Ohana Festival recognizes George Sutherland

George Sutherland with his recognition banner at Ohana Fest

The 10th annual Ohana Festival honored George Sutherland for his focus on restoration efforts at San Juan Creek in Southern California. The 10th edition of the annual three-day music, art, and environmental activism event in Dana Point, CA included headliners Pearl Jam, Tyler Childers, Pixies, Bad Religion, and Billy Idol. George participated in the Storytellers in The Cove festival event on panel titled San Juan Creek: Restoration of Native Biodiversity.

George is a true River Champion who is receiving well-deserved recognition for more than fifty years of focus on conservation and restoration efforts across the western US. A long-time resident of Southern California, he helped launch the South Coast Trout Unlimited chapter and has worked for decades to improve Southern California coastal streams that provide habitat for endangered Southern California steelhead.

You can read more about George in his profile at the Trout Unlimited website here:

https://www.tu.org/magazine/river-champions/chapter-founder-george-sutherland-honored-for-lifetime-of-dedication-to-tu/

Scroll down through the speaker profiles at the Ohana Fest website to find George’s profile here:

https://www.ohanafest.com/storytellers#speakers

Read more about the efforts the TU South Coast chapter is making to restore the San Juan Estuary here:

https://www.southcoasttu.com/san-juan-creek-estuary-project.html

Congratulations George, and thanks for your hard work on behalf of watersheds everywhere you’ve put your energies!

Tell the EPA to protect our headwaters and clean water!

From Austin Williams, Director of Federal Relations at TU:

Clean water starts at the source. But a new proposal could remove federal Clean Water Act protections from many of the seasonal streams and wetlands that feed our rivers.

The Environmental Protection Agency and U.S. Army Corps of Engineers are proposing to eliminate federal clean water protections on certain waters that flow seasonally or have interrupted surface connections.

That could leave many seasonal and intermittent streams and wetlands without federal protections, putting cold, clean water and trout and salmon habitat at risk.

These small waters are the capillaries of our watersheds. They feed iconic rivers like the Colorado, Rio Grande, Madison and Snake and help provide clean water to fish, wildlife and communities downstream.

Comments are accepted through Oct. 9. Speak up today for healthy headwaters, clean water and the rivers we all depend on.”

Learn more about the issue and make a comment to the EPA by clicking the button below.

Join the Central Sierra TU Team at the Yosemite Facelift Sept 23-27, 2026

Want to help preserve one of the most beautiful places on Earth? You can join the Central Sierra Trout Unlimited team that will be a participating organization at the Yosemite Facelift on Sept 23-27, 2026. This largest annual volunteer clean-up event in any national park is hosted by the Yosemite Climbing Association in partnership with the National Park Service.

The Central Sierra TU team will focus on clean-up in and around the Merced River. They have secured at least two campsites at the North Pines campground (6 people per site). Interested in joining them? Check in David Gregory or Felix Karim at their emails on the image above (also at their Instagram Post).

Stefan Mcleod is a Champion for the Truckee River

In early spring of 2010, a few local trout bums in the Lake Tahoe area decided they wanted to create a TU chapter focused on the Truckee River watershed. This group chose Stefan Mcleod to be the first president of the newly formed TU Chapter #103 and lead the efforts required to get it up and running. Stefan was president for the first four years of the new chapter and continued to dedicate time and energy to the chapter over many years that followed.

Stefan’s vision and organizational acumen helped transform the Truckee River Chapter from an idea into a dynamic, effective organization. He led the creation of the annual Fishmas Eve event as a fundraiser that the Truckee River Chapter holds annually on the Friday before the traditional opening Saturday of trout season. The event has raised tens of thousands of dollars since the Chapter’s inception in 2010. Under Stefan’s leadership, the funds raised have supported numerous cleanups with hundreds of volunteers who removed tons of trash and garbage from the Truckee River watershed. These funds have also supported Truckee River Watershed in-stream habitat restoration projects such as Horner’s Corner and Glenshire Drive. Stefan was also involved in the Little Truckee River enhancement project, a complex effort that the then-new Truckee River Chapter executed to restore over a half mile of the Little Truckee at a cost of over $700,000.

Stefan led several spawning gravel augmentation projects and remarked how awesome it was to see the wild trout using the gravel spread into the river and turned it into spawning redds. He was also heavily involved in the Fanny Bridge fish rescue and relocation in 2015, which saved 37 very large rainbows and brown trout from certain death as the river was completely dewatered to repair the bridge.

