CalTrout was recently part of an epic event celebrating outdoor recreation, the 2018 Pursuit Series at Bear Valley, and it was a blast! The weekend was essentially “summer camp for adults” where participants moved from one fun activity to the next: hiking, mountain biking, climbing, stand-up paddle boarding, camp cooking, fly fishing, and many more, with expert instruction and gear provided. Adventurers from 29 states from as far away as New York and Hawaii, most new to the outdoor scene, gathered at Bear Valley.
CalTrout and Tenkara USA led the fly casting lessons plus fly and knot tying. We made a ton of new friends who are now stoked on fly fishing and have a new understanding of CalTrout’s mission to protect California’s native fish and cold, clean waters.
CalTrout also hosted a brown bag lunch seminar on SOURCE waters, educating the 50 attendees about the vital role alpine meadows serve in California’s water supply. They also learned about native inland trout, the threats they face, and the work CalTrout is doing to protect fish and their waters and how it benefits all Californians. The presentation was led by the Tracey Diaz, Mike Wier, and Megan Nguyen who make up the Communications team.
Huge thanks to our instructors, CalTrout’s Mike Wier, and Mike Willis and TJ Ferreira from Tenkara USA. Also special thanks to George Revel of Lost Coast Outfitters (LCO), San Francisco’s premiere and only fly shop, for providing the knot and fly tying kits. LCO is a great place for anyone in the Bay Area interested in getting fly fishing gear or further fly/knot tying instructions and George has a wealth of knowledge about all things fly fishing related. And thank you to The Outbound Collective for partnering with us as your non-profit sponsor. Congrats on executing such a rad event! Can’t wait for the next one.
Photos by Mike Wier and Megan Nguyen.
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Peter Moyle is the Distinguished Professor Emeritus in the Department of Wildlife, Fish and Conservation Biology and Associate Director of the Center for Watershed Sciences, at UC Davis. He is author or co-author of more than 240 publications, including the definitive Inland Fishes of California (2002). He is co-author of the 2017 book, Floodplains: Processes and Management for Ecosystem Services. His research interests include conservation of aquatic species, habitats, and ecosystems, including salmon; ecology of fishes of the San Francisco Estuary; ecology of California stream fishes; impact of introduced aquatic organisms; and use of floodplains by fish.
Robert Lusardi is the California Trout/UC Davis Wild and Coldwater Fish Researcher focused on establishing the basis for long-term science specific to California Trout’s wild and coldwater fish initiatives. His work bridges the widening gap between academic science and applied conservation policy, ensuring that rapidly developing science informs conservation projects throughout California. Dr. Lusardi resides at the UC Davis Center for Watershed Sciences and works closely with Dr. Peter Moyle on numerous projects to help inform California Trout conservation policy. His recent research interests include Coho salmon on the Shasta River, the ecology of volcanic spring-fed rivers, inland trout conservation and management, and policy implications of trap and haul programs for anadromous fishes in California.
Patrick Samuel is the Conservation Program Coordinator for California Trout, a position he has held for almost two years, where he coordinates special research projects for California Trout, including the State of the Salmonids report. Prior to joining CalTrout, he worked with the Fisheries Leadership & Sustainability Forum, a non-profit that supports the eight federal regional fishery management councils around the country. Patrick got his start in fisheries as an undergraduate intern with NOAA Fisheries Protected Resources Division in Sacramento, and in his first field job as a crew member of the California Department of Fish & Wildlife’s Wild and Heritage Trout Program.