• Proceeds go toward restoration projects along the Salt River.
Star Valley Trout Unlimited is hosting their Annual International Trout Unlimited Fly-Fishing Film Festival on Saturday, April 20, at the Donn Wooden Civic Center in Alpine. Doors open at 5:30 p.m. and film screenings begin at 7. Proceeds from the fundraiser go towards restoration of the Salt River and its tributaries.
Trout Unlimited is the largest “cold-water conservation organization in the world,” according to Tanner Belknap, who serves as the organization’s Salt River Watershed Manager. Belknap visited with the SVI Radio Network, discussing the organization’s current projects and upcoming events.
As an international non-profit, Trout Unlimited works to preserve and restore rivers, streams, and tributaries where Trout and Salmon run, as well as helping to maintain fishing access and banks or lands from erosion. The organization has several projects in the Star Valley area where it has been restoring the banks of the Salt River and protecting agricultural lands and irrigation access for land owners.
The Star Valley Chapter of Trout Unlimited is supported by the international organization, which invites fishing film submissions every year from fly fishermen and Anglers from throughout the world. The films are screened all over the United States and the globe.
“They select their eight to ten best films and then we pay them to be able to screen those films,” said Belknap, describing the film festival. “We use that as a fundraiser. We have over $5,000 in raffle prizes that we’re going to have, including a full-day guided trip on the Salt, a $1,200 Winston rod, a Ross real, Bahio sunglasses, local artwork, and a whole bunch of other things.”
Belknap encourages guests to arrive early, if possible, to participate in the raffle and other fund-raising activities that will be happening that evening. “We’ll be hosting a quick little film of our own at the beginning about the Salt River and all the things we’re working on there. We are working on a major application that could bring in $5-$25 million for all the work we’re doing on the Salt River and its tributaries here and through the NRCS (Natural Resources Conservation Service.) This will be for diversion upgrades, replacing headgates, stabilizing stream banks, and restoring streams and the river. Any landowners who are having issues with unstable banks, who want to improve their habitat, or irrigators that want to work on their diversions or their headgates and they are having issues” should contact Belknap at tanner.belnap@tu.org or Kay Lynn Nield with the Star Valley Conservation District at knield@starvalleycd.org.
Admission to the fundraiser is $20 at the door.
