The Middle River Group, LLC

fly fishing, conservation and politics.

Conservation

Vote for Jim Range as the Budweiser Conservationist of the Year

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News from TRCP:

Vote for TRCP Co-founder and Former Chairman Jim Range as 2010 Budweiser Conservationist of the Year.

Jim Range, one of the country’s greatest champions for sportsmen-conservationists, has been honored with a posthumous nomination as a finalist for the Budweiser Conservationist of the Year award. This annual program recognizes individuals who have made exceptional contributions to perpetuating the American outdoor way of life. Budweiser and the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation will donate $50,000 to the 2010 winner’s conservation organization of choice, with the money to fund the group’s conservation efforts. The three runners-ups will receive $5,000 grants for the conservation organization of their choosing. Jim’s family has designated the TRCP to receive the proceeds from this honor.

Since losing Jim so suddenly 10 months ago, we at the TRCP, along with the  thousands who loved Jim and worked with him for better conservation of our natural resources, have sought out ways to honor his legacy and leadership. Budweiser and NFWF have given us all an opportunity to say “thank you” again to Jim for everything he did to help guarantee us all quality places to hunt and fish.

Jim spent his entire professional life conserving and enhancing Americans’ hunting and fishing opportunities. His cumulative efforts stand as a very high benchmark to those of us who care about our outdoor sporting heritage – and the lands and waters on which we pursue these traditions. His ability to inspire passion in others through his words and actions rallied countless supporters around his conservation vision.

In addition to his critical role in establishing and chairing the TRCP, Jim served on the boards of directors for Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, the Wetlands America Trust, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the American Sportfishing Association, the American Bird Conservancy,  the Pacific Forest Trust, the Yellowstone Park Foundation and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust, among others. He also was an original NFWF board member and worked directly with many other hunting, fishing and conservation groups to advance conservation and sportsmen’s interests in Washington and around the country. During his 11 years on Capitol Hill working for Sen. Howard Baker, Jim fought tirelessly to conserve our natural resources with a bipartisan approach that became his trademark. He played a critical role in the passage of several landmark laws, including the Clean Water Act. In 2003, Jim received the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Great Blue Heron Award, the highest honor given by the department to an individual at the national level.

The deadline for voting is December 15th – vote today.

To vote, go to www.budweiser.com – after logging in, click on the “vote” link on the home page and select Jim from the four finalists.

Votes also can be submitted via mail. On a 3-inch by 5-inch card, print your name, address, age and name of candidate (“Jim Range”). Mail the card to 2010 Budweiser Conservationist of the Year, P.O. Box 750026, El Paso, TX 88575-0026.

Voters must be aged 21 or older, and voting is limited to one vote per person. The 2010 award will be presented at an event during the SHOT Show in Las Vegas on Jan. 21.

Since Anheuser-Busch was founded in 1852, the company has been committed to conserving natural resources. Budweiser, its partners and consumers have raised $8.7 million over the past 10 years to conserve vital habitat and wildlife across the country. Visit www.anheuser-busch.com.

A nonprofit established by Congress in 1984, the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation sustains, restores and enhances the nation’s fish, wildlife, plants and habitats. Since its establishment, NFWF has awarded more than 10,000 grants to more than 3,500 organizations, and its work has resulted in more than $1.5 billion invested in conservation. Visit www.nfwf.org.

Learn more about Jim Range, his efforts on behalf of America’s sportsmen-conservationists and the fund established in his memory.

Vote for Jim Range as the Budweiser Conservationist of the Year!“

Full Disclosure: I am a consultant to the TRCP. TRCP provided this material. I received no compensation for posting it. Any one who knows me knows Jim was one of my closest friends for nearly 20 years. Here is a link to the tribute i wrote when he died earlier this year.

National Fish Habitat Awards

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Ryan Roberts, NFHAP Communications Coordinator, sent along the information below on the National Fish Habitat Annual Awards Program.

If you know someone who should be nominated contact your local fish habitat partnership. You can find them here: http://fishhabitat.org/

The submission deadline is January 29, 2010. The awards will be presented at the Jim Range National Casting Call on April 22, 2010.

