FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Contact:   Dr. K. Todd Lowe:    540-797-0643

                  Erin Mooney:  (703) 284-9408

                  TU Press Secretary

New River Valley TU Chapter Receives Funds to Restore Section of Stony Creek

Improvements Will Be Made to Trout Habitat

PEMBROKE, VA-- Trout Unlimited, the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization, today awarded a $6,039 Embrace-A-Stream grant to its New River Valley chapter.  The chapter will use the funds to help restore one mile of Stony Creek in Giles County, Virginia in the Glen Alton Recreational Area.

The Embrace-A-Stream grant will allow for the restoration of the area, where 10 years ago the stream was damaged by heavy grazing and deforestation. This restoration will help increase habitat for Stony Creek’s populations of native brook trout and wild brown trout. The chapter will partner with the U.S. Forest Service and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to do the restoration and will plant native trees and repair eroded banks, among other improvements.

“This grant will allow our project to grow legs, whereas before, it was just ideas,” said Dr. K Todd Lowe, a member of the New River Valley chapter. “It will create a snowball effect to allow other agencies to help us restore this vital place.”

Embrace-A-Stream is the flagship grant program for funding TU grassroots conservation efforts.  Funding is provided primarily by TU members, with additional support in 2008 provided by Costa del Mar and the FishAmerica Foundation.  An Embrace-A-Stream Committee comprised of TU volunteer representatives and scientific advisors evaluates all proposed projects and makes the awards.

In 2008, the Embrace-A-Stream program will provide $170,000 to 29 projects in 20 states. Projects will address stream habitat restoration, improving fish passage, and protecting water quality.  Many of the projects will benefit eastern brook trout from Maine to Georgia, and will help protect Yellowstone, Bonneville, and Lahontan cutthroat trout in Idaho, Nevada, and Utah.  Since the program’s inception in 1976, Embrace-A-Stream has funded more than 900 individual projects totaling approximately $3.6 million.

"Trout Unlimited members are the driving force of the organization's vision and mission goals," said Bryan Moore, Vice President for Volunteer Operations and Watershed Programs.  “Through their work, TU's grassroots members protect and restore the nation's coldwater resources and provide a strong foundation for future generations.”   

Trout Unlimited is North America’s leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with more than 150,000 members dedicated to the protection and restoration of trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds. 

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