Artwork must feature a Western U.S. Native Trout species from the Official Fish List (marked with a W)
Applicable Species for 2022 are:
Trout and char are the common generic descriptor for a number of freshwater fish species in the salmonid family. Trout and char have no spines on the fins, and all of them have a small adipose fin along the back, near the tail. Trout and char prefer cold, clean, and flowing water, and are important as “indicator species” of a watershed.
The western U.S. is home to more varieties of living native cutthroat trout than anywhere else in the nation. Native trout and char have long been considered biologically, recreationally, and culturally important, but many species have declined across the Western U.S. due to human development, habitat fragmentation, and competition from non-native fish.
Many government agencies, individuals, and groups of people are doing conservation projects to improve habitat for native trout across the western U.S.
The Western Native Trout Initiative (WNTI) is a program of the Western Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and a public-private partnership under the National Fish Habitat Partnership that works across 12 western states to conserve 21 native trout/char species regarded as icons of the American West. WNTI provides a new approach and unified voice to improve the return on investment of time and money dedicated to native trout conservation through collaboration among multiple state, federal, and local agencies plus private sector organizations, tribes, and individual landowners. Projects funded by the Western Native Trout Initiative are located in the last, best places, creating lasting benefits not only for western native trout, but also for other aquatic species, wildlife, and surrounding human communities.
