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!