THE NATIONAL FISH HABITAT ANNUAL AWARDS PROGRAM

Program Overview

The National Fish Habitat Annual Awards honor exceptional individuals or partner entities who have demonstrated a commitment to fish habitat conservation, science, or education. The awards celebrate those who have demonstrated extraordinary dedication, innovation or excellence in aquatic resource conservation. National Fish Habitat Awardees show how individuals can and do make a difference.

Awards will be made annually on the basis of nominations submitted by Fish Habitat Partnerships and the hundreds of organizations and members that make up the Partners Coalition. From the nominations submitted by Partnerships and Coalition, the National Fish Habitat Board will select several of the most meritorious for these nationally recognized awards. Honorable mentions may be made.

Eligibility

The Awards Program is open to all members of the 14 Board-recognized Fish Habitat Partnerships and members of the Partner Coalition. The planning and writing of the nominations are the responsibility of the Partnership staff and partner/coalition organizations.

Award Categories

For Exceptional Vision in support of Fish Habitat Conservation

(In Memory of Jim Range)

Purpose: to bestow a well deserved honor in the name of fish habitat conservation to someone whose career is a reflection of the enlightened and progressive nature of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. Awarded to an individual, who sees beyond the limits of one state or region, with a focus on a national need and works accordingly and effectively.2

For Extraordinary Action in support of Fish Habitat Conservation

Purpose: to recognize outstanding conservation action(s) that has/have made a true difference in fish habitat conservation. Awarded to an individual or entity, that has implemented an on-the-ground conservation project that has demonstrated positive results in terms of fish habitat quality and/or quantity.

For Scientific Achievement in support of Fish Habitat Conservation

Purpose: To recognize outstanding achievement in the use of science to improve fish habitat conservation by bringing attention to the need for and benefits of fish habitat management. Awarded to an individual or entity, that has developed and/or implemented science-based tools, assessments, or methodologies that assist in the conservation of aquatic habitat.

For Outreach and Educational Achievement in support of Fish Habitat Conservation

Purpose: to recognize outstanding achievement in promoting and encouraging fish habitat conservation and partnerships through outreach and education. Awarded to an individual or entity, that has developed and/or implemented programs or taken other action to increase the public’s understanding and appreciation for fish habitat.

Requirements

1. Nominations in each award category should be submitted by Board-recognized Fish Habitat Partnerships or Partner Coalition members.

2. The nomination must contain a precise statement of the proposed Partnership activity/project/person deserving of the award.

3. It must show evidence of imaginative and thoughtful appraisal of the ways in which the individual / entity contributes towards achieving the goals and objectives of the NFHAP.

Preparation of the Nomination

A. Only one copy of the nomination is required. Nominations should be typed.

B. The nomination must contain the following information:

1. The award category for which the group or person(s) is being nominated.

2. The name of nominated group or person.

3. Your relationship with the person or group you are nominating.

4. If nominating a group, the contact person who represents the group.

5. A brief narrative or abstract of no more than 200 words clearly summarizing the reasons for nominating the individual /group.

You may also provide no more than four pages of supporting information that describes the actions of the nominee that merit the proposed award, and how it is related to the goals and objectives of the NFHAP, or any other information that would assist the judges in determining the merits of this nomination (Please attached these pages to your nomination form).

You should also provide your contact information as the nominator.

C. Nomination forms and supporting material should not exceed five pages.

Submission of the Nomination

Mail or fax one copy of the nomination, postmarked or faxed not later than midnight Friday January 29, 2010 to: Ryan Roberts 444 N. Capital Street, NW (Suite 725) Washington DC, 20001 rroberts@fishwildlife.org Fax: 202-624-7891 Phone: 202-624-5851

-OR-

E-mail Ryan Roberts, NFHAP Communications Coordinator at rroberts@fishwildlife.org no later than midnight Friday January 29, 2010 and attach the file containing the nomination to the E-mail. The file must be created in Microsoft Word©. In the subject line of the e-mail, please type: NFHAP Nomination.

Judging and Announcement of Awards

The nominations will be judged by the National Fish Habitat Board and awards will be presented at the Jim Range National Casting Call event in Washington DC April 22, 2010. Nominations should be prepared with this in mind and should be written for periods not longer than one calendar year. Please refer all further questions via e-mail to Communications Coordinator, Ryan Roberts at rroberts@fishwildlife.org

LWCF deserves full funding because conservation is good business

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The Land and Water Conservation Fund provides federal dollars for conserving our national parks, forests, refuges and other public land. Those lands are our national playgrounds and provide outstanding recreational opportunities for all Americans. Outdoor recreation, especially hunting and fishing is an important economic engine.

