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Native brookies are not
only beautiful, they have a special place in the natural and cultural
history of the Southern Appalachians. Leftover
from a time when glaciers forged our landscape, they are a hearty native of
the world’s oldest mountains. And an ancient, living example of Nature’s
finest artwork.
They also have a special place in the hearts and minds of trout anglers in
the East. The very thought of brook trout brings to mind healthy, forested,
ecosystems, tumbling headwaters, crystal clear streams, and an experience TU
members would like to pass on to their grandchildren. But the streams and
systems which support brook trout are vulnerable to an onslaught of modern
day threats. Development, resource extraction and its subsequent
sedimentation can pound our streams from the bank, while acid rain can
deliver a silent death blow from above. When brook trout populations begin
to blink, it’s a clear sign that nature has been thrown out of balance. And
Trout Unlimited leaders believe we’re seeing this sign in too many places
around the Southeast.
The
idea was simple enough. TU leaders in North Carolina and Tennessee,
recognizing the potential loss of a natural resource treasure, decided to go
to bat for their only native trout: the Southern Appalachian brook trout.
They recognized the issues affecting brook trout (and all trout) were much
too large for single Chapters to solve, yet were such common concerns for so
many TUers, they would make an effective “rally point”…a call to action
across state lines, a focal point for all our good work, and a “cause” which
all members could stand behind.
So
a classic conservation campaign was born…Back the Brookie!
Initiated more than a year ago in North Carolina and Tennessee, Back the
Brookie has expanded to SC, GA, VA and WV. As a result, brook trout in
this region now have 6 state Councils, 60 local Chapters, and over 16,000 TU
members with a single, unified, clear-cut mission: to speak as one voice,
and work united on one front, to restore brook trout habitat, advocate for
clean air and water, and reach out to the public about our “canary in a coal
mine”.
Back the Brookie
combines the best of Trout Unlimited – grassroots volunteers and national
staff – to target our efforts on protecting a fish and preserving a legacy.
Each of the 6 states has adopted a plan to achieve these goals. There are 4
components to the Back the Brookie Plan – Conservation, Advocacy,
Education, and Campaign Advancement
Conservation: Rolling Up Our Sleeves and Getting in the Water!
Instream projects are a mainstay of Trout Unlimited and will remain the
backbone of Back the Brookie. TU members have long been working
throughout these states to restore streams damaged by erosion and other
environmental stressors; this new campaign will unite already committed
volunteers so their efforts can multiply. With Back the Brookie, we
now have the opportunity to link all of our chapters' projects across the
Southern Appalachians and promote brook trout conservation across all of its
range, not just stream by stream. We’ll also have the ability to link our
conservation work into a much larger context, one of a high-profile
conservation campaign designed to capture the attention, hearts, and minds
of the public – and the elected officials behind the cures and solutions.
Instream projects are important, yet we’ll also be working smarter in other
arenas as well. The issues our beloved fish face are of a serious nature,
which begs attention and would benefit from changes in policy as well as
changes in mindsets. As a non-profit, volunteer-run, grassroots
conservation organization, we simply don’t have enough time, money, or hands
to keep fixing “one stream bank at a time”. The balance of Back the
Brookie is aimed at publicizing the problems, relating them to human
health and recreation, offering long-term solutions based in policy, and
making coldwater conservation a “household word”. The more awareness, media
attention, members, community support, funding, and ability we have to
influence policy, the better for our brookies (and all coldwater). Which
leads us to the other 3 cornerstones:
Advocacy:
Working for Long-Term Solutions to Serious Problems.
Stream work will be complemented by citizen advocacy: getting to the roots
of threats to our streams, and addressing the problems where they begin.
TUers are organizing themselves into networks capable of educating
legislators about clean air and water. Being able to address coldwater
threats in the policy arena is absolutely essential to the long-term health
of our fish.
Each Chapter will have a Campaign Contact, a person who can stand up at
local meetings a few times a year, and help members write letters to the
appropriate decision makers. Additionally, TUers all across the state are
stepping up to the position of “Key Contact”, people who are willing to
develop relationships with their elected officials to speak on behalf of the
brook trout. The goal of Back the Brookie’s advocacy plan is to
assign one TU volunteer to each elected official in every state…a lofty goal
indeed! However, neither one of these positions takes more than 5-10 hours
per year of commitment from interested volunteer leaders.
Education:
Threats to Coldwater are Sociological in Nature. Solutions are Based in
People.
Recent surveys indicate that perhaps only 1% of the general public can
accurately define a watershed. Many do not know the value and importance of
keeping cold headwater streams clean and watersheds functional. The
educational portion of Back the Brookie intends to educate anglers,
the general public and youth about the correlation between brook trout and
healthy watersheds, as well as the association between our human activities
and affects on brook trout. Each state has a volunteer Education
Coordinator who has a plan to spread this message to the public. Materials,
presentations, curriculums and displays are being prepared and distributed
in each state. Virginia has established a program for middle-school
students which teaches lessons on acid rain. North Carolina and Georgia
have established a summer youth conservation camp. Tennessee, South
Carolina and West Virginia are developing educational modules on brook trout
for youth Volunteer educators have fun jobs delivering campaign materials
to public audiences, as their own schedules allow.
Campaign Advancement:
The “Gas in Our Truck”, So to Speak
Finally, each state has an “Advancement Coordinator”, whose charge is to
increase the visibility of Back the Brookie, along with its funding
base. Good public relations and strong funding lend strength to an already
successful effort and will make continued growth possible. Advancement
Coordinators work on media strategies to highlight TU’s successes, raise
funds, and direct campaign communication internally.
A
new web site,
www.brookie.org , is now online, complete with information about brook
trout, updates on specific stream restoration efforts, ways to be become
involved in the campaign and an array of merchandise available for purchase
(with proceeds going directly to Back the Brookie projects).
The Benefits of a Regional Campaign focused on Clean Air and Water:
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Unites thousands of passionate TU members together on a single, clear,
issue
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Six TU states and 60 local Chapters can share campaign tools, ideas, and
materials (no “reinventing the wheel”)
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We are organized to “look out for trout” in state policy arenas
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We have the ability to speak for brookies and coldwater in the federal
policy arena
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Our mission becomes a high-profile, public issue in which everyone stands
to gain
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Our concerns are shared with a much broader audience (business, tourism,
economy, healthcare industry, etc)
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Working smarter, not necessarily harder, as we flex our conservation
muscles in new arenas
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A much better shot at securing the long-term, range-wide future of the
fish we love
The dazzling fish we
hold dear will make a darn good “totem” or “icon” for our issues. This is
already apparent given the number of folks clamoring for Back the Brookie
merchandise, and how frequently the campaign’s slogan is rolling off
people’s tongues (whether or not they participate in TU!).
Brook trout are the immediate winners in this campaign, but TU as an
organization also benefits. Not only are we expanding our efforts in policy
and education, but we now have a model we can use to tackle other regional
issues, nationwide. Congratulations to the Southeast for leading the way!
For
more info on Back the Brookie or to volunteer for the campaign, go to
www.brookie.org |
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