One heck of a 2008.

2008 was an absolute banner year for SEWTU. First, and perhaps most visibly, we equalled our largest tally of workdays in a year (with nine). Those workdays, more importantly, involved no less than 8 rivers, in no less than six counties, involved literally thousands upon thousands of volunteer hours, seven TU chapters, and one incredible Eagle Scout (Nic Schmidt) and his troop.

Secondly, SEWTU had one of its biggest funding year ever. We secured grants from the National Fish Habitat Restoration Program, the Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program, TU Embrace-A-Stream grant program, and Friends of Wisconsin Trout Unlimited. Oh yeah, and thanks to Todd Durian, Mike Kuhr, Josh Harpke and others, and all of our members who got out and voted, we won the first ever Redwood Creek Wines "Greater Outdoors Initiative" grant. All of that funding, along with funds raised at our incredible 2007 and 2008 Habitat Restoration Fund Raisers (thanks to guys like Rich Vetrano and Dan Asmus), and our annual Sports Show Raffle (thanks to guys like Chuck Beeler, Stan Strelka, and Al Dalphanso), added up to make the funding of complete restoration projects at Camp and Melancthan Creeks possible. Those projects accounted for over 2 1/2 miles of complete stream restoration.

Third, we performed more education-related, more science-related, and more policy-based activism activity than ever before.

Finally -- by the way -- we won the State of Wisconsin's Chapter of the Year Award (Silver Trout) in 2008.

That's a mouth full.

The point of this post really isn't to salute the people I've shamelessly called out above. Rather, it's to thank and salute those who aren't named. Specifically, this is to thank those of you who have come out time after time, and answered the call every time we've made it, over the past year. Without our regular crew of 30-50 volunteers for our workdays, we wouldn't be nearly where we are today. YOU are who make it happen, and YOU deserve the thanks.

In a more personal bent, I like to toss this around when I talk about our Chapter: It's easy to get motivated to do stream work when you look out and, within your Chapter territory, see "name" trout streams. It's easy to get out and work when it only requires schlepping out of bed, and traveling 15 minutes to a worksite. And many of the brightest stars in the TU constellation have that type of luxury, and to thier credit they utilize the opportunity that they've been given to do the good work, and spread the good word.

But we, too, do the good work and spread the good word. That despite having, to be blunt, no top 100, let alone top 1000 trout streams within our Chapter territory. When we get up and go to a workday, it generally requires over 1 hour of travel each way, and more often than not involves travel of up to 3 hours each way. When we do work in our area, it's on rivers that, after work, will likely sustain more trout than before, but won't likely ever be excessively "fishable."

That fact that you all live up to the Mission Statement and Vision Statement of TU in such a fashion, going above and beyond at literally every opportunity, is a true testament to yourselves, and a true statement concerning your character. You don't do what's easy -- you do what is difficult -- you just make it look easy. And more often than not you don't look for credit, you don't brag, and you instead welcome other Chapters and non-members into our fold, making what we do approachable, fun, and something to look forward do.

That's Midwestern, that's Wisconsin, and that's SEWTU.