Maryland Trout Unlimited earns Gold Trout for conservation work in Chesapeake Bay watershed

The Maryland Chapter of Trout Unlimited has earned the highest honor bestowed by the national organization that focuses on protecting coldwater fisheries, in large part for its collaborative efforts to advance Eastern brook trout conservation in the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Brook trout habitat restoration and protection is one of many outcomes identified in the 2014 Chesapeake Watershed Agreement, which guides the work of partners across the region.

Trout Unlimited’s Gold Award recognizes a chapter that stands out for its innovative and thoughtful approaches to building community and advancing the mission of protecting coldwater resources. Chapters are judged on criteria relating to conservation, communication, member and community engagement, fundraising and chapter development.

Among several achievements, the Maryland Chapter led a unique watershed-scale initiative to preserve a 48-square mile area encompassing 60 miles of streams, rather than focusing on ad hoc stream improvement projects. The Upper Gunpowder Brook Trout Conservation Partnership includes representatives from Maryland Department of Natural Resources, watershed associations, nonprofit conservancies, the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Maryland Fisheries Resource Office, who collaborate to identify shared goals and leverage their capacities to get work done on the ground.

The partnership has made major headway in advancing brook trout conservation in the Upper Gunpowder, which is part of the Chesapeake Bay watershed. Among other notable accomplishments, the group completed 50 road-stream crossing assessments using regional protocols developed by the North Atlantic LCC-supported North Atlantic Aquatic Connectivity Collaborative (NAACC).  

Learn more about the accomplishments of the Maryland Chapter of Trout Unlimited at: http://maryland.tu.org/