FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:

Contact:
Steve Moyer, Vice President of Government Affairs (703) 284-9406 smoyer@tu.org

Trout Unlimited Supports New Federal Strategy for Chesapeake Bay Ecosystem Restoration

Strategy describes targets and tools for restoration efforts.

ARLINGTON, Va.--Trout Unlimited (TU) applauds the work of the Federal Leadership Committee for the Chesapeake Bay on its finalized strategy for protecting and restoring the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  Announced today, the strategy indicates a renewed dedication on the part of federal agencies to protect and restore habitats and curtail pollution in order to sustain healthy fish and wildlife populations throughout the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  

Central to the strategy will be the creation of a Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) for nitrogen, phosphorous and sediment, which will set water quality goals to be achieved through more effective regulations and expanded restoration efforts.  A major focus of restoration work will be on brook trout, one of the four focal species identified in the strategy.    

"Many of the pollutants that plague the Chesapeake Bay flow downstream from headwater areas, where they affect brook trout and other aquatic life," said TU’s Vice President for Government Affairs, Steve Moyer. "This strategy will help TU work with partners to restore habitat and water quality in the Chesapeake Bay headwaters of Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. What is good for brook trout in the mountains is good for the crabs in the bay."

One of the major threats to brook trout in the Chesapeake Bay watershed is runoff from impervious surfaces associated with new development.  The strategy calls for strengthening the regulation of stormwater through improved enforcement and compliance activities and a new rulemaking.   

Other goals to be achieved by 2025 under theplan include the restoration or enhancement of 180,000 acres of wetlands, restoration of 63 percent of riparian buffers, protection of 2 million acres of important habitat and increased public access.

TU has more than 10,000 members living in the Chesapeake Bay watershed and a long history of grassroots habitat restoration work in the Bay’s headwater streams.

In Pennsylvania, TU is working to restore rivers and streams of the West Branch Susquehanna watershed impacted by abandoned coal mines. In Virginia and West Virginia, Trout Unlimited is working cooperatively with agricultural landowners to restore streams in the Shenandoah and Potomac watersheds.
TU looks forward to its continued partnership with state and federal agencies and private landowners to improve trout habitat and accomplish Chesapeake Bay restoration goals.

Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting, and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.