The National Sporting Library will hold a public symposium on fly fishing on Saturday, November 21, "A River Never Sleeps: Conservation, History, and the Fly Fishing River." This will be a full-day program featuring lectures and a panel discussion on fly fishing rivers and conservation, past and present.

Speakers include authors James Prosek ("The Compleat Angler: A Connecticut Yankee Follows in the Footsteps of Walton," "Fly Fishing the 41st Parallel," etc.); (Hoagy B. Carmichael ("The Grand Cascapedia, a Salmon River of History"); and John Ross ("Rivers of Restoration"); as well as environmental and angling historians, Dr. Bryon Borgelt and Dr. Samuel Snyder.

Historically and today, anglers have played a major role in controlling and protecting the resources essential to their sport - rivers and streams. In the 19th century, North American rivers such as the Cascapedia in Quebec and the streams of the Catskills and Adirondacks attracted recreational fly fishers from the wealthy industrialist class. But pollution from mining, lumbering, and industry and the stocking of streams with non-native species threatened the health of rivers and native fish populations.

In the U.S., anglers were responsible for early conservation efforts, which included restricting access to streams, legislating shorter fishing seasons, and regulating fishing on some rivers to flies only. In 1959, the organization, Trout Unlimited, was founded on the banks of the Au Sable River near Grayling, Mich. Today's conservation organizations such as TU and the Federation of Fly Fishers have helped to protect fly fishing rivers from numerous environmental threats, so much so that the Journal for Conservation Biology recently touted recreational anglers as essential to the future of fisheries conservation/restoration.

Advanced registration is required, and seating is limited to 100. There is a $75 registration fee ($50 for students), and public registration begins on August 1. For more information, contact Elizabeth Tobey at 540-687-6542 x 11 or visit http://www.nsl.org/flyfishingsymposium.html.