Michigan TU Chapter Updates

Compiled by Joe Barker

Adams Chapter

The Adams Chapter kicked off the mid-year with a membership event with guest speakers’ brothers Jake and Chris Smith, who are internationally recognized local authors and artists. Three young fishers were awarded full tuition to the Michigan TU Youth Conservation and Trout Camp and were gifted with fly fishing equipment.

The latter part of the summer ushered in a new event; a Women Only Fly Fishing 101 class for a group of eager and skilled anglers (shown in the photo above). This firstof-its-kind event for ACTU was a huge success, and further gatherings have been requested. This past spring, the chapter’s conservation efforts saw members help complete work on restoring an abandoned sand trap along the North Branch of the Boardman-Ottaway River that involved planting several thousand native trees and shrubs. Chapter members also staffed a booth at the annual Adams Fly Festival in the Village of Kingsley and tended the trout pond for the 85th Annual Trout Festival, where Chapter President Liz McKellar was the grand marshal.

Fall brought a return to a beloved annual event, the WaWa Sum weekend, with 13 new attendees and a trip to the North Branch Outing Club. The chapter made a renewed commitment to Project Healing Waters, and a fall membership meeting hosted guest speaker Aquatic Biologist Joel Betts. The Annual Banquet Committee is ramping up for April 2023, and the final meeting for board elections and plans for a year-end potluck are rounding out the year.

Clinton Valley Chapter

The Clinton Valley Chapter has had a busy year. Since the future of fly fishing depends on introducing others to the sport, the chapter purchased Orvis Encounter rod packages as teaching rods. They were heavily used, beginning with their Women’s 101 event and youth events at the DNR Outdoor Adventure Center. CVTU also happily loaned out the rods to local watershed council events to encourage people to spend time on the water.

The chapter supported stonefly counts, city requests, river cleanup events, bank restorations, and woody debris cleanups. Member Matt Niemec did amazing work on the projects and was named Volunteer of the Year for the Clinton Valley Watershed Council. CVTU also supported three STREAM Girls weekends, helping girls earn their badges and an appreciation of fly fishing. The chapter relied on member Tom Losiowski, his wife, and his daughter for instruction at these events. The girls liked seeing women teaching.

Members Andy Pokorski and Tyler Keaton led the Michigan TU Youth Camp this year and are already making plans for next year. Additionally, the chapter partnered with the Mayfly Project and stands ready to launch a Detroit program in 2023. However, it wasn’t all work, as weekends at WaWaSum and Salmon Camp allowed members to have fun and reconnect after the pandemic.

This year, the chapter’s holiday fundraiser will support the great work done by the Vanguard Chapter and their stewardship of Paint Creek. Their woody habitat installation of vanes and in-stream logs has been dramatically successful.

Pine River Chapter

The past two years have challenged many organizations, and PRATU is no exception. The chapter announced that its Annual Conservation Fundraiser Banquet will take place on May 6, 2023. Flyers and information will soon be available on their website www.pineriverareatu.org.

The chapter also revisited a work project started in 2021 on Cole Creek, planting seedlings for the shading of the creek. Special thanks went out to students from Wexford/Missaukee Agriscience and Natural Resources class, who again helped this spring to expand seedlings planting and replant some that didn’t survive the first planting. Mark Johnson, the instructor and VP of the PRATU board, facilitated and organized the effort.

Of special note is the establishment of a $2,000 scholarship in memory of Denny Douglas and Ron Hamilton, who had a combined contribution of 38 years on the PRATU Board. The scholarship was awarded to Gwen Phillips of Cadillac. Gwen is a student at Lake Superior State and plans to pursue a career working in fisheries with a double minor in GIS and freshwater and marine sciences. It seemed a natural fit, given the time and leadership Denny and Ron had given to area young people and coldwater conservation.

The Silver Creek/Pine River Restoration project, completed last year, will be visited on-site in the upcoming weeks with many of the contributors and biologists involved. Future bank restoration plans will be discussed at that time.

Vanguard Chapter

The past several months have been an active time for the Vanguard Chapter as a sense of normalcy finally returned after the challenges presented by the pandemic the prior two years. In late June, the chapter worked cooperatively with the Clinton Valley Chapter in removing a large logjam that had formed across Paint Creek. In mid-July, the chapter held its annual picnic and casting clinic with support from instructor Katie Thurman. This event is always well attended by chapter members, and this year was no different, as the weather was ideal.

Before the summer concluded, the chapter engaged in community outreach by having a display booth at the Metro Detroit Veterans Community Resource Expo and the Paint Creek Trail Labor Day Bridge Walk. Additionally, the chapter supported a DNR electro-shocking fish survey on Paint Creek, performed ongoing sediment monitoring on the creek, and did maintenance work on the in-stream vanes that were installed in previous years on Paint Creek. Members also celebrated the 40th anniversary of the chapter with a banquet that acknowledged the legacy of prior chapter leaders and highlighted the conservation activities planned for 2023.

Finally, the Vanguard Chapter was honored to have the opportunity to present at the Michigan TU state council meeting in October to share best practices associated with the ongoing Paint Creek Habitat Improvement Project.

Challenge Chapter

The Challenge Chapter started 50 years ago with seven members. The chapter name “Challenge” was chosen on the premise: “…as a continual reminder or challenge to protect, preserve and restore cold water fisheries for Michigan.” To that end, the chapter has been providing the “Trout Angler Guides” dedicated to saving anglers time and providing valuable information in searching Michigan’s most popular streams. The current guide titles are: • Pigeon River Country (3 rivers) • Au Sable Holy Waters (Burton’s Landing to Wakeley Bridge) • Lower Au Sable Trophy Waters (McMaster’s Bridge to Oscoda) • Pere Marquette River • Boardman and Jordan Rivers • Manistee River • Steelheader’s Guide (5 rivers)

Each guidebook includes a history of the area, specific directions to access sites within a tenth of a mile, stream depth, bottom, width, current flow, trout cover, detailed maps, and a schedule of crucial fly hatches. The chapter promises that anglers are sure to save more than the price

Vanguard display at Labor Day Bridge Walk - 2022. of the guide in gas by using them to help find a place on the river that provides maximum angling pleasure. “When it’s time to head north for the opener, just grab the guide and go,” said Roger Beukema of the Oakland Press. The guides make excellent holiday gifts, are reasonably priced, and can be found at a local fly shop or the chapter’s website – www. Challengechapter.org.

Paul H. Young Chapter

In September, the Paul H. Young TU group held their semi-annual stop at Wa Wa Sum in Grayling. Some members volunteered for Bob Thorsen’s bug surveys at five sites on the Upper Manistee River, which proved to be a bountiful harvest for the study despite the weather. Afterward, and back at camp, retired DNR Fisheries Biologist Steve Sendek gave a speech covering the efforts to determine why a fish population crashed on the North Branch of the Au Sable River. The mystery remains unresolved. One clear message is that private efforts are needed at this point. Steve’s passion for preserving and restoring fishing habitats is infectious! Looking forward to the new year, the chapter plans some exciting events for members and their families. They will once again host the International Fly-Fishing Film Festival online and hopefully in person. This collection of curated short films stirs a sense of adventure and helps get anglers through the cold winter months. Some new events are also being planned. PHYTU is aware of the need to connect with members closer to where they live – the chapter’s footprint is enormous. A picnic cohosted with another conservation organization in Northville is taking shape. Another event will be a virtual Race for Conservation, similar to online marathons. Stay tuned for details. Finally, the chapter has spent a fair amount of time rebuilding its mail, email, website, and social media capabilities with the intent of building benefits for members.