Libby Earthman grew up fishing with her father and fell in love with the sport. As soon as he was able, Earthman’s father began taking her to chapter meetings for Trout Unlimited. Although she was in it for the grape soda — at first — it became an organization that Earthman would forever be involved in and one she is proud to involve another generation.
Trout Unlimited is a nonprofit organization that began in Michigan in 1959. With now over 300,000 members, the organization is dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring coldwater fisheries and watershed across the country, according to its website.
The Longmont chapter focuses on the St. Vrain Watershed and hosts events in order to engage and educate the children and adults about the natural environment, said Earthman, who is now the Longmont chapter secretary.
“Young people have a natural curiosity of the world around them. If we can demonstrate to them in a very personal and hands-on way that we are all part of nature rather than separate from it, they develop a lifelong connection to their local community and the significance of healthy watersheds for their family's health and well-being,” said Barbara Luneau, Colorado Trout Unlimited vice president.
Luneau is also the former president of the Longmont branch. During her tenure, she was instrumental in creating several youth programs within the St. Vrain Valley School District area. These programs include Stream Girls — a program that uses a program similar to Girl Scouts to get young girls involved in conservation — and a flyrod casting course that is taught during the physical education class at Lyons Elementary, Earthman said.
“Once that seed is planted, we create so much potential and possibility for where it takes them. What young people get out of it is, first off, a memorable experience exploring nature that may spark a lifelong interest. They start to realize that they can make an impact, and they start to learn that they have a voice. Because our programs span the age range from elementary to college, they can experience multiple opportunities to explore how nature and rivers connect to their own identity,” Luneau said.
To grow that interest, Trout Unlimited created a Trout in the Classroom program. Niwot High School and Lyons Elementary participated in the program and on Monday, students from Lyons Elementary released around 50 trout into the St. Vrain River.
The program begins with 500 trout eggs being delivered to the school. Students raise the hatchlings over the course of a year and release them in the spring. The program teaches students how to engage in stream habitat studies and to appreciate the local water resources.
“As an organization … we all deeply believe that reconciling the use of natural resources and the needs of the natural environment is a core value, a core American value,” Earthman said.
The Longmont chapter is hosting a fundraising event on May 17 in order to continue its education programs for local youth. The event is a screening of the International Fly Fishing Festival at Wibby Brewing.
“It will feature people fly fishing around the world and will be an awesome opportunity for people to get really excited for the coming fishing season,” Earthman said.
