Trout Unlimited North Bear Chapter

Join TU!

Current Members

Not a member?

Random Thoughts

“The best fisherman I know try not to make the same mistakes over and over again; instead they strive to make new and interesting mistakes and to remember what they learned from them.”

John Gierach

Latest

State Council Meeting Scheduled March 31

The TU Iowa State Council Meeting will be held Saturday, March 31st at 10:00 a.m. at the Franklin Hotel in Strawberry Point, Iowa. The agenda includes elections, discussion of draft state bylaws, and general reporting. The meeting is expected to last less than two hours, and is open to all members.

Members interested in attending should contact Brett Lorenzen (president@tu-northbear.org) by March 28 so we can ensure the hotel provides adequate space and refreshments, and materials can be provided in advance.

Chapter News

DNR Fisheries Biologist Bill Kalishek to Speak at April Meeting

Mark your calendars: DNR Fisheries Biologist Bill Kalishek will be the featured speaker at the April TUNB meeting. Bill will be presenting on the progress being made to promote natural reproduction in Iowa trout streams, and reviewing all of the streams with natural reproduction to explain their progress and future plans. This is your chance to learn where the wild trout are, which streams are accessible, and where future efforts are planned.

Iowa Stream News

Seed Saver's Workday Planned for May

A follow-up workday at the Seed Saver's Exchange EAS project site will be held in May. The one-day event will focus on removal of invasive species surrounding the new stream segment, plantings, and some fine tuning of the stream bed.

Specific details and a date will be forthcoming, as scheduling is dependent upon spring planting at the farm. We've been asked to pencil in the weekends of May 12 and 19 as likely target dates. Mark your calendars, and we'll get additional details into the March and April newsletters. Time will, of course, be left in the schedule for fishing.

Regional Stream News

Fifth Annual Driftless Area Symposium Scheduled for March 27-28

TUDARE's annual Driftless Area Symposium is scheduled for March 27-28 at the Radisson Hotel, La Crosse, Wisconsin. This will be the 5th Driftless Area symposium, which is in an effort to annually share the results of research, management and monitoring work in streams, along riparian corridors and across watersheds. The presenters, as well as the audience, will be county, state, federal, non-profits, universities, companies and other organizations and professionals working in and visiting the four-state Driftless Area.

Federal Policy Issues

US expands laws protecting Atlantic salmon The federal government dramatically extended protection yesterday for the imperiled wild Atlantic salmon in Maine, declaring that the few remaining sportfish in the Penobscot, Kennebec, and Androscoggin rivers and their tributaries are endangered. The move comes nine years after the federal government declared the fish — once such a part of American legend that one was delivered to the US president each year — endangered in eight Down East Maine rivers. The Boston Globe covers the change.

State Policy Issues

DNR Seeking Input on Impaired Waters List The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is asking Iowans to comment on the draft 2008 Iowa impaired waters list, which identifies 445 streams, rivers and lakes, more than 20 of which are trout streams in Winneshiek County. The impaired waters list names 445 water bodies in need of a water quality improvement plan. Most of Iowa's trout streams are impaired to some degree and should appear on the list to encourage the investments required to sustain natural populations. The DNR is accepting comments on the list through Feb. 5, and trout enthusiasts and encouraged to participate. Follow the "Read More" link for more information on the process and details on submitting comments.