Partners

The Fred Waara Chapter of Trout Unlimited is a member of the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited and actively partners with federal, state, and local organizations to further our conservation mission. 

Our chapter area encompasses the Ottawa National Forest and the Hiawatha National Forest.  Since our projects are often on Forest Service land, much of our work includes consultation with and technical guidance by local US Forest Service fisheries biologists and technicians. We work closely with the local staff of the Michigan Department of Natural Resources and State-wide management including Michigan’s Natural Resource Commission. The DNR regularly requests our involvement in cold water fisheries planning and projects and we depend on them for technical guidance during project evaluation, planning and execution.

The national Trout Unlimited organization has several experts and specialists who are located in the area and who provide leadership and technical guidance on major cooperative initiatives with the Forest Service in the Upper Peninsula and northern Wisconsin.  By sharing these resources, we have access to best management practices and can have regional impact from our work. Michigan Trout Unlimited takes the lead on state-wide advocacy matters and seeks our input while doing so.  They also have an aquatic ecologist on staff who handles technical analysis and report writing for some of our projects.  We also provide regular updates on our projects which are reported in the quarterly Michigan Trout magazine.  One of our directors is a member of the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited, which provides a number of leadership functions benefitting all Michigan chapters.

Where land is not held by the State of Michigan or the Forest Service, Conservation Districts in our chapter area are important partners in our projects providing knowledge of local needs and conditions. We are currently involved with several local and regional conservation organizations which initiate conservation projects which often encompass cold water fishery areas. 

Our chapter has successfully worked with many local corporations and businesses to fund our projects through corporate grants. Local businesses oftentimes generously provide avenues for financial assistance to our work and we are thankful for their support.

FWCTU actively seeks partnerships and alliances with other like-minded conservation groups. To discuss how your organization might work side-side with FWCTU, please contact our Chapter Conservation Chair, Mike Golas, or our Chapter President, John Highlen.