CHATFIELD, MN-- Trout Unlimited, the nation’s oldest and largest coldwater fisheries conservation organization, today awarded a $2,500 Embrace-A-Stream grant to its Hiawatha Chapter. The chapter is partnering with the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources and other local conservation groups and TU chapters to improve conditions for wild brown trout and other species in the river. The Embrace-A-Stream grant will restore important habitat by improving spawning conditions for trout on Trout Run Creek, a tributary of the Root River. The project will also help stabilize stream banks, improving the width and depth of the stream and will prevent erosion into the creek.

"These funds will enable us to continue our restoration work on Trout Run in the Driftless Area,” said Tom Dornack, a board member of the TU Hiawatha Chapter. “It will allow us to help prevent further erosion in Trout Run Creek and help maintain the creek’s value as a blue ribbon trout stream there.”

Embrace-A-Stream is the flagship grant program for funding TU grassroots conservation efforts. Funding is provided primarily by TU members, with additional support in 2008 provided by Costa del Mar and the FishAmerica Foundation. An Embrace-A-Stream Committee comprised of TU volunteer representatives and scientific advisors evaluates all proposed projects and makes the awards.

In 2008, the Embrace-A-Stream program will provide $170,000 to 29 projects in 20 states. Projects will address stream habitat restoration, improving fish passage, and protecting water quality. Many of the projects will benefit eastern brook trout from Maine to Georgia, and will help protect Yellowstone, Bonneville, and Lahontan cutthroat trout in Idaho, Nevada, and Utah. Since the program’s inception in 1976, Embrace-A-Stream has funded more than 900 individual projects totaling approximately $3.6 million.

"Trout Unlimited members are the driving force of the organization's vision and mission goals," said Bryan Moore, Vice President for Volunteer Operations and Watershed Programs. “Through their work, TU's grassroots members protect and restore the nation's coldwater resources and provide a strong foundation for future generations.”

Trout Unlimited is North America’s leading coldwater fisheries conservation organization, with more than 150,000 members dedicated to the protection and restoration of trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.