Winston-Salem, NC Blue Ridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited
We're dedicated to conserve, protect and restore trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.
We hope you'll spend some time exploring our site for useful information and links!
Winston-Salem, NC Blue Ridge Chapter of Trout Unlimited
We're dedicated to conserve, protect and restore trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.
We hope you'll spend some time exploring our site for useful information and links!
Upcoming Events for BRTU Chapter
January 18, 2022 Meeting
Meeting will be held on Zoom
Presentation Title: Yadkin Riverkeeper: Protecting and Enhancing the Yadkin River
Yadkin Riverkeeper Executive Director and Riverkeeper, Edgar Miller, will talk about the history and importance of the Yadkin River to the Piedmont Region and highlight Yadkin Riverkeeper's work to improve water quality and enhance recreational use of the River and its lakes and tributaries. He will discuss regulatory issues impacting the Yadkin watershed as well as advocacy opportunities to help protect water quality.
Read more about Edgar's bio...
Meeting will be held on Zoom
Presentation Title: Yadkin Riverkeeper: Protecting and Enhancing the Yadkin River
Yadkin Riverkeeper Executive Director and Riverkeeper, Edgar Miller, will talk about the history and importance of the Yadkin River to the Piedmont Region and highlight Yadkin Riverkeeper's work to improve water quality and enhance recreational use of the River and its lakes and tributaries. He will discuss regulatory issues impacting the Yadkin watershed as well as advocacy opportunities to help protect water quality.
Read more about Edgar's bio...
Starting February 2nd, our Chapter will offer a 5-week class focused on the beginner fly tyer.
Note: Start date MAY change due to COVID concerns
The South Fork Community Center is located at 4403 Country Club Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
Note: Start date MAY change due to COVID concerns
- No skills or experience needed. Rusty Berrier will be the lead instructor for the class. He will teach students the basic techniques to tie any flies.
- The class hours are from 6-8 pm. There is no charge for the class.
- It is open to the public, so please tell a friend.
- The class will be held at South Fork Community center, Class room A. If you are a current tier and want to improve your techniques, you are welcome to show up and tie with the class. Just bring your tools and vice with you.
- Please sign up for the class at our website blueridgetu.org . You may also contact Rusty at rustyberrier@outlook.com 336-239-4514.
The South Fork Community Center is located at 4403 Country Club Rd, Winston-Salem, NC 27104
February 15, 2022 Meeting
Department of Environmental Quality - discussion on what is legal and how to report illegal activity
Department of Environmental Quality - discussion on what is legal and how to report illegal activity
February 19, 2022
Elk Creek Restoration
BRTU Conservation Committee has been working to assist the Elk Creek bank restoration in Todd, NC and we are ready to take on some winter planting work!
Elk Creek contains wild mountain trout and also feeds the New River basin and has suffered significant bank erosion due to poor buffers and livestock access. There are other planned improvements such as floodplain work and livestock fencing but the plan to stabilize the banks is imperative to its success. This work will eventually lead to more cold water fishing and cleaner water for the Town of Todd.
Although this project is outside our Chapter area it is a cold water conservation project and it needs our help! This area does not have the resources that our chapter has so this is a great opportunity to help our neighboring cold water keepers.
This project is also close to many cold water streams so there may be some time to wet a line afterwards or spend an evening in nearby Boone or Blowing Rock.
We will have the plantings on site for Sat morning and will meet at 9:00 am at 166 Preacher Blackburn Road, Todd, NC. to start the work.
Some equipment will be provided but waders are recommended as well as your favorite gloves and shovel.
We will supply a lunch and drinks on site.
This is in Feb so it will be cold and if the weather is bad we still need to push ahead as these plants are there and need installed. If the weather is nasty then we will work out another date.
Please let us know if you are planning to help so we will know how many volunteers to plan for. Email Jimm Barbery at jbarbery@outlook.com
To sign up go to https://www.blueridgetu.org/elkcreek.html
Elk Creek Restoration
BRTU Conservation Committee has been working to assist the Elk Creek bank restoration in Todd, NC and we are ready to take on some winter planting work!
Elk Creek contains wild mountain trout and also feeds the New River basin and has suffered significant bank erosion due to poor buffers and livestock access. There are other planned improvements such as floodplain work and livestock fencing but the plan to stabilize the banks is imperative to its success. This work will eventually lead to more cold water fishing and cleaner water for the Town of Todd.
Although this project is outside our Chapter area it is a cold water conservation project and it needs our help! This area does not have the resources that our chapter has so this is a great opportunity to help our neighboring cold water keepers.
This project is also close to many cold water streams so there may be some time to wet a line afterwards or spend an evening in nearby Boone or Blowing Rock.
We will have the plantings on site for Sat morning and will meet at 9:00 am at 166 Preacher Blackburn Road, Todd, NC. to start the work.
Some equipment will be provided but waders are recommended as well as your favorite gloves and shovel.
We will supply a lunch and drinks on site.
This is in Feb so it will be cold and if the weather is bad we still need to push ahead as these plants are there and need installed. If the weather is nasty then we will work out another date.