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association President Gary Berlin’s op/ed says it well…

Many of us will be afield this fall spending time in our favorite hunting and fishing spots. We will be enjoying the tradition of these field sports so important to our lives. But as you head out to the fields, rivers and streams we want to take a moment of your time to let you know about an important tool for conservation of those areas we find near and dear to our hearts.

The United States Congress has a very full plate this fall. Important topics will be debated and may become law. Some of these policy debates present a unique opportunity to secure full and dedicated funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund, the principal source of federal dollars for protecting land in America’s national parks, forests, and other public landscapes and ensuring recreational opportunities for Americans in every state in the nation.

Since 1977, this fund has been authorized at $900 million per year. Most of the funds come from off-shore oil and gas leases, and are to be used for the purchase, from willing sellers, of land with outstanding natural, recreation, scenic, and other attributes, and for the development of outdoor recreation lands and facilities at the state and local level.

The fund has been chronically underfunded, leaving a huge land protection and outdoor recreation backlog. Without timely and adequate funding, important opportunities to invest in the outdoors could be lost forever.

The beauty of the fund is its unassailable logic –when the federal government gets funds from the sale of resources we all own, it should reinvest some portion of the proceeds from that sale into the dwindling irreplaceable open spaces and recreational opportunities we all need.

The outdoor recreation business is important to local communities surrounding national parks and other public lands.  Local economies are made more vibrant and resilient by the natural and cultural amenities and the abundant recreational opportunities provided by parks and public lands.  These amenities greatly enhance the quality of life in our communities, help large and small localities attract new residents and businesses and generate tourism-related jobs and revenues.

Hunters and anglers know how important land conservation is to outdoor recreation.  Hunting and fishing has become an economic building block in our national economy generating more than 1.6 million jobs and more than $2 billion annually in salaries, wages, and business earnings.   In 2006, more than $70 billion was generated in sportsmen-related retail sales.  With the “ripple effect”, this translates to more than $190 billion in total economic activity.

People need to know how much we care about this fund and the special places that it protects such as parks, refuges, trails, cultural and historic places, public lands, and other recreation areas in our community.

Gary Berlin
President, American Fly Fishing Trade Association
901 Front Street, Suite B-125
Louisville, CO  80027

303-604-6132
303-604-6162 (fax)
www.affta.com

Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation’s 20th Anniversary

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Last week I was back in Washington and had the chance to join in celebrating the 20th Anniversary of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. There were two events, a lunch and then the annual banquet and auction that night. In 1997 and 1998 I served as the president of the foundation and it was a special treat to help mark this important milestone.

The Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation was started in 1989. The foundation created a link between the sportsmen’s community and the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus. The Caucus had been started earlier that year by a small group of liked-minded legislators who wanted to protect and promote the outdoor traditions of hunting, trapping and fishing in the U.S. Congress.

“This year’s banquet is sort of the culmination of a year-long celebration of our 20th Anniversary,” said CSF President Jeff Crane. “We were able to recognize and thank everyone who has contributed to the 20-year success of the organization including current and former Caucus members and all those who have contributed to our cause.”

The lunch was a small gathering of past members of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus and Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation. Many of the past board members and the five of us who had run the foundation all were there. It was a great chance for all of us to swap hunting, fishing and legislative stories.

The two original co-chairs of the caucus, Congressmen Dick Schulze and Lindsay Thomas both made it back for the lunch and banquet. Schulze has served on the foundation’s board of directors and Thomas currently sits of the board.

“This was a very special event and I am honored to have been invited back to witness the tremendous growth of this caucus and foundation since we founded it in 1989,” said Schultze.

“It was wonderful to be able to visit with and recognize publicly my founding Caucus leadership colleagues,” said Thomas.

Today there are 200 members of the U.S. House of Representatives and 52 Senators in the caucus, making it one of the largest in Congress. Twenty-one of the original caucus members are still in Congress.

The Valley’s own representative Bob Goodlatte is a member and has been since he was elected to Congress. There are five additional members from the Virginia congressional delegation — unfortunately neither of our senators is a member of the caucus.

I enjoyed my time at the foundation and have been especially excited to see them take the success of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus model and expand on it in the states.

