Trout Unlimited has recently launched a Wild Steelhead Initiative, an ambitious project to restore wild steelhead to their native rivers.  Presently Trout Unlimited people are on the ground, working to protect and restore habitat on the Salmon River as part of the Idaho Water Project.

The Hemingway Chapter of Trout Unlimited will be hosting a program on Wild Steelhead and Salmon Recovery in the Salmon River Basin on April 2, 2015.  The presenter will be Tom Stuart.  Tom has been an advocate of Wild Steelhead and Salmon in the Salmon River Basin for twenty-five years.  He will talk from a fisherman's perspective, sharing his goal of fully restoring wild salmon and steelhead runs to central Idaho, especially the Salmon River basin.   Tom has been a student of the biology, ecology, economics, and politics of Idaho's salmon and steelhead issue.  His presentation will deal with salmon runs in the past, their current status, and the importance of Idaho salmon and steelhead in the bigger picture,  He will talk about removing dams and the potential impacts and benefits, as well as other actions in Idaho and the region that have benefited Idaho salmon and steelhead.  There will be plenty of time for questions, so bring yours!

Tom Stuart is a lifelong fisherman and a retired military officer and aviator.  His primary residence is in Boise, but he spends much time at his home in Stanley, where he owned and operated a cabin complex on the Salmon River for 30 years.

Tom has been active as a volunteer in work to restore Idaho salmon and steelhead since 1990, and is personally involved in Idaho, Northwest, and national work on wild salmon protection, conservation, and restoration.  He serves on the Board of Idaho Rivers United (IRU), helping lead Idaho efforts to restore wild salmon and steelhead.  Tom is also Board President of the Save Our wild Salmon Coalition (SOS), representing some 50 fishing, conservation, energy and taxpayer groups comprising 6 million members nationwide.  Most of all, Tom is a fisherman whose goal is the full restoration of wild salmon and steelhead populations in central Idaho – abundant wild salmon in the Salmon River and redfish in Redfish Lake.