My Dad and I were fishing the Nottoway River in Virginia a few years ago, a river I grew up on and now protect as a Riverkeeper. We had fished all morning and caught a few fish, but were about one fish short of having enough for the whole family. We could not fish any longer as my Dad and I both had obligations that afternoon.

Disappointed, we were not going to have enough fish to eat later that night, I said: “Well, we came close to getting enough to eat, but I guess we’ll have to let these go barring a miracle from above.”

An osprey clutches its prey. Flickr photo by Bill Weaver.

Just as I was reaching into the live well to grab the first fish to throw back, there was a large splash beside the boat only four feet away. My dad, startled, said “WOW, what was that?!” I looked and there was a nice eating-size largemouth bass floating beside us. We then heard this big SWOOSH SWOOSH sound and looked up to see an osprey (which you don’t see often on my rivers) gaining altitude straight over our heads. I looked at my dad in disbelief and said, “That osprey just nearly dropped that fish right in the boat.” We dipped up the fish and it was still fresh and in one piece; it was the perfect fish to fill out our catch so we could feed the family.

“Well,” my Dad said, “there is your miracle from above.”

I now have a tattoo on my arm (my only tattoo) of an osprey, and the local Nottoway Indians call me Fish Hawk and say that the Great Spirit blessed us with that fish that day for looking after the river that bears their name, the River we call Nottoway.

Help Protect Clean Water!

Join hunters, anglers, and conservationists in celebrating the 40th anniversary of the Clean Water Act! Speak out for clean water on Facebook and Twitter, and take action now to restore Clean Water Act protections for wetlands, lakes, and streams!

Jeff Turner was born and raised in the Southampton County area and has lived there all his life. Turner has camped and fished on the Blackwater & Nottoway Rivers all his life. Jeff works with state and local agencies to protect and enhance the watershed and is often sought out by these agencies for his intimate knowledge of the rivers. He currently sits on the Virginia Mercury Advisory Board, The Chowan Basin Flood Study Committee, the Albemarle Pamlico National Estuary Program (APNEP) CAC committee and the International Paper CAC committee. In 2008 Jeff he won national recognition by winning runner-up in the Volvo Hometown Hero’s Volvo For Life Award winning $25,000 for the Blackwater Nottoway Riverkeeper Program.

Fly fishing on Catawaba. Photo by Tony Robinson.

I’m never happier than when my waders are wet. Short of the smiles on my grand children’s faces there is nothing in the world that lights me up like the iridescent color of a brook trout brought to hand in a North Carolina mountain stream, the shimmer of water that cascades from a largemouth bass blowing up on a popping bug or a group of pintails descending on a spread of decoys.

Good Fishing and Clean Water Go Hand in Hand

These are the moments in life I live for. Over a period of half a century I have spent more time and money than I care to admit trying to make the places these animals live better for them and for sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts who care about them. Working on wildlife issues has been a terrific journey that taught me that what is good for wildlife habitats is good for people and the American economy. The last half century has been good for wildlife and water quality. With pictures of rivers burning on TV, Congress took action and in a show of bipartisan support passed The Clean Water Act of 1972. Since that time water quality has dramatically improved in America and fishery and wildlife habitat followed suit.

Unfortunately, after driving clean water initiatives for forty years the Clean Water Act is under attack by polluters, developers and decision makers who are in their pocket. Over the last few years there has been an organized effort in Washington D.C. and in the courts to roll back clean water protections. These efforts are aimed at headwater streams and wetlands.

Bass fishing on Phelps Lake—one of the only three or four natural lakes in the state.

Sportsmen and women of North Carolina and nationwide support the Administration’s initiative to restore Clean Water Act protections for these vulnerable waters, and we urge the President to follow through and finalize this initiative. In this terribly fractious election year, it is worth noting that poll after poll shows that a strong majority of Americans support strong federal Clean Water Act protections in order to ensure clean water for all. In the September national sportsmens’ poll, 79 percent of likely voters of all political affiliations said that they favor restoring Clean Water Act protections to wetlands and waterways, including smaller creeks and streams.

Celebrate Clean Water: Share Your Fish Tales

The Clean Water Act turns 40 this October. Let’s celebrate clean water and good fishing by reminding our elected leaders that anglers, boaters, hunters, and wildlife advocates support clean water and healthy habitat for wildlife, for people, and for the economy.

*For a bit of fishing fun, join me in celebrating clean water by sharing your fish tale with us on-line*

G. Richard Mode serves as the North Carolina Wildlife Federation (NCWF) Affiliate Representative to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and NWF Outreach Coordinator in North Carolina. He was the founding President of the local Table Rock Chapter for Trout Unlimited (TU) and served as the President and Chairman of the Board of National TU. Among his achievements he was honored as the 2007 Budweiser/National Fish & Wildlife Foundation Conservationist of the Year. For years, Richard’s goal has been to bring American hunters, anglers, and wildlife enthusiasts to the public policy decision table to protect the special places and wildlife resources in America.