALT LAKE CITY (ABC4) — It was a bright and sunny morning as students from Uintah Elementary released trout that they had spent months raising into Fairmont Park Pond in Sugarhouse. Wednesday, May 7, the Uintah Elementary second-grade students gathered around the trout fingerlings, which were swimming in a tank in the classroom. It's part of the national aquatic biology program, Trout in the Classroom, which provides a hands-on learning experience for school-age children as they raise native trout from fertilized eggs, then release them as fingerlings into local waterways. In Utah, the program is a partnership between the national conservation organization Trout Unlimited, the Utah Division of Natural Resources, and local school teachers. 'The kids are so interested in observing and seeing all the changes that the trout go through in their development, and learning a lot about habitats and what trout need and how we can help them,' said second-grade teacher Ruth Hansen. Artists hope 2034 Olympics, like their 2002 Olympic sculpture, will be a symbol of unity Hansen shared that this is the fifth year that the class has joined the program. She noted that it looked different every time, adding that the trout seemed to grow bigger this year compared to the past. 'I would highly recommend it. The kids are so engaged. Every single kid is engaged with watching this and experiencing it,' she said. 'They have lots of questions and they learn all kinds of things, but it's all integrated. We did science, we did math, writing, talking to each other, social skills. It's great.' David Leta the statewide coordinator for Trout in the Classroom, said he hopes it can help students develop a better appreciation and understanding of nature. 'It's just fun. It's rewarding. The excitement is just infectious, and it's great to see the kids learn new things — and to learn it by doing, rather than just having someone, a talking head, talking to them about it, or reading it in a book. They can actually experience it,' he said. Leta said that it's a volunteer program, and he loves being a part of it to give back to the community and environment. 'I'm a fisherman myself, so I love it to see the fish population thrive in our streams and rivers, and I like to see the next generation of young people grow up to appreciate fish and learn how to fish and just enjoy the outdoors,' he said. During the 2025-2025 school year, 72 Utah classes participated in the program, with 4,700 students joining in. Over 10,000 fertilized trout eggs were delivered to these classrooms in early January 2025 to be released this month. To learn more about the organization and the programs it offers, visit the Utah Council of Trout Unlimited website. Latest headlines: Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to ABC4 Utah.
Yahoo
01-05-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Virginia school students learn from fish!
AMHERST COUNTY Va. (WFXR) — What if when you were in school, your classroom was a river and some of your teachers were fish? You can find the answer to that in various schools across Virginia that are taking part in the Virginia Trout in the Classroom program. It comes courtesy of Trout Unlimited and the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources. Amherst County Public Schools have adopted the program. Students there are raising brook trout in their classrooms and eventually releasing them into the Pedlar River, a native trout stream. 'We get eggs from the Department of Wildlife Resources in the fall, and they hatch those eggs and raise them in the classroom in tanks,' said Amherst County Public Schools Superintendent William Wells. 'The trout that make it into the spring are about an inch to two inches long; we put them here in Pedlar River.' Wells actually leads the streamside study that includes releasing tiny brook trout, then surveying the river for other aquatic life, and assessing the water quality in the stream. On this day, it was a third grade class from Temperance Elementary School releasing their trout. 'I think I'm going to find a couple of crawfish, maybe like those, maybe like mayflies, or minnows,' said third-grader Grace Ramsey. After releasing her brook trout, she was one of several students who broke up into groups to flip rocks to collect was then flowed downstream in a net. Based on the types of aquatic life they found like insects or other macro invertebrates, the students could follow a formula to measure water quality. Based on what they discovered, the student found the quality of water in the Pedlar River to be in the excellent range. The program is stealthy in the way it teaches. The children thought they were just having fun, but in reality, they were getting lessons in chemistry, biology, math, hydrology, earth science, and a host of other academic disciplines. 'It's definitely hands-on,' said Dr. Wells. And, because it is hands-on, the lessons are likely to stick. Education experts have found children who practice hands-on learning develop a connection to and a better grasp of the concepts involved. That translates to greater knowledge retention. That is good for the kids and good for the rest of us, because these are lessons that will last a lifetime. 'They need to understand that as stewards of the environment they have to be able to take care of what we have, and if we don't take care of it, no one else will,' Dr. Wells said. 'As much as I can get the kids out here to experience this, I think the better we are.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
16-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Fee increase for nonresident Smith River lottery process passes Montana Legislature
Boaters on the Smith River in Meagher County (Photo by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks). The Montana Legislature approved raising nonresident fees to purchase bonus raffle points for a coveted Smith River permit, funding maintenance along the scenic corridor and purportedly giving a slight edge toward resident floaters . Located in central Montana, flowing north through the Big Belt Mountains toward Great Falls, the Smith River — a 59-mile stretch of which is officially Smith River State Park — is the only river in Montana that requires a permit for all recreational access. Sen. Laura Smith, D-Helena, said the increasing popularity of the Smith River and the effects of compounded use, were reasons she brought Senate Bill 257. The secluded stretch of river is so popular that the lottery system sees more than 20,000 individuals enter each year, with roughly 1,200 permits available. Of that, nonresidents can only receive 10% of available permits. Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks operates the permitting lottery with a bonus point system — applicants pay to enter the lottery and each year can purchase an additional bonus point to increase their chances of being selected. Bonus points can accumulate each year an applicant doesn't draw a permit and the points are squared during the drawing. Smith's bill more than doubles the cost of bonus points for out-of-state individuals, from $50 to $125, while resident's pay just $5. 'When I was door knocking, one things folks talked about in addition to public lands was Smith River permits. They were talking about the fact that people weren't really pulling the permit, and so I looked at the bonus point system and what the money goes to,' Smith told the Senate Fish and Game Committee in February. Revenue from the bonus point system goes into the state's Smith River Enhancement Account, to 'protect and enhance the integrity of the natural and scenic beauty of the Smith River waterway and its recreational, fisheries, and wildlife values.' 'Because of the increased foot traffic, in and out use, some of the funds have been used to improve the put in and put out,' Smith told the committee. 'Ten years ago, when my now husband and I floated it, we used to camp at the put in. They said the impact at the bank, with so many people putting into the river there, really eroded those river banks. So they used this money to restore the put in and take out.' According to the bill's fiscal note, 1,114 nonresident bonus points were sold in 2024, and under the new fee structure would provide a more than $83,000 boost to revenue. Revenue from the account has also been used to work on waste disposal systems along the river — which has no public access along its 59-mile stretch — and to purchase or lease adjacent land. 'The money goes to good causes that preserve the integrity of the river,' Smith said. Trout Unlimited, the Montana Wildlife Federation and several individuals, including fishing guides, supported the legislation in committee hearings. The bill sailed through the Senate with just four votes in opposition. The bill was unanimously concurred in the House on 2nd reading, but drew two nay votes on the final vote Wednesday.