In 2004, the foundation replicated its model of raising awareness of sportsmen’s issues by creating the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses. There are 38 states with bi-partisan caucuses, including Virginia.

The Virginia Legislative Sportsmen’s Caucus was formed in 2004. It is currently co-chaired by the Valley’s own Senator Emmet Hanger and gubernatorial candidate Senator R. Creigh Deeds.

According to the Caucus’ Web site, “The caucus has been very successful since its inception, working towards the passage of the ‘No Net Loss’ legislation in 2007 and the creation Virginia’s Migratory Waterfowl Conservation Stamp (Duck Stamp) program in 2005.”

The latest development in expanding the caucus model has been the formation of a bipartisan caucus of governors. The Governors Sportsmen’s Caucus was launched at the National Governor’s Association Annual Meeting in this summer. The goal is to increase communication and information exchange between states to promote and protect hunting and fishing.

America’s nearly 40 million hunters and anglers contribute more than $70 billion annually to the U.S. economy. The economic contribution that hunting and fishing makes in Virginia is significant. Sportsmen contribute over a billion dollars and account for more than 20,000 jobs each year.

Having a voice in our nation’s capital is great, having one in the state capitol is even better.

You can read more of my columns at the News Virginian.com.

TRCP Honors Conservation Giants at Annual Awards Dinner

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On Wednesday night, September 30, I had the honor to be part of this event. It was a great chance to share more Jim Range stories with many of his good friends. He may be gone but events like this remind us that he is far from forgotten.

This TRCP press release captures the evening quite well.

TRCP Honors Conservation Giants at Annual Awards Dinner

At second annual Capital Conservation Honors, the TRCP pays tribute to Rep. John D. Dingell,
Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris and TRCP co-founder Jim Range,
launching Jim Range Conservation Fund in his honor

WASHINGTON – At its second annual Capital Conservation Honors, held last night near the group’s headquarters in Washington, D.C., the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership recognized the achievements of some of the sportsmen-conservation world’s brightest stars and launched a fundraising effort honoring the legacy of former TRCP chairman and co-founder Jim Range. The two-year campaign for the TRCP Jim Range Conservation Fund begins with $150,000 in contributions already in hand and has a fundraising goal of $2 million.

The gala event featured a keynote address by Douglas Brinkley, professor of history at Rice University and best-selling author of The Wilderness Warrior: Theodore Roosevelt and the Crusade for America. Congressman John D. Dingell of Michigan was awarded the TRCP’s Sportsman’s Champion Award for his leadership in the U.S. House of Representatives on legislation to protect our nation’s waters and wetlands and to provide funding for fish and wildlife adaptation strategies in climate change legislation. Johnny Morris, founder of Bass Pro Shops and a lifelong conservationist who has donated millions of dollars to conservation and education groups, was presented with the TRCP’s Lifetime Conservation Achievement Award. Lead sponsors of the Sept. 30 event included Bass Pro Shops, Beretta, Frontiers Travel and Orvis.

“The TRCP’s Capital Conservation Honors recognizes the best of the past, present and future of conservation in America,” said George Cooper, TRCP president and CEO. “Reflecting on the lives of giants such as Theodore Roosevelt, John Dingell, Johnny Morris and Jim Range showcases the great achievements that sportsmen have made in the name of conservation – yet also lights a path forward by illustrating how much remains to be done to assure the future of our shared natural resources and our great sporting traditions.”

Throughout his success, Johnny Morris has remained an ardent conservationist and is the recipient of numerous honors, including the Sport Fishing Institute’s Fisherman of the Year award, the International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies President’s Award, the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Conservationist of the Year award, the Master Conservation award from the Missouri Department of Conservation and the National Wild Turkey Federation’s Hunting Heritage Award. He was inducted into the International Game Fish Association’s Hall of Fame in 2005 and has been named one of the 25 most influential people in hunting and fishing by Outdoor Life magazine.

“Conservation of our outdoor resources remains a cornerstone of our company,” said Morris. “I am humbled by this honor and pledge to continue carrying on the legacy of sportsmen-conservationists like Teddy Roosevelt and Jim Range.”

