Trout Unlimited

What it reported doing in 2024

Conservation operations: the following are some notable developments underway in tu's identified "priority waters": eastern conservation Maine through partnerships with land trusts, tu is working on a combination of land protection, stream reconnection, and instream habitat restoration. Together, these comprehensive efforts will secure some of the best native brook trout strongholds in the u.s. Among the highlights from the 2024 field season were six miles of instream wood additions on streams in the kennebago and pleasant river watersheds. West virginiamore evidence of the effectiveness of wood addition projects was gained through monitoring of work done by tu and the u.s. Forest service in West Virginia. Areas where large wood was added to streams showed an increase in pools and pool depth and increases in total biomass as well as the numbers of large brook trout. By re-engaging the floodplain and improving groundwater recharge, the projects led to maximum water temperatures that were 1.2 degrees celsius lower than the maximum water temperatures in the control sites.great lakes coasters are brook trout that live in lake superior and migrate to tributaries. In 2024, tu organized state agencies, tribes, federal agencies and others for the first coaster-focused stakeholder meeting in over 15 years. This led to the formation of a new brook trout workgroup under the great lakes fish commission's lake superior technical committee, and tu was asked to chair the work group, becoming the first NGO to chair a technical committee workgroup. Tu is conducting fisheries surveys, taking tissue samples for genetic analysis, conducting habitat assessments and culvert surveys, and collecting temperature data to inform coaster management and restoration. Tu organized a multi-state partnership across Pennsylvania, New York, and New Jersey that resulted in a multi-year, $3.5 million grant from the New Jersey depof which tu is a sub-recipientfor brook trout restoration. This is a significant source of funding, but equally important is the commitment it represents from the state agencies to work with us on large-scale brook trout restoration across the three states.pacific conservation alaskawe continue to engage in the courtroom to defend the good decisions to deny pebble its 404 permit and clean water act 404(c) protections. In the yukon river watershed, a relatively new geography for tu, we helped remove a provision in the fy25 national defense authorization act that would have greenlighted the proposed 211-mile ambler industrial road in Alaska's brooks range. The road would have crossed more than 2,000 streams and likely caused significant impacts to fish, and fishing and hunting, in the area.californiafor the past 18 months, tu has worked closely with the pit river tribe and select conservation partners on a campaign to permanently protect a unique complex of public lands in northern California the stttla highlands as a national monument.. Tu staff and grassroots, with our shasta trinity cascades chapter in the vanguard, led the effort to convey the support of anglers and hunters for this designation; our media tour produced multiple articles, quotes, blog and social posts supporting national monument status for stttla, the cultural heart of the pit river tribe. In january, president biden signed a proclamation designating the stttla highlands national monument. On California's central coast, tu removed a dam on little arthur creek, a tributary to the pajaro river, which is designated critical habitat for esa-listed steelhead. The 30-foot-high, century-old dam had blocked fish passage at all flows to more than three miles of prime spawning and rearing habitat, which stays wet even in prolonged drought periods. The project, which concluded in october, took five years to plan, fund and implement. Key partners included the santa clara valley water district, the California department of fish and wildlife, resources legacy fund, noaa fisheries and

Financial Efficiency

• Mission deployment rate: 85.1%; rating input score 85
• Program expense ratio: 88.2%; rating input score 88
• Fundraising efficiency: $27.28 raised per $1 spent on fundraising; rating input score 64; 64th percentile among comparable filings

Transparency & Controls

• Consistency checks: 100%; rating input score 100; 68th percentile among comparable filings
• Pay-setting controls: 5 of 6 controls in place; rating input score 83
  • Compensation committee: Pass
  • Independent consultant: Pass
  • Other Form 990s reviewed: Pass
  • Written employment contract: Missing
  • Compensation survey or study: Pass
  • Board or committee approval: Pass
• Foreign activity oversight: Limited
• Grant itemization coverage: 100%; rating input score 100; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Major donor itemization: Yes; rating input score 100
• Related-party transparency: Limited

Accountability

• Independent voting board: 97%; rating input score 97; 52nd percentile among comparable filings
• Governance controls: 9 of 9 controls in place; rating input score 100
  • Conflict-of-interest policy: Pass
  • Whistleblower policy: Pass
  • Document-retention policy: Pass
  • CEO compensation review process: Pass
  • Other executive compensation review process: Pass
  • Form 990 shared with the board: Pass
  • Board meeting minutes documented: Pass
  • Audit committee oversight: Pass
  • Independent financial-statement audit: Pass

Sustainability

• Operating margin: 4.5%; rating input score 54; 54th percentile among comparable filings
• Total-asset coverage ratio: 0.58; rating input score 22; 22nd percentile among comparable filings
• Liabilities to assets ratio: 0.33; rating input score 53; 53rd percentile among comparable filings
• Officer compensation ratio: 2.3%; rating input score 49; 49th percentile among comparable filings

Growth

• Program expense growth: 7.1% per year; rating input score 100; 57th percentile among comparable filings
• Revenue growth: 7.4% per year; rating input score 100; 63rd percentile among comparable filings
• Asset growth: 6.6% per year; rating input score 100; 49th percentile among comparable filings