Partners

Oak Brook Trout Unlimited is an active member of the Illinois Council of Trout Unlimited and is a founding member of TUDARE. TUDARE (an acronym for Trout Unlimited Driftless Area Restoration Effort) is the umbrella organization that coordinates and supports coldwater conservation in the Driftless Area of Wisconsin. OBTU’s support is in the form of money donated to directly support TUDARE general operations.

TUDARE is founded on the great work and passion of TU volunteers. There are more than 15 chapters around the region that have worked with agency partners to restore sections of approximately 60 streams. Over $10 million has been raised in state, federal and private contributions for stream restoration projects. Each year, the TUDARE project restores approximately 12 to 18 miles of stream each year in the region.

To learn more about TUDARE and its history as well as current initiatives, read the March 2018 interview with Duke Welter,  TUDARE’s Outreach Coordinator, who travels the four-state Driftless Area region, and the June 2019 interview with TUDARE Project Manager Jeff Hastings.

Our chapter is also an active participant in Michigan’s Coldwater River Watershed Council where our member volunteers have implemented spring and fall macroinvertebrate studies since 2014.  The goal of these studies on the Coldwater River and its tributaries in Alto, Michigan is to better understand and monitor the impact of pollution and soil erosion on this water-based ecosystem.

Oakbrook TU is actively seeking partnerships and alliances with other like-minded conservation groups committed to similar goals and projects. To discuss how your organization might work side-by-side with Oak Brook TU in support of mutual conservation missions, please contact Dave Carlson.