Jim Range, who passed away in January, was memorialized with the official launch of the Jim Range Conservation Fund. A hero of modern conservation, Range was instrumental in the crafting and passage of a string of landmark natural resource laws, including the Clean Water Act. Range served on the boards of directors for Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, the Wetlands America Trust, the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the American Sportfishing Association, the American Bird Conservancy, the Pacific Forest Trust, the Yellowstone Park Foundation and the Bonefish and Tarpon Trust. An original board member and chair of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Range also was a White House appointee to the Interstate Commission on the Potomac River Basin, the Sportfishing and Boating Partnership Council and the Valles Caldera Trust.

“When Jim Range co-founded the TRCP, I thought ‘no one better,’” said Theodore Roosevelt IV, a member of the JRCF Leadership Council. “He never removed conservation into ideology. For Jim, as for TR, conservation was about people as much as about place. He was a ‘real guy’ who could talk to absolutely anyone and keep them at the table: hunters, steamfitters, CEOs.”

Range’s dedication to the conservation of fish and wildlife in support of the nation’s sporting traditions remains entrenched in sportsmen’s lives through the TRCP. The TRCP’s establishment of the Jim Range Conservation Fund assures that Range’s conservation legacy as directed through the mission of the TRCP endures and will be perpetuated through the group’s ongoing efforts on behalf of American hunters and anglers.

“Range understood the great art of politics but never became so involved in ‘winning’ that he lost sight of the goal: service,” continued Roosevelt. “It is the hope of all of us that this fund will be the beginning of permanent financing to protect our hunting and fishing traditions.”

“The Jim Range Conservation Fund will assure that Jim Range’s voice continues to influence the way we as a nation use and enjoy our shared resources and fish and wildlife habitat,” said TRCP Board Chair Jim Martin, conservation director of the Berkley Conservation Institute, “and by recognizing and honoring the achievements of other great sportsmen-conservationists, the TRCP intends to perpetuate that benefaction. This is the foundation of the TRCP’s Capital Conservation Honors, and this is the legacy of our great friend Jim Range.”

The JRCF Leadership Council is led by Co-chairmen Hon. Howard H. Baker Jr. and Ted Turner. Council members are James A. Baker IV, Charles “Chip” H. Collins, Matthew B. Connolly Jr., George Cooper V, David Perkins, Charles S. Potter Jr., Theodore Roosevelt IV, John M. Seidl and R. Beau Turner. Additional support for the second annual Capital Conservation Honors was provided by the Range family, Dusan Smetana Photography and The Thomas Group.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.

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Protecting habitats a priority

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The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is one of the best efforts to address the challenges of conserving important aquatic habitat.
Protecting, enhancing and restoring aquatic habitat is important because it not only helps protect drinking water supplies that are essential for human health, it is the foundation for water-based recreation.
Those of us who hunt and fish know how important clean water, wetlands and the areas along our favorite rivers and streams are. We know firsthand that healthy aquatic habitat is a key factor in our hunting and fishing success.
Last month, I participated in a conference to review the status of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. The conference, held in Leesburg, gave federal agency representatives, members of the various fish habitat partnerships and other stakeholders a chance to review what was working, to learn how to improve the effectiveness of the partnerships and to plan for the first major report to Congress.
The NFHAP has some important goals to achieve in the next year, including completing an analysis of the nation’s fish habitats; identifying the priority fish habitats; establishing at least twelve Fish Habitat Partnerships in those priority areas; and preparing a “Status of Fish Habitats in the United States” report.
All this needs to been completed by the end of 2010. The good news is it looks like the NFHAP is on track to complete these tasks.
The National Fish Habitat Action Plan’s mission is “to protect, restore and enhance the nation’s fish and aquatic communities through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation and improve the quality of life for the American people.”
The NFHAP grew out of an initiative championed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in September 2003. They took on the task of developing a national strategy and coordinating existing efforts into a cohesive initiative. The resulting National Fish Habitat Initiative became “a science-based, voluntary and non-regulatory, nationwide strategy.”
The initiative was endorsed by a variety of stakeholders, many State fish and wildlife agency leaders, national conservation organizations and Federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.
In April of 2006 the National Fish Habitat Action Plan was established by agreement with the Departments of Interior and Commerce and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. A governing board was set up and guidelines for the establishment of recognized partnerships were created. Projects from the
various partnerships are reviewed by the NFHAP board who then make funding recommendations to the federal agencies.
Legislation, know as the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, to codify the NFHAP and authorize project funding – at $75 million annually – was introduced in Congress this spring.
Here in the Valley the Fish Habitat Partnership you are most likely to hear about is the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture. I am pleased to serve as the vice-chairman for the joint venture and am proud of the work that has been accomplished since it began.
Recently, the EBTJV recommended funding for a project here on the North River above Elkhorn Reservoir. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved that funding and the money should be available to the state soon.
Historically, sections of the North River were among the best and largest native brook trout water in Virginia. Back in the 1950s and 60s the North River was “straightened” so floodwaters could be quickly removed from a road that had been built in the flood plain.
The U.S. Forest Service has since relocated the road and the channels no longer are needed.
The state, working with the U.S. Forest Service and local conservation groups like Trout Unlimited are restoring sections of the river to the natural pool and riffle configuration and provide summer refuge for the brook trout. When the project is complete, several native brook trout tributaries will also have been connected.
We are fortunate here in the Valley to have an abundance of hunting and fishing opportunities. Because of the hard work of your friends and neighbors who support local hunting, fishing and conservation groups those opportunities will continue to improve.

