Press release from Charles Crolley:
Zoë Mihalas of Brevard, NC was recognized at the 2018 National Meeting of Trout Unlimited (TU), receiving the organization’s prestigious National Award for Distinguished Service in Youth Education.
The award recognizes the fundamental importance of creating a new generation of conservationists in a manner that sustains TU’s conservation legacy, and honors individuals who demonstrate exemplary leadership, and a deep passion for inspiring young people to become thoughtful, responsible stewards of North America’s coldwater fisheries.
Zoë is an alumnus of The Outdoor Academy and is currently a junior at Brevard High School where she particularly enjoys studying Environmental and Natural Resources, Horticulture, Biology and English, and where she plays on the varsity women’s tennis and soccer teams.
Principal among her many regional volunteer activities is her active leadership of the Pisgah Chapter of Trout Unlimited, serving on its board and helping with its youth programs. “Growing up, fly fishing and being on the river was a common practice of my family, and so was attending TU events,” Zoë said when asked how she became involved in the sport and in the organization.
“They always did a really nice job of keeping youth included, whether we were coloring trout, looking at aquatic invertebrates or honing our fly tying or casting skills. When I started to get a bit older I realized how many of my values aligned with Trout Unlimited’s values and how many opportunities TU has to offer for me to get involved.
“When I joined Trout Unlimited 10 years ago I never could have told you how much this organization would mean to me. The interest grew over time and so did the opportunities to be a leader in Trout Unlimited.”
It was in 2016 when Zoë first attended Rivercourse, the North Carolina Trout Unlimited Camp, that she met others her age who shared her passion for fly fishing and concern for our nation’s coldwater fisheries. Inspired, she went on to attend the national “2016 TU Teen Summit”, has returned each year and plans to go back in 2019.
As a result of her leadership locally and nationally, she was nominated for the Award for Distinguished Service in Youth Education by Franklin Tate, Trout Unlimited’s Director of Youth Programs.
“For the past three years, Zoë has been a leader within TU’s Youth Leadership Council (YLC) where she helps coordinate social media projects and contests, all of which are meant to bring new teens into TU and get them to participate in events like camps and the Teen Summit,” Tate said in his nomination.
“Zoë has given countless volunteer hours to TU via the YLC’s strategic planning and outreach projects that occur over the course of every school year. She is a tireless believer in conserving our wild places. Her love of wilderness and the outdoors translates into a passion for native and wild trout, and she can often be found somewhere on a creek in Pisgah National Forest.”
Zoë credits her family for her love of fly fishing and our wild places, and credits Trout Unlimited with making her part of a special community of lifelong friends, teachers and mentors; a community that she believes has helped shape her character and determine her future. “I have enjoyed so many aspects of being on the Youth Leadership Council,” she said. “Everything from our planning sessions to our time on the water together, I have truly made lifelong friends through this program.
“The biggest challenge for TU and for most other organizations when it comes to growing youth involvement is the perception that youth don’t care and are not interested — that we are busy playing video games and snapchatting. All those organizations need to do to engage us is awaken the curiosity that we have, just enough to open our minds and not to overload them. Think of it as setting a match to a fire that hopefully will burn for the rest of our lives.”
In a year or so Zoë will age out of the TU Teens program and plans to continue her participation in one of the 5 Rivers college programs offered by TU. Ultimately, she hopes to work for an environmentally-focused group — perhaps even Trout Unlimited.
“We are captives of a civilizational system that more or less compels us to go on destroying the Earth in order to live,” she replied when asked what she thinks is today’s most critical conservation issue. “Every single aspect of climate change is negatively impacting our precious planet. Reading the now few-day-old UN Climate Report, I learned we have a predicted 12 years (2030) to cut our emissions in half if we as a planet want to maintain our Earth, the place we all call home. That is a frightening and immense challenge for humankind.
“Fortunately, we have a new generation of environmentally conscious youth who are ready to influence and participate in conservation efforts now and in the future. Trout Unlimited has the opportunity and ability to influence us and guide us on that journey.”
Beverly Smith, TU’s Vice President of Volunteer Resources, had this to say about Zoë’s leadership qualities: “I think it would be fair to say that Zoë leads by example. She models the fun, welcoming culture we’re trying to create among the TU Teen program by being fun and welcoming herself.
“Zoë is helping to shift the TU culture for the better, and I believe that will help us to attract and retain more and different people well into the future. Because she comes from a ‘TU family’ and because she has had such extensive experience with TU beyond just the youth programs, including with one of the most effective chapters in the country, she brings a broader and more comprehensive perspective to her engagement with TU. She understands that it’s not enough for the TU Teens to be a supplemental program that operates outside of the TU culture. She’s modeling this with her leadership, how she chooses to engage, and how she communicates that engagement.
“She is authentic, sincere and genuinely interested in conservation and Trout Unlimited.”
Zoë is the daughter of Mike and Nicole Mihalas of Brevard and most enjoys the time she spends fishing with her entire family, including her brothers Nicholas and Xan.
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