The Fish and Boat Commission is pleased to announce Commissioner Charles Charlesworth has been named "2021 Conservationist of the Year" by the editors of Fly Fisherman magazine.

An article in the January 2021 edition of Fly Fisherman highlights Charlesworth's decades of environmental stewardship, including the restoration of the once polluted Lackawanna River, now considered one of the Commonwealth's premier trout streams and named 2020 River of the Year by DCNR and the PA Organization for Watersheds & Rivers. 

Today, nearly 18 miles of the Lackawanna River is designated by the PFBC as either a Class A Wild Trout Water or as Trophy Trout Water.

Anglers seeking more information about wild trout fishing opportunities on the Lackawanna River should visit the Pennsylvania's Best Fishing Waters section on the PFBC website or FishBoatPA mobile app.

In addition to the award, Simms Fishing Products will make a $10,000 donation in Charlesworth's name to Lackawanna Valley Trout Unlimited to continue its work in river restoration, water quality monitoring, and youth education.

Charlesworth was appointed as a PFBC Boating-At-Large Commissioner in June 2019.  He resides in Clarks Summit, Lackawanna County.

For more information on fishing and boating in Pennsylvania, visit the Fish and Boat Commission website.

Conservation Leadership This Week:

-- Allegheny County Community College Approves Installation Of 540-Kilowatt Solar Energy Array

-- City Of Philadelphia Commits To Carbon Neutrality By 2050, Releases Climate Action Playbook, Hires First Chief Resilience Officer

-- Thouron Family Partners With Brandywine Conservancy, Oxford Area Foundation To Protect 577 Acres along Octoraro Creek In Chester County

-- Reclaiming Appalachia Coalition Highlights Projects To Restore Old Coal Sites, Including EPCAMR Solar Energy Redevelopment Of Abandoned Mine Sites

-- Mountainhome United Methodist Church Partners With Brodhead Watershed Assn. To Install 2 Green Infrastructure Projects In Monroe County

-- Delaware & Hudson Rail-Trail Named 2021 Pennsylvania Trail Of The Year

-- New Paradise Discovery Nature-Play Park Now Open In Monroe County

[Posted: January 11, 2021]

1/18/2021