### June 2, 2014 Contact: Steve Moyer 703-284-9406 

# TU Welcomes Clean Air Rules that will Protect Trout and Salmon

CLEANAIRACTPROPOSAL WILL REDUCE CARBONPOLLUTIONTHATIS ALREADYIMPACTING TROUTANDSALMONHABITAT: WASHINGTON, D.C.-Trout Unlimited today thanked the Em ironmental Protection Agency for its strong prnposal to reduce the carbon pollution that causes climate change. Trout Unlimited's scientists and their partners have already begun to document the impacts from climate change on trout and salmon acn.)sS 

### the country.



### "Trout and salmon are <llread_\ being threatened b) n changing 

### cli111atc.·- said Jack \Villiams. senic1r 

### scicnti:--.1**/~)r** 

### Twut t 1 nlimited. ··fv1any scientific nsscssmcnh. including Tll's P\Y!l 

### rcscarLh.**~hP\\** 

### that

nwrc frequent and intense 1lol)(b and drougl1ts. 

### warming\\atn 

### kmperatures. \\ ildfires. 

### and ()\her h1mbcapc changes haYC and \Yi]J**C~)Jltinuc** to impact :..d!lle orour lllOq ]l)\'Cd tr<)Ut and :-.a]lllOil

. ;,trcam::;."

A**r_~-~-~mb_·j)ubJi?hed** study**shl~,\~d** that nati\e cutthroat trout in the Flathead Ri\cr in l\1ontana hm·e increasingly been hybridizing with introduced minbO\\ trout as :-;treams ha\'e warmed and water tlO\\ s decreased. conditions better suited for non-native fish.;\ stmb**co_n<l_t_l~l~(_l___l_~_y__I1L** iq 

# ;_o ]_! predicted tllat

across the \\,..est. suitahle habitat for these cutthroat trout could decrease by .50 pL·rcent b) 2080.**··B~·** removing barriers to fish passage thnt also increase 

### flonU risk. improving irrigatinn efficiency. and making degraded streams more resilient. we''i!l continue to do \\drk ''e"ve ah\[t)'S done that is beneficial
to fish and human communities regardless of\\hat happening 

### to the climate··. said Chris \Vood. 

### CEO and President ofTrout Unlimited. "HoweYer. at the end ofthe day. ifcarbon**p~)llution** continues unabated. \\e stand to lose much ofthe progress we"ve made for trout and salmon. leaving behind fe\\·er fishing opportunities for future generations."

TU has a histor) ofsupporting the Clean Air Act as a toP

### I tl) pwtcct**tr~nn** when :-.Ptllld**~cicnce** dictates action is nccessar.:. 

### In 1990. strongly hi-paiiisan amendments \\CIT made t(_) the Clca!l Air Act to n.:cluce the acid rain cau')ing j)(Jilution \\'hich had been .;;ig.nificantly damaging hroul-. twut habitat across tlK Appnlachians. 

### In the nwre them**2tl.:ear~** since the progral1l ''<:!:-. illlplemcnted. acid rain depn:-.itilm has**LkcrL'a~ed** 

### by 54 percent nt**lcs~** than a quarter ufthe**pr~.-dictcd** cost nfthc program. allowing 111a11} trnut :-;treams in the Last to reel)\ Cr. TU belic\CS**~-1** \\L'il-cra!tcd carhll!l pollutil)ll**prl)_~~ram c~m**  achie\e similar benefits fnr trout and salmon. TL scientists and policy experts\\illr-c\ ic\\'**card~ull:** the**f~** P

. 

### .J\ pn)pnsal and ''ill prn\ ide comments tP the**ag~.:·nc:** in the corning lllllllth:-.. Truu! 

### l ·:n!imif,·d**i.~** til(' lUll**ion·.~ o!de.~!**  tllld lcli',':!.L'.'f dJ/dlruhT/Islh'l"il'.' cull.'l'ITU!iun orguni-:u!ion d<·dil·utl·d to <"01/SL'ITing. Jil"ilh'<'!ing (0/(/rl'.'-!uring .\'urt/1./mcri<·u ·_,.Trout U!hl.\(lllnon am/**tl~t·ir ll·ufenlh'd~.**  ;:ollmr 

### {l on 

### Fih·l·h(luk 

### uud {ll i!!1'1". uml**,-;~·if** II\ uu!inc u! !!I org

### 4. Under Trout Unlimited's direction, work in partnership with otherTU chapters and state councils, sportsmen's !,'TOUps, academic communities, green and civic organizations to educate ourselves and othersandtake effective action onclimate change. Strategize and work locally, regionally, nationally and globally. Comply with TU's non-profit restrictions on political action.
5. Encourage committeemembers, TU fishers andthe public to learnmoreabout climate change and itsprojected impacts. Educate ourselves on howoutdoor sportsmen- hunters, fishers, hikers, bikers, birders -are respondingto climate change. Invite all to become active on climate change.
6. Actively support and defend UGA faculty working on climate change, the world's climate scientists andthe UnitedNations International Panel on Climate Change. 

