Friends, by now you’ve heard that 2021 marks CalTrout’s 50th Anniversary. We have been so proud to share our successes with you; it’s been quite a wild ride. It’s been a pleasure celebrating this big milestone with our members and supporters. Last week, we had the joy of hosting CalTrout’s 50th Anniversary Expo at the Golden Gate Angling and Casting Club in San Francisco. It was a fun afternoon of games, casting instruction, inspiration, education, and overall revelry! Thank you to our partners who came out and featured all the cool things they are doing, and to the attendees who made it a very special and rewarding event. We hope that you enjoyed yourself!
Last week also saw the premiere release of CalTrout’s 50th Anniversary film. You will want to check this video out and hear about CalTrout’s roots and origins, our current impact, and vision for the future.
Filmmaker Mike Wier exclaimed, “making this movie was a fun one for me. The process started over two years ago with finding all these historical photo slides in the old CalTrout office. What a treat to uncover these gems after so any years. And now share it with the world again.”
Our work sure has had an impact over this last half century. But while we celebrate the past, we are also looking to the future. The many restoration projects CalTrout is implementing across the state, such as improving fish passage and removing barriers on the Santa Margarita River, will take multiple years to finish; we’re in it for the long haul. And our efforts in Sacramento, including advocating for more funding in the state budget for conservation projects, will have multi-year effects for our organization and others, plus the whole of California in general.
CalTrout’s vision is of a California where water flows free, clean and cold from headwaters to sea – a vision of watersheds teeming with native, wild fish whose resilience and diversity match that of the people throughout this great state we call home.
With all that we have accomplished in the last 50 years, just imagine the landscape-level impact we’ll be celebrating at our centennial.
Best,

Sign up to hear from California Trout! CalTrout’s mission is to ensure healthy waters and resilient wild fish for a better California. Hear about our work and how to get involved through our monthly newsletter, The Streamkeeper’s Blog, “Trout Clout” action alerts, article from our e-magazine, The Current, event invites, and much more! We respect your privacy and will never sell or share your information with other organizations.

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.