{"id":13217,"date":"2019-02-26T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-02-26T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/flyfishing-blog.com\/flyfishing-blog.com\/?p=13217"},"modified":"2019-02-24T13:46:54","modified_gmt":"2019-02-24T12:46:54","slug":"fisheries-fund-grantee-save-montanas-smith-river","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/flyfishing-blog.com\/flyfishing-blog.com\/2019\/02\/26\/fisheries-fund-grantee-save-montanas-smith-river\/","title":{"rendered":"Fisheries Fund Grantee: Save Montana’s Smith River"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Fisheries<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Montana’s Smith River is one of the most iconic and breathtaking waterways in the USA. 59 inaccessible river miles from the Camp Baker put-in at the Sheep’s Creek confluence to Eden Bridge, the five day float is considered a bucket-list item by many. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"But<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

But for tens of thousands of Montanans, the Smith, in all its rugged and pristine wildness, affords a quality of life and livelihood that they’ve known for generations – a quality of life and livelihood that is currently under threat of being erased by the proposed development of a copper mine in Sheep Creek, the Smith’s headwaters.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"AFFTA<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

AFFTA has stood for years with Montana residents and many conservation groups in opposition to mining for copper in Sheep Creek – and we are proud to continue our support by awarding a Fisheries Fund grant to one of the front-line organizations, Montana Trout Unlimited, for their Save Montana’s Smith River<\/em> awareness and education efforts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gallery<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Gallery photo credits: Anthony Rabasca, Janie Osbourne, Matt Mendelsohn.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Key<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Key project objectives include:
\u2022 Educating the public (in Montana and nationally) about the threats posed to the storied Smith River by a copper mine proposed in its headwaters, including\u00a0risks to water quality, stream flows and fisheries.
\u2022 Increasing national awareness with anglers and other Smith River recreationists about threats to the river.
\u2022 Working closely with guides, outfitters, and representatives from the outdoor industry to engage them in the fight and keep them updated on the needs and progress.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n“Montanans\nwant to protect the Smith River\u2019s wealth of sustainable virtues \u2014\nrecreation, angling, scenic beauty, cultural treasures, and outdoor\neconomy,” says David Brooks, Executive Director of Montana Trout\nUnlimited, “rather than allow a foreign mining company to risk\nthose values and our grandchildren\u2019s legacy for short-term\nprofit.”
\n
\n“Supporting the tireless work that\nMontana TU is putting into protecting the Smith goes right to the\nheart of the Fisheries Fund mission,” adds Tom Melvin, Chair of\nthe Fisheries Fund committee, “and right to the heart of every\nfly angler who understands the importance of standing up for their\nown home water. We’re proud to help that work continue.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Learn more about the campaign and how you can get involved by visiting saveoursmith.com<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"If<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

If you’d like to\u00a0support organizations and efforts like this and more, please consider making a donation to the Fisheries Fund today.<\/strong> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

American Fly Fishing Trade Association
321 E. Main St.
Suite 300
Bozeman, Mt 5971
USA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Montana’s Smith River is one of the most iconic and breathtaking waterways in the USA. 59 inaccessible river miles from the Camp Baker put-in at the Sheep’s Creek confluence to Eden Bridge, the five day float is considered a bucket-list item by many. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":13220,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_exactmetrics_skip_tracking":false,"_uf_show_specific_survey":0,"_uf_disable_surveys":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[42],"tags":[247,269,1731,3425],"class_list":["post-13217","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-general","tag-affta","tag-montana","tag-save","tag-smith-river"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t