Copper Country Chapter - Trout Unlimited

The Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited is making scholarships available to boys or girls, age 13 through 16, to enroll in and attend Youth Trout Camp. The four day camp will be held June 21-25 at the Ralph A. MacMullan Conference Center on North Higgins Lake, in the heart of trout country in the Northern Lower Peninsula.

Campers will gain knowledge about a wide variety of topics including protecting cold water resources, fish biology, and stream habitat. As well, there will be instruction in fishing. The camp staff includes some of Michigan’s leading conservationists and anglers. No previous fishing experience is necessary. In the evenings students will get to fish on all three branches of the famous Au Sable River, casting to brook, brown, and rainbow trout.

The experience is educational, but it is also designed to be fun. The camp is made possible through the efforts of Trout Unlimited National and the many Michigan TU Chapters with their volunteers and members. Also included are the Michigan DNR Fisheries Division, the staff at the RAM Center, Americorp and MDEQ volunteers, and many Michigan and Midwest angling guides and other conservationists who have so graciously given of their time and talents.

The Copper Country Chapter will award up to two $550 scholarships to youths from the Western Upper Peninsula that includes the $350 registration fee and $200 in travel expenses. Campers are required to bring chest waders and a wading belt. Copper Country TU will be able to provide assistance if needed.

To apply for the scholarship, youths must submit a one page essay on why they would like to attend the camp. Mail the essay to: Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited, PO Box 232, Hancock, MI 49930, post marked not later than March 30. Include your name, contact information, and age. The Copper Country Chapter of Trout Unlimited expects to notify those who submit essays of the results on April 9.

Applications for camp can be found by going to the Kalamazoo Valley Chapter website: www.kvctu.org/category/michigan-youth-trout-camp Click on the 2020 Mich. Trout Camp “Continue Reading icon” which will take you to the camp page. There you’ll find the 2020 Application, Camp Rules and Daily Events Schedule. Reading the Camp Rules is very important.

The deadline for applications to the Kalamazoo Chapter is April 30. If you are interested in attending, we encourage completion of the application well before April 30 due to the limited number of campers who can be accepted.

If you have questions, please contact Bill Leder (bleder@charter.net) or Chris Adams (ccadams@mtu.edu).

“The purpose of the Chapter shall be to conserve, protect and restore cold-water fisheries and their watersheds in Michigan’s Western Upper Peninsula.”

VISION - CCCTU envisions coldwater sport fisheries of self-sustaining wild, native fish stocks prospering, in restored and maintained habitats within Western Upper Peninsula lakes and streams.

GOALS -

• CCCTU will support scientific research of coldwater fish and their aquatic environments which focuses on the Lake Superior basin in general and Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula specifically.
• CCCTU will undertake restoration and rehabilitation projects which repair, protect, and enhance trout habitat on inland lakes and streams of watersheds located in Michigan's Western Upper Peninsula.
• CCCTU will support and conduct educational and informational outreach activities for its members and the general public so as to enhance their understanding and enjoyment of fishing, and the conservation of coldwater fisheries.
• CCCTU will seek out partnerships with federal, state, local and tribal agencies as well as non-governmental organizations which can assist it in carrying out its mission.