This is a story about people who care about Virginia's natural resources and the well being of our diverse environment. It is about folks all over the Commonwealth who like clean air, clean water, and fish that rise to a mayfly. It is a tale of a married couple from the horse country near Middleburg, who represent others of a like mind when it comes to trout and streams. It's about a club of anglers, men and women, who meet regularly in Warrenton or on a mountain stream to try to make things better. It's a lesson in teaching others, particularly children, how to fish and how to enjoy the wonders of the outdoors. And it's a warning as told by the actions of hundreds of folks who volunteered to take stream water samples, from Albemarle to Wythe Counties, to monitor the insidious effects of acid rain upon our waters.

Marcia and Hank

Hank and Marcia Woolman are outdoors people. They fish, hunt, and ride to hounds. They are leaders in the Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited; Hank was the founding president, and Marcia is the current president. They teach fly-casting, fishing, and fly tying, and also guide trout anglers. Hank, a retired farmer/rancher, builds exquisite split-bamboo fly rods, one of which he donates annually to the Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited for the annual fund raising at their fishing show each February in Middleburg.

Hank is also the Master of the Middleburg-Orange County Beagles, an extension of the Middleburg-Orange County Pony Club. The Pony Club teaches children to ride to the foxhounds. The care, feeding, and training of the pack is Hank's responsibility. Sometimes you can see Hank leading dozens of mounted children and some parents behind several dozen baying hounds in pursuit of a wily fox (which always gets away.) (Images: Hank Woolman planes a strip of cane to a 1000th of an inch tolerance. He'll glue six similar strips together to make a beautiful handmade split-bamboo fly rod.)

Hank and Marcia's enthusiasm for the outdoors is infectious, a trait readily apparent when you watch them teach small groups fly-casting and fishing near their home between The Plains and Middleburg. In their little slice of country paradise, Hank crafts his cane rods in a small workshop; they teach streamcraft, knots, and entomology at the kitchen table using books and magazines, including Virginia Wildlife. They use the dining room table to show students how to tie flies and then the instruction continues on the water down the road at a small farm pond loaded with largemouth bass and sunfish.

Hank's accomplishments are particularly impressive: he lost the fingers on his right hand years ago in a farming accident. Over the years he has adjusted and, through determination and innovation, is able to tie delicate flies, build magnificent cane fly rods, cast a beautiful fly line, catch fish, and ride with the hounds while blowing the traditional hunting horn; all major accomplishments even for someone with two good hands.

The Silver Trout

The Woolmans are an integral part of the Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited (TU). Marcia, the president when this article was written, will soon hand over the reins to Greg Safford of Warrenton. Under Marcia's leadership, the Rapidan TU crew won the prestigious Silver Trout Award, the second highest honor bestowed on a chapter by Trout Unlimited, whose National headquarters is in Arlington. (Image: Trout Unlimited chapters in Virginia, like the Rapidan, are working closely with children to educate them about the importance of being good environmental stewards and sharing with them the simple pleasures that fishing can offer.)

Charles Gauvin, President and CEO of Trout Unlimited, had high praise for the Virginians at the awards ceremony in New York. "Virginia's Rapidan Chapter represents the very best in volunteerism. The Chapter's record speaks volumes for what a vision, a lot of determination, and sweat equity can do in America." Marcia Woolman shrugged off her substantial part in winning the Silver Trout calling it "a tribute to all of our members as well as to all of the dedicated, hard workers that have joined in work projects, supported our annual fishing show, attended meetings, and shared their ideas and their enthusiasm. It's a tribute to all our members, including those who just believe being part of TU is their way of helping to preserve our coldwater resources for future generations as well as our own enjoyment."

That's not all! Kemper Eagle, a Rapidan TU stalwart from Manassas, was presented TU's coveted Distinguished Service Award for 20 years of dedication to the Trout Unlimited goals and objectives, all as a volunteer. In giving the honor, Charles Gauvin praised Kemper for his dedication which "exemplifies the tireless commitment we count on from Rapidan Chapter Volunteers. Virginia is lucky to have a conservation hero such as Kemper Eagle.

Children Are the Future

Children are the future of the outdoors. They are the ones who will take what we leave, and hopefully, try to make it better. It is our job, and here Trout Unlimited plays a major role to ensure they learn to enjoy hunting, fishing, and to respect the environment and its ever-dwindling natural resources. All TU chapters in the Old Dominion work closely with children, and no one does it better than the folks at Rapidan TU.

