Documentary photographer Julie Denesha has created a new series of stunning images of Alaska’s Tongass National Forest. The project — Tongass Guardians – was made possible through a U.S. Forest Service residency program for artists and writers called Voices of the Wilderness.

Denesha spent a week last summer with Forest Service rangers working in the remote 17-million-acre Tongass, the country’s largest national forest, a place with more than 17,000 miles of salmon and trout-producing rivers and streams. Here the photographer describes her unique opportunity:

“I was very fortunate to have a chance to travel with two rangers working in Endicott Arm Fjord in the Tongass National Forest. In order to access and monitor the land managed by the forest service, the rangers patrol the waters in sea kayaks and small motorized boats.

Forest Rangers work on water and land to monitor the vast Alaskan wilderness of the Tongass National Forest. The largest national forest in the United States, the Tongass, covers most of Southeast Alaska. A part of that wilderness, Endicott Arm Fjord, terminates at Dawes Glacier and rangers make frequent visits to monitor flora and fauna, and track the retreat of the massive tidewater glaciers. It is a landscape that is changing rapidly. Since the naturalist John Muir visited Endicott Arm in 1880, Dawes Glacier has retreated dramatically in a sign of the planet’s changing climate. With increasing number of tourists eager to take a closer look at the beauty of the Alaskan wilderness, the rangers also track the impact of tourism on the area and educate tour groups they encounter on the trail.”

 Trout Unlimited’s Alaska Program works to conserve and restore the Tongass’ high-value salmon and trout watersheds. Learn more about TU’s Tongass 77 campaign here.

What’s more, the poll says, these voters are in favor of keeping rules in place that protect clean air, clean water and backcountry lands.

This is refreshing news, given a number of efforts afoot to diminish the reach of rules and regulations requiring development interests to protect the quality of our air and our water. And, in the West, where the effects of what sportsmen are calling the Assault on our Sporting Heritage Act would be most obvious, it’s heartening to see that voters support the protection of our intact wild country that supports our best game and wild fish populations.

Trout Unlimited, particularly through its Sportsmen’s Conservation project , has long advocated the protection of intact habitat, and the need for responsible industrial development on public lands that takes into account irreplacable fish and game habitat. To know that Western voters support these ideals, regardless of where they stand on the political spectrum, is indeed encouraging.

Here’s hoping this poll finds its way to elected officials in Congress who need to hear from everyday citizens that our public lands and our opens spaces matter to them. They need to hear that these lands aren’t just great for hunting, fishing and a host of other outdoor pursuits, but that they’re invaluable to the Western regional economy that is embracing these public lands for what they offer locals and visitors alike.

As we’re fond of saying here at TU: Intact habitat translates directly into opportunity, which encourages economic activity in the outdoors/recreation economy.

If you’re interested in helping spread the word, please contact your representatives and senators in Congress and share with them the results of this poll. They need to hear it, and they’ll only hear it if we take the time let them know we care about our public lands and our regional economy that benefits so greatly from the West’s wide open spaces.

• At the most basic level, we simply get out on the water, literally immerse ourselves in the cold liquid truth of nature, and viscerally exude the passion through fluid casting and dynamic reeling – adrenaline pumping through our veins as we catch a piece of the wild

• Many of us also then become TU members because we want to unite with others who share the love both of fishing and of the places we need to protect for ourselves and future generations

• Beyond that, we get together to share experiences whether over a beer, at a chapter meeting, coming together to restore a stream, online through facebook, or at fun events like Surface Film led by the Greenbacks and the Fly Fishing Film Tour

• At times we can be too busy, so know that we can still express our passion by giving back financially. Whether it is the thousands who have become lifetime members or those who have helped us meet and exceed the TU Board Challenge this year – no matter if it was $5 or $1,000 it all made a huge difference

But what inspired me to finally sit down and write my thoughts was seeing committed TU members and others coming together to: Express our passion and shout it from the roof tops for others to hear. Although the goal for our Colorado TU leaders was very targeted to getting the EPA to finally understand that Colorado’s mountain streams are loved by many outdoor enthusiasts (basically 90% of people who live in Colorado) and should be protected, I believe it had much greater meaning. I believe that it is events like this that ultimately bind us together for common purpose. They allow us to celebrate. They allow us to get mad. They allow us to see that our passion for angling has greater meaning. They allow us to be bold. They allow us to have fun. They allow us to lead. They allow us to be proud and announce who we are. They show us that we are an army that can mobilize to make a difference. And they help us reach out to others to join us in something powerful. What an amazing membership-volunteer-family-leader-army we have. Great work CTU.

