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Mason-Griffith Founders Chapter of Trout Unlimited Names HeadWaters Land Conservancy Organization of the Year for 2011.

HeadWaters Land Conservancy

Gaylord, Michigan –-(Ammoland.com)- HeadWaters Land Conservancy will receive the honor, along with a check for $600.00 at the Trout Unlimited yearly membership gathering in Grayling on February 4th.

Laura Justin, Executive Director of HeadWaters Land Conservancy, is thrilled to receive the recognition. “It came as a complete surprise. I was so happy after the phone call that I had a smile on my face for the rest of the day” said Justin.

“Being recognized by an organization like T.U. is a big deal to us. They are a highly regarded group and their work on the AuSable River matches our conservation mission.” Justin continued, “Our top priority for 2012 is the AuSable and reaching out to landowners who want to preserve this critically important river. Working with organizations like Trout Unlimited will help us to achieve our protection goals.”

Winning the honor from Trout Unlimited caps a very successful year for HeadWaters Land Conservancy. 520 acres of land and 10,480 feet of waterfront were protected in 2011. HeadWaters was also fortunate enough to receive the gift of a preserve on the Sturgeon River from the J.A. Woollam Foundation. The Sturgeon River Preserve is dedicated to the late Rusty Gates for his great accomplishments in river stewardship and protection. The preserve is 40 acres of thick forests, wetlands, upland areas of bracken fern and a meandering stretch of the Sturgeon River.

The preserve is located on Whitmarsh Road about 10 minutes from Gaylord, and is open to the public for their enjoyment.

Since its inception in 1994, HeadWaters Land Conservancy has protected the natural diversity and beauty of northeast Michigan by preserving significant lands and scenic areas in perpetuity with conservation agreements. A conservation agreement is a voluntary act by a land owner to impose permanent restrictions on their land for its preservation. HeadWaters works within an eleven county service area, one of the largest in the state, preserving lands in Alcona, Alpena, Arenac, Crawford, Roscommon, Iosco, Montmorency, Ogemaw, Oscoda and Presque Isle counties.

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90,000 Americans Call for Wetlands Conservation
Citizens unite in support of clean water legislation that sustains wetlands
and the range of benefits they provide.

TRCP Working Group on Wetlands

WASHINGTON, DC –-(AmmoLand.com)- In a resounding vote for conservation of the nation’s natural resources, more than 90,000 Americans have signed a petition supporting restoration of federal protections for wetlands and clean water and affirming the crucial role wetland ecosystems play in our lives.

The We Are Wetlands petition, launched by the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership, far exceeded its goal of 80,000 names – one for each acre of natural wetlands that our country loses each year – and calls for a legislative fix that restores the integrity of the Clean Water Act.

“American sportsmen have a keen appreciation of the importance of wetlands to our outdoor traditions, our fish and wildlife populations and our lives,” said Tom Franklin, TRCP director of policy and government relations, “and so hunters and anglers gladly lead the charge in urging our government to act promptly and decisively in ensuring that these invaluable ecosystems receive sufficient protection under federal law.”

Two recent Supreme Court decisions along with subsequent federal agency guidance have dramatically weakened the Clean Water Act, the federal law that protects our nation’s water quality. The TRCP Working Group on Wetlands, which includes representatives from TRCP partner groups the Izaak Walton League of America, the National Wildlife Federation and Trout Unlimited, has spoken loudly in support of legislation that restores the law’s original scope.

“More than 90,000 Americans have voiced their clear support for protecting wetlands and our drinking water,” said Scott Kovarovics, conservation director with the Izaak Walton League. “Now, it’s up to the U.S. House of Representatives to respond with legislation that restores the Clean Water Act.”

In 2009, the Senate Committee on Environment and Public Works passed an amended version of the Clean Water Restoration Act (S. 787). This legislation would restore federal clean water and wetlands protections to levels originally intended in the Clean Water Act, clarify agency jurisdiction on wetlands protections, and slow the trend of wetland loss. The TRCP and members of the Working Group on Wetlands currently are pressing the House of Representatives to advance legislation and work with the Senate to pass a bill for the president’s approval.

“Representative James Oberstar, who chairs the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee overseeing this issue, has decried the threats to America’s waters due to weakening of the Clean Water Act and led past efforts to pass the Clean Water Restoration Act,” said Jan Goldman-Carter, wetlands and water resources counsel with the National Wildlife Federation. “Sportsmen urge Congressman Oberstar to take the lead in ensuring speedy passage of this crucial legislation in 2010.”

More than half of the estimated 221 million acres of wetlands originally existent in the coterminous United States have been lost. In 1972, the passage of the Clean Water Act played an important role in stemming the rate of loss. Even with the law’s protection, however, wetlands most important to fish and wildlife continue to decrease by 80,000 acres per year.

“As a result of legal confusion, Clean Water Act protection of some 20 million acres of our country’s wetlands and millions of miles of waterways – including small, seasonal streams with immense biological value as fish habitat – has been jeopardized,” said Steve Moyer, Trout Unlimited vice president of government affairs. “The Clean Water Restoration Act would restore the original scope of the Clean Water Act and safeguard these indispensable resources.”

“America’s wetlands control floods and erosion, hold and cleanse water, and give us places to hunt, fish and enjoy the outdoors,” concluded Franklin. “Furthermore, many plant, fish and wildlife species depend on wetlands for survival. More than 90,000 Americans have spoken: Wetlands rank among the most productive and threatened habitats in the world. We are standing up for wetlands.”

Learn more about We Are Wetlands.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations
and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions
of hunting and fishing.

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