In addition to Truckee River watershed efforts, Stefan served as an active participant for a number of years representing Trout Unlimited alongside federal, state, and other nonprofit groups that have worked over decades to protect and restore the Silver King Creek watershed, which is the only native habitat of the Paiute cutthroat trout. These efforts have improved the outlook for the Paiute cutthroat, which is considered the rarest trout subspecies in North America and one of the most imperiled native fish in California.

Stefan’s volunteer efforts extend to supporting education events such as youth camps teaching fly fishing and conservation. He bleeds TU blue and has ink on his left arm with chapter #103 prominently displayed. Now that’s commitment!

We would like to thank Stefan for taking a lead role getting the Truckee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited started back in 2010 and putting countless hours since then. His efforts have left healthier Truckee and nearby watersheds and a dynamic, effective organization that continues to make a difference. Thank you Stefan!

Bugs and Brews in Truckee on Sept. 23, 2026

From the Truckee River TU Chapter Instagram:

Join us September 23 from 5:30–7:30 PM for a casual night of fly tying, beer, and time with the local fishing community. Whether you’re brand new to tying or already have some experience, we’ll have beginner and intermediate options available.

Tickets are limited to 20 spots and include one beer, fly tying materials, and instruction. Proceeds help support Trout Unlimited’s local conservation and outreach work.

Hosted by Trout Unlimited

Held at Alibi Ale Works

Supported by Trout Creek Outfitters and the Truckee TU Chapter, Tahoe Trout Bums

Stick around after the event for line dancing at 8 PM.

You can sign up at https://tu.myeventscenter.com/event/Bugs-Brews-132339

John Sikora is a River Champion for California

John Sikora is one of those river champions with staying power. John’s impact spans decades and has had lasting effects in his home waters in El Dorado County as well as across California.

John has been a member of TU for more than 45 years and a leader at the chapter and state levels for the last 20. John first became a TU member in 1980 and a Life Member in 2011. His leadership efforts started in 2005 when he became a Board Member for the Sac-Sierra Chapter. In 2011, he helped form the Eldorado Chapter of Trout Unlimited. Since then, he and has continuously held leadership roles with EDTU including Secretary, Vice President, and President. John’s contributions at the California State Level include serving as California Council Secretary from 2011 to 2013 and Council Chair from 2013 to 2015.

John’s accomplishments through this period are many. As a TU leader, he helped refine the organization of Chapters across California and the California Council itself to better meet TU National requirements. His efforts led to the formation of the Eastern Sierra and Central Sierra Chapters and the expansion of the North Coast Chapter to become the Shasta Trinity Cascade Chapter. These efforts generated increased chapter revenues supporting in-state restoration, conservation, and education programs. John also worked closely with the Redwood Empire Chapter and the California Department of Fish and Wildlife to resolve issues in support of the Chapter’s Trout/Steelhead in the Classroom Program.

In the EDTU region, John has been active in organizing volunteer efforts including stream surveys, fish recovery from nearby lakes, stream and lake cleanup activities, meadow restoration, replacement of signage, and testing CDFW’s California Inland Recreational Angler Survey. John also served as TU representative on teams working with the USFS to address wildfire risks and impacts, where his contributions included input on fuels management, the protection of freshwater fisheries, and organizing EDTU review and comment on restoration plans following the devastating Caldor Fire.

John’s EDTU colleague Jon Bertolino summed up John’s nomination as a River Champion with the statement, “I have greatly enjoyed working with John. He is always looking at ways to engage members, support local resource agencies, and improve our cold-water fisheries, both locally and throughout the state. His mentorship has helped many members, including myself, become involved in TU’s mission.”

Thank you John!

Make Your Voice Heard to Help Free the Eel River

The Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) is seeking comments on a key element of the process to to remove dams on the Eel River - their Scoping Document 1 for the proposed Potter Valley Hydroelectric Project surrender and decommissioning. This document defines the scope of the proposed decommissioning process, its environmental impacts, and possible alternatives.

FERC is seeking public comments electronically, by mail, or in person in Eureka, CA. The comment period is open until September 18 and FERC has meetings scheduled on September 15th and 16th in Eureka where attendees can provide comments in person.

The Friends of the Eel River has more information on its website including a description of how you can make your voice heard by FERC to ensure they understand the public interest in timely and effective dam removal environmental restoration. Check out the link below to learn how to provide comments electronically, by mail, or in person:

https://eelriver.org/2026/08/13/action-alert-ferc-hearings/

A copy of the scoping document itself is available here:

https://eelriver.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/FERC-Scoping-for-PVP.pdf

Take Action to Protect Roadless Areas in National Forests

Since it was enacted in 2001, the Roadless Rule has served to protect 58.5 million acres of national forest in 39 states from road-building and industrial development. Protecting these lands protects entire ecosystems from disturbance and fragmentation, including watersheds, streams, lakes, and their inhabitants. These lands include more than 4 million acres in California that include alpine conifer forests, coastal forests, and southern California “backyard forests” in the mountains above the LA basin.