Please let us know if you are planning to help so we will know how many volunteers to plan for. Email Jimm Barbery at jbarbery@outlook.com
To sign up go to https://www.blueridgetu.org/elkcreek.html
March 15, 2022 Meeting
Kevin Redding, the executive director of the Piedmont Land conservancy, will be presenting.
Kevin Redding, the executive director of the Piedmont Land conservancy, will be presenting.
Trout in the Classroom
On Dec 2nd volunteers from our chapter met Tom Jackson in Mocksville who had just brought the trout eggs from the hatchery for our TIC program. The volunteers went to the 10 different schools to deliver the eggs and meet the teachers.
As of the beginning of the school holiday most of those trout eggs have hatched and were about an inch long with the yolk sac still attached. The teachers and kids have been very excited about the trout eggs.
Our volunteers will be visiting the schools regularly through the school year to check on the tanks and the progress of the trout. At the end of April we will hold a two day trout release event at Stone mountain state park. The schools will have a big field trips that morning where they bring their trout to be released into the stream. There will be educational stations from different groups as well as a big picnic to feed all the kids. Many of these kids had never been out to stomp in a stream or exposed to the outdoors . They usually have a blast. We will need a lot of volunteers to make those two days happen, so please contact Tom Jackson (t5video@yahoo.com) to sign up to help with the TIC program or through our website.
More information can be found on our Trout In The Classroom page.
As of the beginning of the school holiday most of those trout eggs have hatched and were about an inch long with the yolk sac still attached. The teachers and kids have been very excited about the trout eggs.
Our volunteers will be visiting the schools regularly through the school year to check on the tanks and the progress of the trout. At the end of April we will hold a two day trout release event at Stone mountain state park. The schools will have a big field trips that morning where they bring their trout to be released into the stream. There will be educational stations from different groups as well as a big picnic to feed all the kids. Many of these kids had never been out to stomp in a stream or exposed to the outdoors . They usually have a blast. We will need a lot of volunteers to make those two days happen, so please contact Tom Jackson (t5video@yahoo.com) to sign up to help with the TIC program or through our website.
More information can be found on our Trout In The Classroom page.
BRTU Christmas Ornament Event at Fiddlin' Fish Brewing
Tuesday evening December 9th the chapter held a special event at Fiddlin' Fish Brewery to select the prize winners from the Christmas Ornament Challenge. The winners were:
- First Place: Rickie Woodson
- Second Place: Barry Parks
- Third Place: Tom Jackson
- Brian Giff took home the online championship
Brian Giff's Online Championship Ornament
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Ramey Creek/Roaring Fork Creek Brook Trout Stream
Demise on Blue Ridge Parkway
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UPDATE from January 3, 2022
The Bottomley companies have presented and started implementation of a remediation plan for Ramey Creek on their property. The DEQ has conditionally approved the plan. The DEQ will inspect their work at some date in the near future and determine if they met all the requirements. The litigation is still pending and we expect to know more about its trajectory early in the new year. Sometime last year, Bottomley Evergreens & Farms, Inc. and Bottomley Properties NC LLC (Bottomley Companies) started clearing land in Alleghany and Surry Counties along Ramey creek off the Blue Ridge Parkway. They claimed this an agriculture operation, which in North Carolina exempts them from the requirements of the Sedimentation Pollution Control Act. This exemption means they do not need to file any erosion permits, place any erosion controls, or leave any trees standing anywhere. The exemption however does not provide a free pass on complying with North Carolina’s water quality standards. The Division of Water Resources issued a Notice of Violation (NOV) to the Bottomley Companies in November 2020 and asked them to correct the situation. The company agreed to fix the problems, but meanwhile continued clearing more, and more land along the parkway, without making any changes to erosion practices. By April of this year (2021) complaints were coming into North Carolina’s Wildlife Resources Commission from many sources concerning the massive land clearing spreading for miles. Unfortunately, by that point most of the trout habitat in Ramey creek, Roaring Fork Creek, Big Pine Creek had been destroyed. Read the full story, see pictures and sign up to help by clicking here! |
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We thank these companies for their continued support of Blue Ridge Trout Unlimited
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Orvis Retail Store located at 627 Friendly Center Road, Greensboro, NC.
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Upcoming Chapter Events & Meetings
For Chapter Meetings that are remote a Zoom link will be emailed prior to the meeting.
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COVID-19 UPDATE:
“Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at a higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. People who are at higher risk are encouraged to avoid crowds as much as possible.”
For that reason, all in-person chapter meetings, are cancelled through December.
Small group outings may proceed with all of the proper precautions taken about social distancing.
“Older adults and people who have severe underlying chronic medical conditions like heart or lung disease or diabetes seem to be at a higher risk for developing more serious complications from COVID-19 illness. People who are at higher risk are encouraged to avoid crowds as much as possible.”
For that reason, all in-person chapter meetings, are cancelled through December.
Small group outings may proceed with all of the proper precautions taken about social distancing.