If local streams seem darned frigid to you right now, it only means you’re not a coldwater fish. Thanks to pollution and deforestation, waterways like Salmon Creek and the East Fork of the Lewis River are generally too warm to meet state temperature standards for healthy spawning, rearing and migration of salmon and other aquatic life.
Coldwater watershed conservation is the mission of Trout Unlimited, a national organization launched in Michigan in the late 1950s by fishermen who opposed artificially stocking lakes and streams in favor of nurturing wild trout in sustainably managed waters.
But Trout Unlimited was quite limited in those days: all those fishers were men. That’s what the organization is trying to grow past now, according to local officials working to attract more women and more diversity in general.
“Our board is trying to expand so it’s not just a fishing club with a bunch of older, retired, white men on top,” said Jarod Norton, who recently became president of the Clark County chapter of Trout Unlimited. “We really want more diversity.”
If You Go
•What: Get SLAMed for Stream Girls, featuring three films about women who fish: “Slam,” “Old Friends, New Fish” and “Odd Man Out”
• When: 6-9 p.m. today.
• Where: Heathen Brewing Feral Public House, 1109 Washington St., Vancouver.
• Cost: Tickets: $10 .
• Information: www.facebook.com/ClarkCountyTU
“The Clark County chapter has been around for a good chunk of time, but in the last two years it’s really been reinvigorating,” said leadership development manager Lisa Beranek, who is based, appropriately, in Trout Lake. “We’ve been looking at opportunities to connect with people and fill in our gaps. There’s most definitely a need to engage with women and provide some female-specific youth opportunities,” she said. “There’s a lot of research out there that supports the single-sex experience for girls.”
So, Trout Unlimited has developed a Stream Girls program that bundles together science, conservation, outdoor recreation and even a little art in a quarterly, females-only, whole-weekend outing experience, Beranek said. “We have a blooming women’s program,” she said.
Short documentaries
To reel in new female members, the Clark County chapter of Trout Unlimited will screen a trio of short documentary films about adventurous females and the fish they love. The event is set for 6 p.m. today at Heathen Brewing’s Feral Public House in downtown Vancouver. Tickets are $10. (Men are welcome too, of course.)
The main attraction, “Slam,” explores the determination of three experienced anglers from different walks of life who set out to achieve what many attempt but few ever realize: catch three special and rare fish — a tarpon, a bonefish and a permit — in one day in the Florida Keys. In the world of angling, that achievement is known as a Grand Slam.
“Over the course of the film, you get to know their stories and their differences and similarities,” Beranek said. “But in addition to having this inspirational story, the scenery is so beautiful. Our winter weather is so overcast, it’s nice to see the Florida Keys sunshine.”
Another film, “Old Friends, New Fish,” follows a group of friends who “hit pause on their crazy daily lives to organize a multi-day rafting and camping adventure” to celebrate their 40th birthdays and their friendship, Beranek said. And “Odd Man Out” is about a “total badass” of an Alaskan adventurer and angler who’s an example of setting your mind to something and never giving up, she said.
“All the films are about fearless females, but they’re also about connecting to the things that are important to the soul,” Beranek said.
If these films really stoke up your motivation, consider showing up for the next day’s Trout Unlimited organizational and special-projects meeting at Columbia Springs Environmental Education Center.
All TU members are welcome to attend the daylong meeting, and chapter leaders are strongly encouraged.
Email ClarkCountyTU@gmail.com to learn more about the day’s agenda.
