In 1950, two men, Mr. George Mason, president of American Motors and Mr. George
Griffith, a textile salesman and conservationist, had a chance meeting on
the banks of the Au Sable River. The two men discussed the need for
an organization, similar to Ducks Unlimited, that would help to preserve trout
fishing for many generations to come. Discussion groups made
up of prominent Michigan sportsmen continued for several years, slowly working
out the details of what would become the nations leading river and fisheries
conservation organization.
July 18, 1959 on a stretch of the Au Sable River known as the ‘Holy
Waters’, George Griffith and fifteen other sportsmen met to finalize
the formation of Trout Unlimited. The meeting was held at George Griffith’s
cabin know as the ‘Barbless Hook’. Among those present were
personalities such as Lon Adams, Fred Bear, Art Neumann and Casey Westell,
Jr.
This event led to the first organizational meeting held on September 5th,
1959 in Grayling where Trout Unlimited was incorporated, with over 250 people
in attendance. At that time in history TU was guided by the simple philosophy
that, “if we take care of the fish, then the fishing will take care
of itself.”
It seems only fitting that on July 18th , fifty years later, on the banks
of the Au Sable River, that a birthday celebration should be held. The
Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited decided to do just that.
party was held on the Department of Natural Resources, Rayburn property just
a few miles east of the city of Grayling. The event was completely free
to all river users including tubers, kayakers, canoeists, and fishermen. The
gala event kicked off in full strength about 9:00 A.M. The impending
overcast and rain may have dampened the grounds, but not the spirits of the
attendees. Michigan trout fisherman showed up in mass, as well as a
contingency of out-of-state people. The
day’s activities were well planned. MCTU went out of their way to make
sure that the events were informative, fun and interactive. It was truly
a very special event. Michigan conservation groups and local TU Chapters
were well represented. The events of the day included bucket raffles,
static displays, games, contests, auctions, art displays, several local venders,
food and beverages. For the kids there was face painting and fly tying. During
late afternoon and early evening live entertainment was provided. The
highlight of the afternoon was the award presented to State Representative
Rebecca Warren of Ann Arbor, Michigan. Representative Warren was presented
the ‘Hexagenia Award’ by the Michigan Council of Trout Unlimited
for her dedication and work on the large volume water withdrawal legislation
that was passed last year, along with the Water Compact. She has pledged
future support to TU and its causes.
For those of you who volunteered to help at the event, a heartfelt thank you. It
is the dedication of the TU members and their supporters that make events
like this a great success!
Today, Trout Unlimited boast of over 140,000 members and 400 chapters. Their
mission today is simply to conserve, protect and restore coldwater fisheries
and their watersheds. It is strictly a volunteer organization spending countless
hours on stream improvement projects, organizing banquettes, writing newsletters,
holding meetings and hosting fundraising projects. It is the tireless
efforts of the local chapters that has made TU the organization that it is
today.
The National TU Convention (the official 50th Birthday Celebration) will be
held from Aug. 17-23 at the Grand Traverse Resort, in Traverse City, Michigan. If
you missed the ‘local’ party in Grayling, here was your chance
to really celebrate!
See you on the water…..
Originally published August 31, 2009 on Fly Anglers Online by By Tom Deschaine August 31, 2009.