Lebanon, New Hampshire — The Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited announced today that its Board has voted to donate a total of $4,000 to five river restoration projects being sponsored by two local watershed organizations. “This is a donation we’re more than happy to make,” said Seth Dunn, TU’s board president and Lebanon resident. “We believe this type of cooperation and support for on the ground work will result in the long-term protection of fish and their habitat.” TU’s mission is to protect intact fish habitat, and to restore and reconnect degraded watersheds in order to support coldwater fisheries. The $4,000 donation is being made through the conservation fundraising web site, Clean Water Future. Clean Water Future is a “crowd funding” effort by the Connecticut River Watershed Council to raise money from private individuals, businesses and other organizations for conservation projects in the Connecticut River watershed. Crowd funding web sites are a growing trend and allow projects to be funded without relying on government support or other grant funding. The five (5) projects that the Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited is investing in include: A fish passage project on Broad Brook in Sharon, VT; A riparian buffer tree planting project on Mink Brook in Etna, NH; A river bank stabilization project at Hurricane Flats Farm in South Royalton, VT; An invasive species plant eradication effort on the Connecticut River in Piermont, NH and; A riparian buffer tree planting project to alleviate Irene flood damage in Stockbridge, VT. The three (3) projects located in Vermont are sponsored by the White River Partnership, a community based non-profit organization located in South Royalton, VT “We’re very grateful to the Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited for their commitment,” said Mary Russ, the White River Partnership’s executive director. “This money gets our projects off to a great start. With just a few more donations we hope to be able to fully fund all of our conservation work at these three locations.” Hurricane Flats Farm owner Tom “Geo” Honigford, whose organic vegetable farm and river bank were devastated by flooding from Irene, cited the local Trout Unlimited chapter members for helping him get back in business. “Their investments in my river bank have done much more than help my land heal – they have helped me heal as well,” Honigford commented. Individuals, businesses and other organizations interested in donating to these conservation projects on local streams can visit www.cleanwaterfuture.org for additional information. Donations can be made on-line through a secure credit card transaction. The Greater Upper Valley chapter of Trout Unlimited is a non-profit organization with roughly 400 members dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring the upper valley’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.