I don’t make a lot of pleas for money here on the Underground. I figure you’re grownups, you work for your money, and you’ll pretty much spend it as you damn well please.

I’m making this exception for a simple reason; every dollar you donate to CalTrout for their McCloud Redband trout recovery program will be matched by Orvis and the National Fish and Wildlife Association.

The math is simple: You donate $100, and $300 is put to work saving the McCloud River Redband trout. $50 nets you $150 worth of trout-saving effort.

A Rare McCloud Redband Trout

If you don’t know about them, the McCloud River Redbands are a stunning native trout — one of the rarest in existence — which evolved in isolation above the Upper Falls on the McCloud.

Due to stocking and habitat losses, they’re in danger of disappearing forever. Frankly, I want to see them recovered so I can catch and photograph one of these bad boys. What amazing colors.

Ready to cough up a few bucks? Amazingly, I can’t find a dedicated information page on the CalTrout Web site, but the Orvis Conservation folks publish an excellent page on the subject.

Sadly, there’s also no specific donation page at CalTrout.com (c’mon guys, let’s try to pull ourselves into the 21st century). I got a letter in the mail, and sent my check today.

If you didn’t get CalTrout’s letter, you can mail a check (specifying Redband recovery so the matching funds apply — and tell ‘em the Trout Underground sent you) to:
California Trout, Inc.
870 Market St. Suite 1185
San Francisco CA 94102

You can also call 415-392-8887. If you call, tell them you heard about it here. It won’t mean anything to them, but I’d like to give CalTrout some food for thought about the online world; it’s time they got a little more serious about it.

And props to Orvis and the National Fish and Wildlife Association for stepping up to the plate.

See you in McCloud Redband country, Tom Chandler.

[tags]mccloud river, redband trout, mccloud redband trout, orvis, caltrout[/tags]

Posted in Environment.