Did you know that the individual chapters in the MA/RI Council contributed 17,550 hours of their personal time to TU?

Did you know that 5,740 hours were spent by you and co-members on restoration projects in MA/RI alone?

Whether you are working with Fran Smith on the Quashnet River on the Cape, with Warren Winders on Red Brook in Wareham, with Lawson Cary on the Wood-Pawcatuck watershed in Rhode Island, with Pioneer Valley folks working on the Swift River, and all of the other wonderful projects going on across the state, please know that your efforts matter. I challenge you to name an organization that is doing more on an ongoing basis. No matter where you go across our states, you will see TU volunteers involved in important projects, attending and speaking at meetings, lobbying politicians, etc. Just click onto the council/chapter web sites to see how much is being done by your fellow Tu-ers across our states.

Congratulations and thanks to you all! 3,800 members, two states (Rhode Island and Massachusetts) environmentalists, hook and bullet guys.

How can someone who lives in a high rise overlooking the Charles River equate with someone living in Lenox, overlooking October Mountain. Its simple, we all care about clean air, clean water and our quality of life. The rallying flag? It’s the wild brook trout. He is our indicator, our canary in the coal mine. If foul air which is causing acid rain, mercury and other toxins are killing him in our feeder streams, aren’t we also affected by breathing the stuff?

If the waters are so bad that he cannot live in them, should we be drinking it? In the upcoming months, you will be hearing a lot about this little guy and our efforts to help him. Whether we fish, hunt, hike or rarely leave the confines of our homes, we all have to be concerned for his well being because what is good for the brookie is good for us all.

 Read here about Back The Brookie - TU's Eastern Wild Trout Intiative

Thanks to your involvement, I’ve got a feeling that next year will be a very good year for the brookie and for us. If you feel that there is little that you can do, that you are a poor speaker, writer or organizer, don’t know where to start, and that others are better qualified, believe me, we all said that at one time or another. You have to ask yourself just how strongly you feel about the brookie, clean air, clean waters. If you feel strongly enough, have solid facts and know what you are talking about, you will convey your message well and people will listen. You can make a whale of difference by writing letters to politicians or contributing funds to your chapter and this council. You can also make a difference by spreading the word and recruiting new members to TU.

Gene Chaugue, Taconic Chapter, MA / RI Council Chair