In June 2025, the USDA announced plans to rescind the roadless rule. Trout Unlimited was among the many organizations and individuals who spoke up and submitted 625,000 comments, 99% of which supported keeping roadless protections in place.

It’s time to do it again. The USDA announced yet another plan to rescind the Roadless Rule and the comment period is open. One of the easiest ways you can volunteer to support the TU mission is to make your voice heard by submitting a comment to the USDA. Click or tap the button below to edit and submit a comment.

You can find out more about the roadless rule, why Trout Unlimited supports it, and how your voice matters here: https://www.tu.org/magazine/from-the-president/from-the-president-keep-it-roadless/

Andrea Willey is a River Champion for the Lower American River

When you work in conservation, you meet incredible people whose dedication inspires you to do more. Dr. Andrea Willey is one of those individuals—a passionate conservationist who never gives up.

In 2023, Andrea founded the Waterbird Habitat Project after discovering a Great Blue Heron hanging from a tree, fatally entangled in discarded fishing line. That moment became a turning point, and since then, she has made it her mission to protect waterbirds along the Lower American River. Andrea regularly patrols the riverbanks, removing discarded fishing line, tackle, and other debris that pose serious threats to wildlife in the riparian corridor. Beyond cleanup efforts, her project focuses on education—encouraging anglers to understand the impact of their actions and take responsibility for the environment they enjoy. She coined the phrase “angling for the ecosystem,” promoting a simple but powerful idea: “take five to keep the ecosystem alive.” If every angler spent just five minutes after fishing to pick up and properly dispose of litter, the cumulative impact on the river’s health would be significant. The Waterbird Habitat Project’s work extends beyond cleanup. Andrea leads efforts to remove invasive plant species, restore degraded river areas, clean up abandoned encampments, rescue injured wildlife, and install fishing line recycling stations at popular access points.

Her dedication has not gone unnoticed. Andrea was honored by the Environmental Council of Sacramento as Environmentalist of the Year – Wildlife Award. With growing momentum and community support, she is now expanding her efforts to other watersheds across California.

Andrea self-funds much of her work and dedicates hundreds of hours to conservation—all while running a successful surgical dermatology practice in the Sacramento area. Though small in stature, she is a powerhouse of energy, determination, and heart. We are honored to name Dr. Andrea Willey a Trout Unlimited California River Champion.

Check out https://waterbirdhabitat.org/ to find out more about the Waterbird Habitat Project.

Larry Heywood is a River Champion for the Truckee River watershed

Larry Heywood addressing attendees of the 2026 Fishmas Eve fundraiser in Truckee, CA

Larry Heywood has served on the board of the Truckee River Chapter of Trout Unlimited since (at least) 2014. Larry has been instrumental for more than a decade in helping the chapter thrive in good times and in holding it together in lean years. The chapter remains active to this day in part due to Larry’s efforts.

As conservation committee chair for the chapter, Larry has been involved multiple in-stream habitat restoration projects including the lower lot reach of the Little Truckee in 2015, the DFW Loop/Horner’s Corner reach of the main stem of Truckee a couple miles east of the Ag station on Interstate 80 in 2017, and the reach just above the waste water treatment plant along Glenshire Drive affectionately known as the toilet bowl in 2019. His efforts along these reaches have added new habitat and restored both fish and macro-invertebrates in these sections of the river.

Larry has also fought for the public’s right to access public land along the Truckee. In addition to helping show that the Truckee River is navigable and that riverside landowners do not own the river bottom, Larry convinced Nevada county to create new public access at the Hirschdale bridge to enable anglers to enter the river legally at that point. His tenacity and commitment to public access are a shining example of how to defend a public right.

Larry’s actions to support the Truckee River Chapter include helping keep the chapter’s annual Fishmas Eve fundraiser vibrant and effective. Since 2008, the fundraiser has yielded over $50,000 for the Truckee River since its inception in 2008. Larry helped maintain the chapter’s relationship with the local venue, The Blue Coyote, and has frequently emceed the event and donated raffle items to help raise money for the chapter.

Fish, wildlife, and (yes) anglers have all benefited from Larry’s sustained effort in the Truckee River watershed. Thank you Larry!