# Action Plan 1. Complete ORCTU climate committeemission statement, goals and action planfor 2012-13. Draft a five yearplanthrough 2016. Considerour mission, goals and action plan a "living document," tobe amendedas needed.
2. Create a Climate Change BookClub andenvironmental discussion group, withmonthly meetings to coincide with committee meetings.
3. Help create and support the Georgia Climate Change Coalition, Athens-basedbut with statewide reach, and attend GC3 events
4. Recruit and welcome newmembers for ORCTU. As needed, update ORCTU's huge membership roster(nearly 500 members). Resurrect the chapter's phone bankand supplement emails with phone calls. Exchange fishing trips and programs with South Georgia ORCTUmembers.
5. Sendmonthly articles onclimate change and committee activities to Fly Paper, ORCTU's award winningnewsletter. Same with website announcements.
6. Workclosely with faculty, professional staffand students atthe University ofGeorgia. Focus hard onyoung people for fishing, conservation, climate change outreach.
7. Participate in the Eco-film Festival, Earth Day, otherAthens and Georgiaconservation/greenevents. Table and actively recruit ORCTU members at such events.
8. Promote "bestpractices" energy and water savings measures and conservation tipsthat fishers and citizens can employ inthe home and workplace. Encourage local initiatives that inform, motivate and empower citizens.

For further information, see www.orctu.org; also back issues ofFly Paper. See also www.tu.org. By Rich Rusk, chairman



## -~-~s:hf:-, 

# <.t/ Climate Change Committee Oconee River ChapterTrout Unlimited 480 Stanton Way; Athens, GA 30606 706-354-0321; 706-202-7802 cell; richrusk@charter.net

# Oconee River ChapterTrout Unlimited Climate Change Committee
- mission, goals, action plan
OurMission

In working to conserve, protect and restore North America's coldwaterfisheries and their watersheds, ORCTU's climate change committee supports TroutUnlimited's two pronged approach: reduce carbon emissions to avoid the worst impacts ofclimate change, and invest inprotecting and restoring habitats so that cold water fisheries can withstandimpacts. By focusing on fish, through education, advocacy and action, we will work in partnership with all citizens and stakeholders to promote solutions and adaptations to the climate crisis. 

# History

Witnessing recent drought years with fingerlings dying in North Georgia hatcheries and 85 degree UpperChattahoocheeRiver temperatures killing mature trout, some fly fishers in Georgia's Oconee RiverChapter Trout Unlimited (ORCTU) calledtheir national office, askingfor help.

TU National sent climate intern Scott Laeser, who spoke at ORCTU's Nov. 2010 meeting (for nearly two hours) onprojectedimpacts onNorth Americantrout and salmon.

"Scottnailedit," recalls memberRich Rusk. "Nobodyfell asleep or walked out. We formed a climate change committee and have beenworking ever since." "We promised our board ofdirectors that we would focus onthe fish and not polarize our chapter overthis tragically controversial issue," continuedRusk. "We pledged to 'make welcome' all members, whatever theirviews."

For a February 22, 2011 program, TUNational sent stafferZach Cockrum to address climate change at a UGA panel discussion, "Building anEffective Climate Change Coalitionfor Athens." Over I00 persons attended. Zach was terrific. The Georgia Climate Change Coalitionwas bornthat evening.

For two years, ORCTUs climate committee members have worked hard to educatethemselves, receive training, andprepare powerpointprograms and talks about climate change tor varied audiences. This effort is on-going. "Our volunteers work hard on stream improvements," saidthen-ORCTU president Randy Elmore. "But we must move with greater urgency onthis massive threat to North American cold water fisheries

...We needto reduce carbon emissions and accelerate efforts to find solutions." 

# Goals and Objectives 1. Actively support all ORCTU initiatives -monthlymeetings, fundraising banquets, take-kids-fishing events, fly casting and fly tying lessons, Back the Brookie and stream enhancementwork projects, Trout inthe Classroom and river cleanups. In other words, supportTU'sentire program. 2. Host regular committee meetings that are open to all TU members and the public Send invitations and agendas, take minutes and record all decisions. Report monthly to ORCTU board ofdirectors. Seek TU National assistance and direction. as needed.
3. Invite all citizens to our public prob>Tams- including critics ofclimate science- respect all voices and proceed carefully onthis heavily politicized issue. Become a unifying voice not divisive-- within our chapter and community. With TU'semphasis on coalition building, work to broaden a climate action constituency beyond the traditional envmmmental movement

## I' II 

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### CRAIG MATHEWS. YVON CHOUINARD, TOM ROSENBAUER & 

### TODD TANNER T ITS HEART, fly fishing is about connections. When we wade into a handsome trout stream or stalk across a ·vast bonefish flat, we hope tO touch something elemerital, something that resonates deep inside. Rather than sitting in front of our TV sets or viewing nature through a window, we immerse ourselves in the world around us. The sunshine, the currents, the breeze, and the intricate dance of life itselfbecome more obvious, more personal, more real. And when we're graced with a trout, tarpon, or a steelhead on the end of our line, we can't help but give thanks for such an incredible gift. Sadly, our friends and neighbors don't always share
our passion for the outdoors. Nor, we're afraid, do they always understand the importance ofhealthy landscapes. We live, as the great conservationist Aldo Leopold once pointed out, in a world of wounds, 'and because anglers tend to see things more clearly-because we choose to wade deep ratherthansitting onthebank-thosewounds
are obvious. The garbage lying next to the river trail, the sheen of oil glinting in the sunlight, the clearcutweeping topsoil intothe natal salmon stream

... all these affronts,and a thousand others, cut deep and leave emotional scars. It's the rare fly fisher who doesn't feel the bad as-well
as the good.