Under the able and dedicated direction of member Doug Parker, Rapidan TU is actively involved with children suffering from cancer and from HIV. Each year, Rapidan TUers, augmented by members from the Northern Virginia Chapter of Trout Unlimited (NOVATU), the Northern Shenandoah Valley Chapter, and other chapters in the Commonwealth, teach children to fish and learn streamside ecology and conservation. These aren't just any children; those with cancer attend Camp Fantastic and those with HIV go to Camp Funshine, both are held at the Northern Virginia 4-H Educational Center in Front Royal.

The camps and other activities are sponsored by Special Love, Inc., a non-profit organization based in Winchester. At the various camps, children come together to share experiences, to laugh and play, and thanks to TU volunteers, learn how to fish, too. A chance, at least for awhile in the richness of the outdoors, to forget about medicine, the harsh treatments, and perhaps dying.

Most TU chapters in Virginia host children's events as part of their public service activities, and the Rapidan Chapter's Kid's Day is a sight to see. Hundreds of families from all over Virginia assemble on a Saturday in March at the Robinson River in Madison County near Syria. The Graves family, owner of Graves Mountain Lodge, generously allows the gathering on their land along the Robinson. The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) stocks catchable size trout the day before, along a mile stretch of the river which is open only to the children. The stocking of rainbows and some brook trout is overseen by John Kauffman of the VDGIF, Game Wardens and volunteers ensure poachers don't take any trout before the children have their day.

This year's Kid's Day was the best ever. Despite the foggy start and the gray skies, over 500 people attended the all-day event, and most children, ably assisted by parents and TU volunteers, caught fish and had a lot of fun. The Madison County Volunteer Fire Company was on hand with its food trailer full of hamburgers, hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, and water. I was very pleasantly surprised that over a third of the anglers were girls - there is hope for our sport yet!

Dark Clouds

Many of Virginia's native trout, mountain streams are dying, slowly being killed by rising water acidity caused by fossil fuel-burning power plants in other states. In a vicious and deadly cycle, the smoke from coal burned to generate electricity releases to the atmosphere, undergoes a chemical change, and forms acid rain in clouds. The rain-swelled clouds are transported by prevailing winds and dump their poison in Virginia's Appalachian Mountains. Water acid levels rise beyond the stream's natural capability to control it, gradually killing everything affected by the stream. Things die off slowly at first, until algae, aquatic insects. and brook trout are gone.

In the mid-1980's, when the beautiful St. Mary's River (a pristine little bookie stream in the George Washington National Forest), died from acid rain, a study, was launched to find the problems and recommend solutions. The Virginia Trout Stream Sensitivity Study (VTSSS) was born. VTSSS is a cooperative effort between the University of Virginia, VDGIF, the Federal Government, and you guessed it, the Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited.

In 1987, almost 400 stream sites in the state were sampled in a 13 day period. The study indicated that at the current rate of acid pollution many of our trout streams would not support trout populations by about 2040, and they would steadily decline until then if nothing is done. In April 2000, over 200 TUers and other volunteers teamed up with the Environmental Science Department at the University of Virginia to collect 400 samples from 344 brook trout streams. The information obtained from VTSSS and the data from the 1987 study may prove critical to the long-term well being of our native brook trout streams.

Our outdoors is fragile, at the mercy of our relentless quest for convenience, luxury, and self gratification. I'm all for the worldly comforts that science and technology bring, but we need to consider the environment in our calculations. Do we really need more blacktop parking at new shopping malls? Do we need that dam on the river? Do we really need to cut down all those trees for townhouses and homes so close together you could reach out a window and shake hands with a neighbor? What we do need is people who are concerned and do their best to at least maintain, if not improve, what we still have before it disappears forever. When that happens we will not be far behind. Fortunately, we have the Woolmans, the members of Trout Unlimited chapters throughout the Old Dominion, and we have a fish and game department that cares. Working together, we can make a difference. We have to.

Additional Information

Hank and Marcia Woolman, Rapidan Chapter of Trout Unlimited, (540) 253-5545.

Trout Unlimited. Call (703) 522-0200. For more information or to find a TU Chapter near you see http://www.tu.org. There are 18 chapters in the Old Dominion.