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At the end of last year I agreed to serve as the Council Chairman, a tour of duty usually lasting three years. As the new year began, I started to focus on where I want to see Trout Unlimited in Massachusetts go over that time period.
Out of this reflection, the question that kept coming up, in various forms, was what the relevance of this organization is to any of you and to me. I think my job for the next three years is to keep answering this question. What I came up with for now is that “We are TU.”
The Greater Boston Chapter has been an integral part of my life for the past 18 or so years. The best man at my wedding is a chapter member, and was the person who introduced me to Atlantic salmon fishing. The doors that opened to the angling world from this chapter have taken me all over the country, and into delightful nooks and crannies minutes from home.
I have had the opportunity to advocate on behalf of some of the critical issues facing cold water fisheries in this state and New England over that entire time period. I have met dedicated, ardent conservationists who stood up and did the right thing when the time required it. We didn't make headlines, and at times we struggled to balance our volunteer activities with family and work commitments. But the reach and effectiveness of this organization within the state is impressive.
The impetus for the acid rain monitoring project in Massachusetts came from GBTU. Intervention with the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission on re-licensing of dams throughout New England started with members of our chapter. We did the footwork to help get the Rivers Bill passed, which protects rivers and streams in the state from development within 150 feet of most waterways.
And all this good work took place within the context of a fellowship, anglers willing to share their time, expertise and knowledge to the next person coming along who wants to learn and participate.
TU is not some monolithic national organization, which dictates from above and hovers in the ethers of important national issues that get trumpeted in the headlines and the magazines. The heart and soul of TU is the chapter meeting, people concerned about the land and water they love, and who have an appreciation for the poetry of a native trout or salmon coming to a fly on an early spring morning. That person sitting next to you at the next TU meeting who talks about fishing White’s Pond in Concord, and the great midge hatch that just came off, or the guy who tells you about the trip he took to fish brookies on some stream in the outback of Maine, he is TU. It’s the look on his face, the enthusiasm in his voice. That is Trout Unlimited because ultimately, that common bond is what will enable the hard, sometimes unpleasant work to be done.
In this chapter, not everyone can make the meetings. Try if you can. There is a lot there. If you can’t, show your support as best you can. But know that the meetings are going on, our PastaFest fundraising dinner will be held April 1, 2007, and there is a hand of welcome extended whenever you’d like to join us.