At its annual membership meeting on October 25, the Pennsylvania Council of Trout Unlimited announced the following awards to chapters and individuals who in 2008 best personified TU’s mission of “conserving, protecting and restoring the Commonwealth’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds.”

The award winners included:

-- Edward J. Urbas Award for Best PA Chapter – Forbes Trail Chapter;

-- Best Small Chapter Award (fewer than 100 members) – Tiadaghton Chapter;

-- Best Chapter Project (Opossum Creek) – Adams County Chapter;

-- Dr. John A. “Doc” Fritchey, Jr. Award for Outstanding Coldwater Conservationist(TU Member) – Dr. Colson Blakeslee;

-- Outstanding Coldwater Conservationist (Professional) – Deborah Nardone;

-- Ken Sink Memorial Award for Outstanding Service to PA Council – Ken Undercoffer;

-- Inky Moore Award for Outstanding Service to PA Council – George Kutskel;

-- Best Chapter Website Award (www.valleyforgetu.org) – Valley Forge Chapter;

-- Chapter with Greatest Membership Increase – Adams County Chapter;

-- Chapter with Greatest Percentage Membership Increase – Adams County Chapter;

-- Samuel Slaymaker Award for Best Chapter Newsletter (Hatches) – Doc Fritchey Chapter; and

-- Dr. Jack Beck Award for Outstanding Youth Outreach - Stanley Cooper, Sr. Chapter.

The PA Council of Trout Unlimited has 13,000 members across Pennsylvania in 53 local Trout Unlimited Chapters united withone common goal: the conservation and enhancement of Pennsylvania's cold water streams and fisheries, specifically our wild trout resources .

Trout Unlimited Chaptersrestore streams through habitat improvement projects, conduct seminars on water quality and fisheries management and work to educate the next generation about the importance of clean water and wild trout.

For more information, visit the PA Council of Trout Unlimited website.

10/31/2008