2017–12–04: Trout on the Hill.
Week ahead for TU priorities in D.C.
National Monuments News:
President Trump cuts protection for two million acres of national monuments
What happened: On Monday President Trump signed two executive orders that combine to reduce Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante National Monuments in Utah by over two million acres. This was followed up with the release of Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke’s final report recommending changes for additional national monuments.
Trout Unlimited response: While trout may be in short supply in Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante, removing protections for millions of acres establishes a dangerous precedent for our special places and speak to the challenges facing public lands and conservation today. Secretary Zinke’s national monuments report is short on details, but what we do know is that it includes recommendations that could erode protections for other monuments that contain important trout resources, such as Katahdin Woods and Waters in Maine, and an unspecified boundary “modification” for Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument in Oregon. These are just the latest developments in what has and will remain a long-term saga over the management and conservation of America’s public lands.
- TU Press Release & blog: https://www.tu.org/blog-posts/cuts-for-utah-monuments
- TU President and CEO, Chris Wood, on FacebookLive —
- Take Action: http://standup.tu.org/protect-our-public-lands/
Monuments — Read More:
- President Trump’s remarks at Utah State Capitol, replay: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5hGDVaDG-gQ
- Monuments 101: What they are and why should hunters and anglers care
- Monumental Myths: Deciphering fact from fiction in the debate over monuments
- 8,000 Reasons to love public lands: People from across the country talk about what public lands mean to them.
Field Notes: Big ups and Shoutouts for TU projects
TU’s Cassi Wood visits D.C. to receive USFS Chief’s award for project work in Idaho’s Yankee Fork.
Trout Unlimited is proud to announce Cassi Wood, TU’s Central Idaho Project Specialist, as recipient of the Forest Service’s highest honor, The Chief’s Honor Award, for her work on the Yankee Fork of the Salmon River. Cassi and her team organized and directed a collaborative group including 8 other agencies and organizations to address watershed quality issues created by historic timber and dredge mining activities in the region.
The groups involved in the project include:
- Bureau of Reclamation
- Bonneville Power Administration
- Shoshone-Bannock Tribes
- Idaho Governor’s Office of Species
- Salmon-Challis National Forest
- National Marine Fisheries Service
- US Fish and Wildlife Service
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game
Cassi will join other representatives of the group to accept the award from the Forest Service’s newly appointed Chief, Tony Tooke, at 10 a.m. in the USDA South Building’s Jefferson Auditorium. A live stream of the ceremony is available, here. Cassi will also meet with elected officials to discuss the continuation of TU’s efforts in Idaho and across the country.
Click to watch The Fix, a film produced by Trout Unlimited, the USFS, and Tight Line Media that highlights the team’s success on the Yankee fork.
Related Blogs:
- Big Changes for the Yankee Fork
- Once Dredged for Gold, the Yankee Fork is Making a Comeback
- Restoring an Idaho Gem: The Yankee Fork of the Salmon River
Congrats Cassie!
Hearings and Events of Note
Tuesday, December 5th
- Tu. 12.5 @2:30pm — Senate — [Energy] Subcommittee (ENR) Hearing on Various Bills
Wednesday, December 6th
- Wed. 12.6 @10:00am — H.E&C — [Hydro] Full Markup of Energy Bills (H.R. 2872 & H.R. 2880)
- Wed. 12.6 @10:00am — [Endangered Fisheries] — House Natural Resources subcommittee on water power and oceans: Legislative Hearing on Bill Funding Fish Recovery Programs
Thursday, December 7th
- Th. 12.7 @ 10a: [DOI] — House Hearing on the Interior Department, HNR subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations — Transforming DOI for 21st Century
- Th. 12.7 @ 10am — [EPA] — House Hearing on EPA, HE&C subcommittee on the Environment — Scott Pruitt testimony: The Mission of the EPA
- Th. 12.7 @ 2:00pm — [Public Lands] — House hear on lands bills, HNR subcommittee on Federal Lands Legislative Hearing on 4 Bills (H.R. 1349 — Amend Wilderness Act to allow use of bicycles, wheelchairs, strollers, game carts (Rep. McClintock)).
That’s all for now! Please contact the TU Government Affairs team with questions or check out the latest on www.tu.org.
