June 2024| View Upcoming Events

June 2024 Newsletter

Welcome to the June 2024 newsletter. Happy Father’s Day! Flag Day! and a gaggle of other holidays. Some others worth noting in Arizona include Sunday, June 2, Native American Day, and June 19, known as Juneteenth, originally the Texas slavery Emancipation Day from 1865, nearly a month after the U.S. Civil War ended.

June begins summer, and the opportunities for more outdoor adventure, fishing and conservation activities abound. My grandmother once told me you only have about 80-summers, so make the most of them. Similarly, we have limited time available for our conservation efforts with Trout Unlimited; we must make the most of our time. Please consider helping with our efforts whether it be with conservation work, youth education, or work toward conservation focused legislature.



With this winter’s rains, expect some great flows and fantastic fishing in our mountain streams and lakes.

June also begins our fifth year of Arizona Council Trout Unlimited – Grand Canyon Council Fish Camp beginning Sunday, June 9, 2023. We have two sessions this year. We’ll have more about fish camp in next month’s newsletter.

Several of us from the Zane Grey chapter, Old Pueblo chapter (Tucson), and the Arizona Council attended the Western Regional Rendezvous. In total, we had nine representatives: seven-volunteer representatives and a couple of trailing spouses, More about the Rendezvous, later in the newsletter.

Finally, we would thank all our volunteers and supporters for their continued dedication to Trout Unlimited and our mission. We could not do what we do without your support, and we are grateful for each one of you.

Western Regional Rendezvous,

Nine Arizona representative attended the Western Regional Rendezvous in Idaho falls. Read more later in the newsletter.

Jim Walker is going to the Hall of Fame

Jim Walker is going into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. The Arizona Council of Trout Unlimited is helping sponsor this event and is sending registration information soon. We expect to have a couple of tables honoring Jim and hope you can join us. See more below.

Save the Date -- Troutfest Arizona is coming to Chase Field February 22, 2025. More info coming and below...

We hope you can join us, or better yet volunteer to help with these many and varied activities. 

Until then, 

Tight Lines. 

Alan Davis

It’s officially triple digit hot in Zane Grey Land, which means most of us are eagerly looking forward to the Great Escape. Some of us have already quietly skipped town.

But while you’re packing up your summer kit and sorting fishing gear, don’t overlook your vacation book bag. Yep, take a few new reads for those cool, rainy evenings when everyone goes to bed and leaves you on the porch with your libation and a good book about, well…fishing. 

Predictably, in the interest of your angling literacy, my TU colleagues and I have a few books to suggest for your summer reading pleasure. 

First, let’s start with our namesake, Zane Grey, one of the great western adventure authors of all-time and an angler/outdoorsman to his core. His fishing and outdoor exploits are the stuff of legend on par with another literary giant, Earnest Hemingway.

Zane Grey on Fishing is one of nine books written by Zane Grey on his passion for fishing. It is a must read for any serious angler. It has been said the prolific author/dentist wrote books to fund his fishing and adventure addiction. In total, he wrote 159 books, including best-sellers such as Riders of the Purple Sage. And, over the years, his books have generated 112 films. 

Many critics and fans agree; Zane Grey’s books about fishing showcase his best writing. You can order Zane Grey on Fishing here.

Of course, an angler’s vacation book bag is not complete without a sampling of John Gierach. From 1997’s Signs of Life to last year’s All the Time in the World, Gierach has written a total of 23 books on fly fishing and related subjects. His most famous book, Trout Bum, spawned a cult following that continues to change the trajectory of anglers’ lives. No joke. My copy now lives in Chilé where Gierach will autograph it to our host of last year’s Chilé Trout trip. He's due at the same lodge this month.

I’ve had Sex, Death and Fly Fishing along with The Grave of the Unknown Fisherman on my bookshelf for a while but never read them. They’re here in my book bag in Wyoming. You can order most all of John Gierach’s books here.

Another book in my bag was given to me by my fishing pal, Terry Abbot. It's My Life Was This Big (And Other Fishing Tales), by the late, great Lefty Kreh. As everyone knows, Lefty is the father of modern fly fishing and all its related elements. He has written no less than 59 books on everything from knots to fly tying, casting, bamboo rods, fly presentation, salt water fishing…you name it. Lefty passed away in 2018 but his legacy lives on through his writings. All of Lefty’s books are available here.

The final book I want to read this summer is The Longest Silence by Thomas McGuane. It’s a collection of 33 essays romancing the allure of “Florida tarpon fishing to the salmon of Iceland, from the bonefish of Mexico to the trout of Montana.” McGuane is also the author of Ninety-two in the Shade and Nothing but Blue Skies. 

He is a member of the Fly Fishing Hall of Fame and has written numerous film scripts including the adaption of his book Ninety-two in the Shade (Peter Fonda, Harry Dean Stanton, Margot Kidder and Warren Oates), Rancho Deluxe and Missouri Breaks ((Jack Nicholson and Marlon Brando). And his life has not been without controversy, which makes him and his work all the more interesting. Pick up a copy of The Longest Silence here.

