Two new faces have joined the staff of Minnesota Trout Unlimited! Jackson Manthey has worked with us since February as the northeast riparian restoration coordinator and Andee Erickson came onboard in March as the communications director. You can learn more about them and what they bring to MNTU in their introductions below.

Northeast Riparian Restoration Coordinator

Hello! My name is Jackson Manthey and I am the northeast riparian restoration coordinator for Minnesota Trout Unlimited. I grew up in Duluth, exploring and fishing the many lakes and streams along the North Shore, which sparked a lifelong passion for the outdoors. I graduated college with an environmental science degree and have experience in designing and inspecting several river restoration projects prior to joining MNTU in February.

In my role as a riparian restoration coordinator, I help lead projects like the riparian forest gap planting effort in the Split Rock River watershed, work that supports healthy streams and sustainable trout habitat for the future.

Last year I partnered with MNTU on another riparian forest gap planting project while working for Beaver River Consulting. Both last year’s project, in the Duluth area, and this year’s project on the Split Rock River involve cutting dead and dying trees along coldwater streams and planting long-living tree species in those gaps to stabilize steams banks, facilitate groundwater recharge and provide future shade, keeping streams cold and clean for trout.

The need for these projects along trout streams is a result of spruce budworm outbreaks that have killed vast amounts of balsam fir and white spruce in Minnesota forests. The spruce budworm is a native caterpillar that prefers to feed on the needles of balsam fir and white spruce. These outbreaks, along with deforestation and climate change pose risks to our forest ecosystems that our coldwater systems depend on.

That’s why replacing trees along trout streams is an important strategy in restoring our coldwater fisheries.

Combining my professional experience with a lifelong passion for fishing, I strive to deliver meaningful restoration work that protects and enhances trout habitat across northeast Minnesota.

Communications Director

Hello, Minnesota Trout Unlimited! My name is Andee Erickson and I just joined as the communications director.

Growing up in southern Minnesota, the time I was lucky to spend on Lake Superior and in the trout streams of the Driftless region inspired my care and respect for the outdoors in a way that – I can see now – continues to inform my life’s course.

I come to this organization with backgrounds in both writing and conservation. My career started in newspapers after I graduated from the University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire with degrees in journalism and geography. 

I chose the location for my first summer reporting internship – nearly 10 years ago now – based solely on its proximity to so much of our country’s protected wilderness in the western U.S. But the grandeur of the West hasn’t been able to lure me away from this state I love. Which is why a year later I was thrilled to load my car with my portable, reel-less fly rod, a milk crate full of books, some camping gear and a suitcase for an internship at the daily newspaper in Duluth, Minnesota.

After college, I returned as a general assignment reporter to the Duluth News Tribune where I was grateful to work alongside many talented journalists while covering everything from education and elections to wild fires and climate change before making the decision to work my way into a niche field — conservation detection dog work. 

While doing video-based communications work for a large dog training company in Missouri, I raised my Labrador retriever, Alfred, and trained him (and myself) in reliable detection dog work until he was old enough to channel all his drive and hard-wired enthusiasm into conservation with me. We have loved the last few years we’ve spent walking the wind farms of the Midwest while he used his nose to locate bat fatalities beneath wind turbines. The data we collected supported regulatory monitoring efforts that informed the protection of endangered species. 

Now my attention shifts to trout and their coldwater habitats. What stands out to me most about this multi-thousand member organization is that it’s centered around a shared joy. Many of you came to MNTU because you’re interested in trout fishing and then, like me, it became increasingly apparent that its future depends on our conservation efforts today. Advocacy born out of a passion is what gives this organization muscle and it’s what keeps the work sustainable. It’s just one of the many reasons I was drawn to doing communications for MNTU.

My communications philosophy is simple. I believe in keeping the message clear and accessible while leaning into the power of both data and storytelling. Stories will always be one of our greatest defenses against any environmental threat. They can elevate data in memorable narratives we can relate to. They are also what bridge us together. Lucky for me, I know there are plenty stories go around within the membership of MNTU so if you have a story to share, I want to hear it. Don’t hesitate to send me a line at andee.erickson@mntu.org.