Conservation

Conservation is an important part of Tri-Valley Fly fisher’s agenda. We are a fly fishing club dedicated to enjoying the sport; we understand and appreciate the value of protecting our fisheries. TVFF’s Conservation Program is dedicated to the protection and restoration of those fisheries when and if they are threatened. Our program consists of financial support for environmental groups who protect our fisheries, and through active participation in activities and projects as coordinated by our Conservation Director. We believe this is critical to the future of our sport.

Yellowstone National Park Conservation Program

Native Yellowstone Cutthroat Protection

Tri-Valley Fly Fishers has participated in guided trips into Yellowstone Park and surrounding areas over many years. In support of maintaining the native stocks of wild fish in these pristine waters, TVFF has engaged with Yellowstone Forever and its specific wild fisheries organization, Yellowstone National Park Volunteer Fly Fishing Program (YNPVFFP). TVFF supports these organizations with both monetary charitable donation support, and in 2023 with on-site TVFF volunteers to work with local biologists. The Yellowstone Fly Fishing Volunteer Program was conceived in 2002 as a way for Yellowstone's biologists to acquire information about fish populations without having to travel to distant locations throughout the park and sample the populations themselves using electrofishing or other sophisticated gear.

In 2023 TVFF participated with six club members over an intense three-day study and fisheries analysis program for native Yellowstone Cutthroat trout in Park waters, including the Lamar River and Slough Creek. Our report on 2023’s activity can be found in the September 2023 newsletter, in the accompanying photo gallery (here), and in the video gallery in our Members-only area.

Trout in the Classroom

We feel that one of the most effective ways to promote fisheries conservation in the future is to get the children of our communities (the voting citizens of tomorrow) involved in fisheries issues. Education programs are an excellent way to accomplish this. Our “signature” project is participation in the DF&W Trout in the Classroom program in which students raise trout from fertilized eggs in their classrooms in TVFF-donated aquariums. TVFF supports the program with dozens of classrooms throughout the Bay Area.

“Adopt a Creek” Project

The Tri-Valley Fly Fishers joined other responsible businesses and organizations in the Tri-Valley area to help remove unwanted pollution from the creeks and waterways in our area. As part of Living Arroyo's Adopt a Creek program, we have adopted a section of the Arroyo Mocho in Livermore as an area that we will help keep free of trash, debris, etc. We schedule clean-up activities, when required, as a regular club outing. The removal of trash and litter helps improve water quality, aquatic habitat, and the aesthetic beauty of our neighborhoods while reducing trash loads from the municipal storm sewer system, and ultimately the Pacific Ocean.

The Alameda Creek Alliance

In our local area we have actively participated in the efforts of The Alameda Creek Alliance to restore the steelhead trout fishery to the Alameda Creek watershed. This, once great, fishery has been all but extinct for several years, because of urbanization projects that made it impossible for the fish to return to their spawning beds to reproduce. The fishery is now in the process of being scheduled for a complete restoration, thanks mainly to the efforts of this group. The Tri-Valley Fly Fishers are proud to be a part of accomplishments like these. One of our goals is to repeat successes like this in other endangered fisheries.

Organizations Supported

The focus on conservation within the Tri-Valley Fly Fishers is primarily targeted at the ever-present decline in the quality of the fisheries in our little corner of the world. We actively support projects to rehabilitate, restore, and/or enhance the fish habitat of the rivers, streams, and lakes in our area. We monitor reports of problem areas with our fisheries, and when necessary, actively petition the applicable officials to take whatever action is required to ensure that fish are provided water conditions that will support their survival and reproduction. We support most of the conservation efforts of groups like the Federation of Fly Fishers, Cal Trout, California Sport Fishing Alliance, Trout Unlimited, and others. We feel it important to do our part to provide opportunities for our grandchildren, and their grandchildren, etc. to enjoy a great fly-fishing experience, and we fear that if we do nothing a fly-fishing experience will not even be an option for them.