Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture

New England Regional Meeting - May 3, 2008, 9AM - 4PM

All TU members and state agencies are welcome to attend

Doyle Conservation Center, 464 Abbott Ave, Leominster, MA
Tel: 978-840-4446 x 1901

Doors open at 8 AM for coffee and etc.

The Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) is a unique partnership between state and federal agencies, regional and local governments, businesses, conservation organizations, academia, scientific societies, and private citizens. The nation’s first pilot project under the National Fish Habitat Initiative (www.fishhabitat.org), EBTJV is a geographically focused, locally driven, and scientifically based effort to protect, restore and enhance aquatic habitat throughout the range of the Eastern brook trout. The long-term goals of the EBTJV are to develop a comprehensive restoration and education strategy to improve aquatic habitat, to raise education awareness, and to raise federal, state and local funds for brook trout conservation. >>More

Read Updates about EBTJV activities in Massachusetts / RI and the 17 other states >>here

New England Meeting Agenda:

1. Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV)

a. CIS and GIS. Demonstration and hands on workshop – Nat Gillespie, TU Fishery Scientist.
b. Funding (grants), and the new Service Learning Program in the EBTJV – Bryan Moore, TU Director, Eastern Project Development.

2. Legislative Action - Kirt Mayland, Director of TU’s Eastern Water Project

a. How councils can position themselves on water policy items, and other conservation issues.
b. What TU can and cannot do.
c. A dry run on legislative action. How councils can set up the legislative coordinators and key council leaders to best respond
d. Council Legislative Committees - coordinating and supporting Kirt's work.

3. Youth Education

a. Youth Camps - what is needed to set one up. Greg Ponte, Maine TU
b. Tie in with the EBTJV's new Service Learning Program, Bryan Moore
c. Trout In the Classroom

4. Strategic planning for New England - open discussion.

Review of NE Meetings 2004 To 2008
Understanding each council's objective, Overlapping the items.
What does New England leadership see the Brook Trout program looking like in the Northeast in five years, and building to that vision.

i. Laying out the road map for a successful regional campaign.
ii. Discussion of key regional items; water policy and the brook trout campaign.
iii. CIS overlap with Brook Trout, and other key chapter initiatives (TIC/Youth). Plot them on the map.
iv. Targeting the projects for success, and connecting the projects and the states for recognition beyond TU. Building momentum for brook trout

We will keep the meeting very focused, thus allowing more workshop and discussion time.

Please RSVP: To your TU State Council Chairs (Peter Schilling for MA/RI pmcads@aol.com) , and cc to Jan Allardt at Jcfa_mayfly@hotmail.com

(RSVP gives us a head count for lunch, and beverages. Please state serious food allergies, i.e. peanuts, etc).

The central location in Leominster, MA is only a 2.5 hour drive for most TU members in New England.