What is that? It is TU. It is passion.

“Not another story about Apache trout (Winter 2012)!  What is your obsession with this obscure, apparently inept species? Who cares what happens to them? What miniscule percentage of TU anglers have fished for (or even flown over) these fish? News flash: Since right after the beginning of time, species have come and gone. It’s the survival of the fittest out there. To cry that the sky is falling whenever an ill-adapted species disappears is lousy logic. Yes, much needs to be done to improve the environment, but your focus on obscure causes is a distraction from much larger issues affecting wild fisheries and the folks who enjoy it.” John R.

A quick Metro ride gets you to Arlington National Cemetery. The Marine Corps Memorial–the famous pose etched in bronze of the Marines erecting the American flag on the island of Iwo Jima during World War II–is literally within walking distance. This memorial has great significance to me–my grandfather, the man who taught me which end of fly rod was which, was a Marine who slogged through some of the bloodiest battles in our nation’s history, fighting at Guadalcanal, New Britain and Peleliu.

The footbridge across a Potomac River channel to Roosevelt Island.

But my favorite D.C. memorial is an easy walk from TU’s home offices, and it’s one I try to visit now and then, if for no other reason than to escape, albeit briefly, the city’s frenetic pace. The Theodore Roosevelt Memorial, situated on Roosevelt Island just below Key Bridge, gives me a bit of a respite from the busy city existence my colleagues here in Arlington are so accustomed to. The island, carved from the bedrock by the mighty Potomac River, is a diverse little ecosystem in an otherwise urban setting.

And, the imposing statue of our 26th president, coupled with some of his more poignant words of wisdom–many having to do with conservation–always gives me pause. Roosevelt was an avid sportsman who was one of the earliest subscribers to the idea that intact habitat is what truly benefits hunters and anglers the most, for without wild places, wild things simply don’t exist.

The view of Georgetown from the island.

Take this quote, for instance:

“There are no words that can well the hidden spirit of the wildnerness that can reveal its mystery, its melancholy and its charm.”

To me, this nugget of absolute foresight from a man who did his best work 100 years ago offers insight into the true soul of a fisherman. We don’t take a fly rod and wander off the beaten path for any other reason than escape into the wild, even for a bit. When we fish–even if its amid the hustle and bustle of a city like Washington–it’s not to enjoy the city vistas. It’s to connect with something wild, like a migrating shad or a big Atlantic striper… wild things that move through D.C. every year largely unbeknownst to the folks caught in traffic and chattering away on their cell phones.

Consider why you fish. If you need a little inspiration, walk the banks of the Potomac on Roosevelt Island and practice a little introspection. Then, walk out of the woods and stand before the statue of T.R. himself and try this man’s century-old vision on for size. At the very least, you’ll have an appreciation for the work TU does all over this country.

And there’s a chance you might learn something about yourself in the process.

Want to learn more? Check out the www.DefendtheColorado.org website–and be sure to sign the petition.  Raise your voice for one of our greatest Western rivers, before it’s too late. . .

http://www.headwatersnews.org/p.LakeTrout011912.html

Take our survey to help us identify priorities for our AIS work.

Aquatic invasive species threaten trout populations

The spreading of existing AIS, along with new AIS invasions and climate change is expected to have significant negative impact on TU’s efforts to conserve and protect native species across the country.

AIS impacts can be devastating — invasive lake trout and whirling disease have combined to cause a 90 percent decline in Yellowstone Lake’s Yellowstone cutthroat trout population — the world’s largest refuge of native Yellowstone cutts.

Gathering AIS information

TU’s AIS Program Director Dave Kumlien and researchers from Illinois State University have developed an aquatic invasive species survey. The survey will help TU identify priorities and develop AIS policy.

Help us stop aquatic invasive species

We need your help — give us about 5 minutes of your time to take the survey. We’ll ask a few questions about how AIS have affected your favorite places to fish, and some questions about your fishing habits.

No personal information is collected, and your participation is very important.

Tell your friends

Know of a fellow TU member or trout angler who would be interested? Be sure to tell them about the survey.

The survey will be active through the end of February 2012. Please take the survey only once. Thank you!