And, I asked some of my TU colleagues to recommend a few of their selections for summer reading. Our good friend Mark Rosin suggests: The Little Red Book of Fly Fishing by Kirk Deeter and Charlie Meyers; Lefty’s Little Tips by Lefty Kreh; Fly Fishing the Baja and Beyond by Mike Reiser; Masters on the Dry Fly by J Michael Migel and Masters of the Nymph by J Michael Migel, Leonard M. Wright Jr. and Dave Whitlock. 

Alec Young, our TU/AZ Game & Fish Engagement Manager, has suggested All the Time in the World, John Gierach’s most recent book. 

Have a wonderful summer wherever you go.  If our suggestions inspired you to pick up a good fishing book let us know what you read and we’ll print your review. We’ll even give you a byline.

Coming up in Zane Grey Land

Arizona Fly Casters' monthly meeting is on Tuesday, June 11 at the Arizona Italian American Club, 7509 E 12th St., Phoenix. Meeting starts at 6 p.m. Speaker is Brian Mowers from Sedona Fly Fishing.

Desert Fly Casters' monthly meeting will be on Wednesday, June 12, at the Elks Club, 1775 W. Chandler Blvd, Chandler. Meeting starts at 7 p.m. Speaker is Chris Rich, AZ Fly Shop.

And, if you need to renew your TU membership you can do it here easily. This link should take you directly to the renewal page.

Zane Grey Chapter Past President, Arizona Native and Wild Trout Conference co-founder, and Trout in the Classroom champion Jim Walker is going into the Arizona Outdoor Hall of Fame. The Arizona Council of Trout Unlimited is helping sponsor this event and is sending registration information soon. We expect to have a couple of tables honoring Jim and hope you can join us. Tickets for the event are $125 and includes your choice of Meat or Vegetarian. You can reserve your spot now by clicking this link and paying online. Be sure and let us know your meal preference.

May Meeting Summary

The AZ Trout Unlimited Public Policy Committee (AZTU-PPC) held its normal monthly meeting on Thursday, May 9, 2024. Emily Olsen with the Trout Unlimited National Organization gave a slide presentation on priority waters identified by Trout Unlimited. She explained how TU National analyzed and identified priority waters and shared a map of Arizona highlighting the priority waters in our state. A list of priority waters in the United States identified by TU National can be found at: prioritywaters@tu.org .

Legislative Update

Here's an update on the bills we have been tracking.

Bills Summary:

HB2377: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representatives Diaz, Hendrix, and McGarr

This bill mandates that the state auditor general shall conduct and complete a cost study of the annual price to manage all federal land in this state. The study assumes that all federal land (except for lands managed by the Department of Defense or the Bureau of Reclamation) is given to the state at no cost. This bill has passed the House, Senate Natural Resource Committee and is headed to the Senate floor for a vote.

HCM2006: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Griffin

Calls for Congress to enact legislation that requires the express authorization of Congress, the state, and each county affected before any additional federal land may be declared in Arizona.

HB2376, HB2377, and HCM2006 ignore the economic benefits of public lands and view them only through the myopic lens of property taxes. Arizona’s public lands support a 12-billion-dollar outdoor recreation economy and provide over 106,000 direct jobs. Scroll down to see examples where small transfers of private land to the Federal Government provided access to tens of thousands of acres of public lands for outdoor recreation. This bill has passed the House, Senate Natural Resource Committee and is headed to the Senate floor for a vote.

HCM2005: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Smith

This resolution urges Congress and the President to pass and sign legislation transferring 30% of federally protected public lands to their respective states by 2030. 

HCM2005 is a misguided rebuttal to the 30X30 Initiative. The 30X30 initiative is no threat to Arizona’s private land owners and is not an attempt to obtain more federal lands in our state. It’s rather an initiative that aims to conserve 30% of our nation’s wild places. An attempt to transfer 30% of our lands — the same lands that we hunt and fish on — to the state that is mandated to profit from them can only be seen as an outright attack on, and complete disregard for, Arizona’s hunting and angling community. This bill has completely passed the House and Senate.

HCM2007: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Biasiucci

Urges the President to repeal the recent designation of the Grand Canyon Footprints National Monument in Northern Arizona and oppose any such designation in the state of Arizona in the future. This bill has completely passed the House and Senate.

HCM2008: Primarily Sponsored by AZ Representative Gillette

Calls for the Antiquities Act of 1906 to be repealed or amended to reaffirm that entire landscapes, animate life, such as birds and mammals, and common plants and vegetation are not considered “landmarks, structures, or objects” under federal law. In 1950, Congress amended the Antiquities Act to provide an exemption for the state of Wyoming, which requires the “express authorization of Congress” to declare any additional national monuments in that state. HCM 2008 calls on Congress and the President to extend the exemption to all Western States.

