Trout Unlimited
Grants Awarded
Trout Unlimited (TU) seeks $39,875.10 to collaborate with The Uncivilized Outdoorsman (TUO) for an Indigenous and Hispanic Youth Fly Fishing Camp in summer 2024, aimed at empowering 10 underserved students (ages 9-18) and their families from Sandoval, Rio Arriba, and Santa Fe Counties. The program will enhance participants’ skills and foster community connections through outdoor activities, ultimately promoting cultural appreciation and environmental stewardship.
The proposed program will secure funding for the final design of the La Junta Trail's reconstruction in the Wild Rivers Recreation Area, facilitating its long-awaited reopening. By completing this step, the initiative aims to revitalize an iconic northern New Mexico trail, ultimately enhancing access to outdoor recreation for local residents and visitors alike.
Trout Unlimited aims to enhance participation in fly-fishing among families, women, and youth in rural New Mexico by hosting six events, including fishing derbies and clinics. With support from the Outdoor Recreation Division, the program seeks to engage underrepresented groups, ultimately fostering greater community involvement in outdoor activities and promoting access to the sport in underserved areas.
The New Mexico Trout Unlimited (TU) Council seeks to expand the Trout in the Classroom (TIC) program statewide, aiming to double participation from 1,000 to 2,000 students, particularly in underserved communities. This STEM-based program engages students in raising trout, outdoor ecology events, and fish release activities, fostering future conservation advocates while enhancing environmental awareness in the local community. Grant funds will support necessary classroom equipment and travel expenses.
The Indigenous and Hispanic Youth Fly Fishing Camp in northern New Mexico aims to strengthen connections between Indigenous and rural Hispanic young people and their cultural heritage through fly fishing and outdoor activities. The Camp focuses on helping economically challenged students (aged 8-18) from Rio Arriba, Sandoval, and Santa Fe counties foster a deeper understanding of their traditions, language, and ecological knowledge. Through a range of outdoor activities, mentorship, and education on conservation, these audacious students are encouraged to become leaders for protecting their cultural and natural resources whilst addressing key environmental issues such as drought and climate change.
Trout Unlimited is a non-profit fisheries conservation organization whose mission is to conserve, protect and restore North America’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. The organization’s mission is that, by the next generation, Trout Unlimited will ensure that robust populations of native and wild coldwater fish once again thrive within their North American range, so that our children can enjoy healthy fisheries in their home waters. Trout Unlimited works to protect and restore the nation’s coldwater rivers and streams and trout and salmon populations in part through on-the-ground projects and connecting people with healthy waters through advocacy, education and recreation. In 2019 alone, TU reconnected 418 river miles, and restored 508 river miles nationally.