This is why we work so hard to protect our fisheries. ·whether it's planting bankside willows or standing up against the Pebble Mine, we do what we can for our landscapes and our waterways.

\X"e don't win every fight, in fact, it sometimes seems like we lose far
more than vve should, but there's simply too much at stake to sit quietly on the sidelines. Especially when it comes to the single threat that will impact every single angler: climate change.

People inject more than 30 billion tons of C02 into the atmosphere every year. All that carbon dioxide changes the chemistry of our atmosphere and ,.:varms our planet. That's not conjecture, that's scientific fact. An overwhelming majority (97%) of climate scientists agree >vith the world's most prestigious scientific organization, the U.S. National Academy of Sciences: "Climate change is occurring, is very likely caused primarilyby the emission of greenhouse gases from human activities, and poses significant risks for a range of human and natural systems."

The Trout Unlimited report "Healing Troubled Waters" agrees by saying "The science is clear that human-caused climate change is already occurring and that impacts will increase in the future. Trout and salmon are especially vulnerable to climate change because they are dependent on an abundance of clean, cold water."

Unfortunately, the most recent science is also the most disturbing. The "National Climate Assessment" report released in 1-Iay 2014 doesn't predict that climate change is coming. It's already here. Hotter summers. Catastrophic droughts. Extreme wildfires. Unprecedented floods. Monster storms. The report was produced and approved by a team of over 300 climate scientists. It was subjected to extensive review by the public and by scientific experts in and out of government, including a special panel of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. And when the empirical evidence
we see with our own eyes confirms the scientific reports produced by the most prestigious scientific panels in the \Vorld, then the skepticism of individual pundits, however wellintentioned, should give way to acceptance and action. )-Morefrequent



### a~d severe droughts are one symptom ofglobal climate disruption. Here, the Missouri River Breaks National Monument suffers the effects 

### ofheat and Here's the crux of our situation. If we don't work together to lower
our greenhouse gas emissions, we could lose most of the fisheries we know and love. And that's not 500 years from now, or 100 low water. years from now, but within the next few decades. That's in our lifetimes, and
more importantly the lifetimes ofour children. So is there an ounce ofgoodnews? Yes, there is. Like any talented medical team, our scientific community has diagnosed the problem and told
us exactly how we need to respond. And in a striking bit of good luck, the remedy tastes more like chocolate than cod liver oil. 

## Here'stheprescription: 1) Raise alittlehell. Ifwe don'tflght for ourselves and ourfisheries, wewon'thave anyone toblamewhenthat "radically different" worldknocks on our door. 2) Stop treating the atmospherelike an open seweranddumpingunimaginably huge quantities ofC02 into theair. 3) Stop wastingenergy. We all needto becomemore energy-aware and energyefficient in our daily lives. 4) Shift from carbon-intensivefossil fuels toclean. renewable. energy sources like solar. wind, andgeothermal. 5) Change the conversation. Climate change should notbe apartisan issue. and America shouldbe

## a: globJlleader. Right now, we have the opportunity to break our addiction to fossil fuels, to avoid the worst impacts of climate change, and to position the United States as a clean energy leader. If we're successful, we can jumpstart our economy at the same time
we prott:ct our waters and defend our angling heritage. But we don't have a second to waste. And ifwe don't actif, through laziness or skepticism, we Opt for business-as-usual

... well, it's not going to be pretty. At the end of the day, we all want the same thing. Great fishing. Clean water. A strong, vibrant economy and
a healthy natural world for our kids and grandkids. According to the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, there are more than 33 million anglers in the lJ.S. Ifwe standtogether,
we can protect our rivers and streams, strengthen America's financial house, and give our children and grandchildren a shot at a decent future.

The cavalry isn't coming over the hill. No hero on a white horse is going to ride up and save us. Either we tackle climate change while we still have the chance, or we watch everything
we care about turn to dust and ashes. Let's get to work.

**~** Craig Mathews o··N,'lS Biue R.ibbon Flies in VI/est

**Yelic-.:vsto~<r::::. ~~~·lantana.**  Yvon Chouinard IS the fc,t.mder and ov-me:- of

**Pataqct~ia,** !nc. Tom R-Jsenbaue1- is the mark:Stinq d1rec1or of Orvis Rod &Tackle. Toddfarmer :sthe founder of

**Conser~** vat:on Hc.wks 

### V

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[The opinions expressed in Forum are those ofthe authors who appear here and do not necessarily reflect the editorialpolicies or views of FLYFisHERMA.V. 1,¥{? toe/comepo!itr? render re:_.,ponses to t!Je issuespresented fwre. THE EDITOR] 

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