HCM2007 and HCM2008 call to repeal the newly designated Grand Canyon Footprints National Monument (which explicitly calls out hunting and angling as activities to be protected) and the Antiquities Act that was used to create it. If these resolutions were to come to fruition, it would leave Arizona’s greatest wilderness and one of the world’s finest mule deer herds without protection from the consequences and habitat fragmentation of uranium mining and energy development like solar and wind farms. Further, repealing the Antiquities Act, which has been used by eighteen past presidents (nine Republicans and nine Democrats) would leave us without a powerful tool in the effort to conserve our wildlife and habitat for future generations. This bill has completely passed the House and Senate.

Groundwater News in Arizona

Tom Osterday - Past Chair AZTU PPC

Correction: In the April Newsletter, I stated that, "the AZ legislature passed SB1221, which was then vetoed by Governor Hobbs." I misinterpreted an article in which Governor Hobbs was quoted as saying that she WOULD veto the bill if it came to her desk.

What I said about the bill is correct: Shepherded by Sen. Sine Kerr and Rep. Gail Griffin, this legislation is their attempt to block any future legislation that would actually empower local communities to protect their groundwater. The Bill is characterized as a "sheep in wolf's clothing" piece of legislation. It purports to provide protections, but the process is so convoluted that it would make it virtually impossible for local rural communities to protect their water in the future.

A competing piece of legislation that we supported in the House, HB 2857, was blocked from receiving a hearing in the Natural Resources, Energy & Water Committee by its chair, Rep Gail Griffin.

Now, with the Senate passing SB1221 and the Governor declaring her intent to veto it, the Republican leadership of the Natural Resources, Energy & Water committees in the Senate and the House, Sen. Sine Kerr and Rep Gail Griffin are meeting with the Democratic leaders on the Committee, Sen. Priya Sundareshan and Rep. Christopher Mathis to negotiate a mutually agreeable bill. We will continue to monitor this very important piece of legislation.

In the mean time, The Rural Groundwater Working Group is actively advocating for legislation to actually empower local communities to protect their groundwater.

The fight continues!

Background: Groundwater regulation is a hot topic in this legislative session. The Rural Groundwater Working Group continues to promote the message that local control of groundwater in rural communities is critical to their livelihoods. Twenty percent of Arizona's groundwater became managed in 1980 with the "Groundwater Management of 1980". But the other 80% of groundwater in Arizona still has no protection. Landowners can pump as much water as they want, without measurement, reporting or limit. The group working with the Arizona Department of Water Resources is looking to find an executable protocol for managing water outside of the Active Management Areas (AMA) of Phoenix, Prescott, Pinal County, Tucson, and Santa Cruz which were established by legislation in 1980. The Douglas AMA was established in 2022. The Group is advocating for legislation that would empower local, rural communities to create Rural Groundwater Management Areas if the groundwater in their rural community becomes threatened.

Upcoming Public Policy Events

There will be a meeting of the AZTU-PPC on Thursday, June 13, 2024. The meeting will be devoted to having various PPC members provide reports on ground water legislation, the small mouth bass issue in the Lee's Ferry fishery below Glen Canyon Dam as well as accomplishments of the AZTU-PPC to date this fiscal year.

The AZTU-Public Policy Committee hosts a virtual meeting on the second Thursday of the month at 7:00 until 8:00 PM. If you are interested, please contact Ron Stearns at PublicPolicyChair@az-tu.org.

Nine representatives from the Zane Grey chapter, Old Pueblo chapter (Tucson), and the Arizona Council, attended the Western Regional Rendezvous held in Idaho Falls, Idaho May 16-19. The conference featured updates on conservation activities throughout the west, practical hints on securing funding for local projects, the details of running a local chapter, and one of the highlights was Chief Scientist, Hellen Neville’s State of Trout discussion, where in she gave a shout-out to the Endangered Species Act delisting of Apache Trout.

Some other highlights of the rendezvous included interesting “how-tos” on leadership development, attracting new, younger, and more diverse members and leaders; a practical learning experience for entomology, and youth education; and a workshop on working with manufacturers.



In addition, we made new friends and contacts, met new TU staffers, and renewed old acquaintances. It was great to meet our friends and colleagues in person.  We'll have pictures next month.

The Arizona Sportsmen for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC) license plate fund is derived from the sale of wildlife conservation license plates and member organizations as well as non-member organizations are eligible to apply for those funds. 

The Arizona TU Council and Chapters have received funds over the past twelve years to support the Annual Native and Wild Trout Conferences, Fish Camp, Trout in the Classroom programs and conservation projects.

The next time your registration comes up for renewal, choose the conservation license plate option at registration to show your support for conservation and our projects. 

You may access our calendar here. 

Zane Grey Trout Unlimited