The National Fish Habitat Action Plan is one of the best efforts to address the challenges of conserving important aquatic habitat.

Protecting, enhancing and restoring aquatic habitat is important because it not only helps protect drinking water supplies that are essential for human health, it is the foundation for water-based recreation.

Those of us who hunt and fish know how important clean water, wetlands and the areas along our favorite rivers and streams are. We know firsthand that healthy aquatic habitat is a key factor in our hunting and fishing success.

Last month, I participated in a conference to review the status of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan. The conference, held in Leesburg, gave federal agency representatives, members of the various fish habitat partnerships and other stakeholders a chance to review what was working, to learn how to improve the effectiveness of the partnerships and to plan for the first major report to Congress.

The NFHAP has some important goals to achieve in the next year, including completing an analysis of the nation’s fish habitats; identifying the priority fish habitats; establishing at least twelve Fish Habitat Partnerships in those priority areas; and preparing a “Status of Fish Habitats in the United States” report.

All this needs to been completed by the end of 2010. The good news is it looks like the NFHAP is on track to complete these tasks.

The National Fish Habitat Action Plan’s mission is “to protect, restore and enhance the nation’s fish and aquatic communities through partnerships that foster fish habitat conservation and improve the quality of life for the American people.”

The NFHAP grew out of an initiative championed by the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies in September 2003. They took on the task of developing a national strategy and coordinating existing efforts into a cohesive initiative. The resulting National Fish Habitat Initiative became “a science-based, voluntary and non-regulatory, nationwide strategy.”

The initiative was endorsed by a variety of stakeholders, many State fish and wildlife agency leaders, national conservation organizations and Federal agencies such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration, the U.S. Geological Survey, U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management.

In April of 2006 the National Fish Habitat Action Plan was established by agreement with the Departments of Interior and Commerce and Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. A governing board was set up and guidelines for the establishment of recognized partnerships were created. Projects from the various partnerships are reviewed by the NFHAP board who then make funding recommendations to the federal agencies.

Legislation, know as the National Fish Habitat Conservation Act, to codify the NFHAP and authorize project funding – at $75 million annually – was introduced in Congress this spring.

Here in the Valley the Fish Habitat Partnership you are most likely to hear about is the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture. I am pleased to serve as the vice-chairman for the joint venture and am proud of the work that has been accomplished since it began.

Recently, the EBTJV recommended funding for a project here on the North River above Elkhorn Reservoir. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service approved that funding and the money should be available to the state soon.

Historically, sections of the North River were among the best and largest native brook trout water in Virginia. Back in the 1950s and 60s the North River was “straightened” so floodwaters could be quickly removed from a road that had been built in the flood plain. The U.S. Forest Service has since relocated the road and the channels no longer are needed.

The state, working with the U.S. Forest Service and local conservation groups like Trout Unlimited are restoring sections of the river to the natural pool and riffle configuration and provide summer refuge for the brook trout. When the project is complete, several native brook trout tributaries will also have been connected.

We are fortunate here in the Valley to have an abundance of hunting and fishing opportunities. Because of the hard work of your friends and neighbors who support local hunting, fishing and conservation groups those opportunities will continue to improve.

You can read more of my columns at News Virginian.com