Daniel, Check out Shamokin Creek Restoration - They are working at reclaiming acid mine drainage. http://www.shamokincreek.org/

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GentleShepherd
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I would put the Sierra Club on the list. The Sierra Club isn't itself devoted to fish and wildlife, but does have a committee, at least here in Washington, dedicated to protecting our wild rivers and streams... we're very strongly opposed to the hydroelectric power plant projects that several companies are trying to get approvals to build throughout the Cascades, among other things.

Many thanks Daniel for contributing the Tenkara gear auction lot for the Wild Trout Trust annual fundraiser.

In total this year we managed a great £51K from a couple of hundred lots (which for a relatively small UK conservation charity is really good going).

Can I add the idea that a portion of the contributions go to environmental work in other countries? The reasons I say this is that part of the support of TenkaraUSA products comes from places like Europe and Canada. Also, a lot of the mentorship and support given to western tenkara came out of Japan as its source. First, maybe a small portion of the contributions could go toward supporting the mountain rivers of Japan. Dr. Ishigaki and others might have a better understanding for how badly such support is needed. Second, I just read Paul Gaskell's topic about The Wild Trout Trust in Britain. Since a portion of tenkara sales are quartered in Britain, why not consider that environmental causes there be also considered? I'd say the same for Canada. I realize that only so much can be done at any time, especially in the early years of a project. But I guess what I'm suggesting is that intention is important, and to increase the international range of our thinking, especially since the environment knows no boundaries.

Final thought: Good on ye for doing this, Daniel!

- Jack

Edit: I see that Paul G. just wrote a post thanking Daniel. Great job, Daniel, and I thank you also!

I try to strike a balance of supporting many organizations, but also not spreading money too thinly among them. I feel that sending more money to a couple of organizations can generally help accomplish more than sending just a little money to several - even though marketing-wise it would be more valuable to send more money to several groups.

These are not the only ones we supported, there are quite a few groups we supported with gear donation and smaller cash donations, but these are the organizations we gave the bulk of our money to this year:
Trout Unlimited - awesome work all throughout
South Yuba River Citizens League- great work in my "home" waters
American Rivers - dam removal and more
http://hands.org/ - great work in Japan after the tsunami.

The last 3 years I have focused primarily on US-based groups, but in 2011 we have sent a good amount of money to Japan, primarily because of the Tsunami. I have also supported groups in Canada and the UK, and expect to do more in the years to come. The more we grow, the more money will be sent to more organizations. There is just no question about it.

And, just as a side-note: We donate 1% of our REVENUES, not profits. . Thus, our donations are in perfect proportion with the number of people taking it up (through Tenkara USA of course) , not with how I manage the business. Tenkara USA has doubled in size every year since I started and so have our donations. In 2011 but I managed to keep my profits the same as in 2010 by spending a lot of money, but that has not in any way affected the amount of money I contributed. So, a big difference between promising to donate part of profits, v. part of revenues. BIG difference.

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About me and Tenkara USA

Daniel,

Thank you for the detailed explanation. I understand what you're saying about the need to concentrate donations. I hope what I said didn't come on too strong, because it wasn't meant that way. My post was meant to hopefully balance the suggestions of the other posters by adding a few global suggestions and was really meant for everyone who reads this thread.

I know you're working internationally, such as in Britain (as the post from Paul G. states) or in Japan after the tsunami last year (for example by auctioning your two personal prized tamo). TenkaraUSA always seems to have a very international outlook and is carrying this out really well.

- Jack

Hi Jack, I didn't take it in a strong tone at all. Truly I like to hear feedback and suggestions in this regard as it is something very new to me. I actually consult with a few people before sending money out to see what kinds of projects are being carried on etc. So, I need this type of comment.
I wrote a longer reply with explanations simply for the record. I don't usually feel too comfortable bringing our donations up as I don't see them as part of marketing as many companies do, but as a tax we need to pay (and actually feel good about paying). I do not write so much about that in our blog, but this is a good place to write about this for the record.
So, thank you for keeping this thread alive.

Comments and suggestions for specific organizations are ALWAYS welcome! I may not send money to a suggested organization right away, but they enter our radar when people post them here.

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Tenkara USA, founder
打仁得流, テンカラ大使
About me and Tenkara USA

International Rivers - they might be a little out of the box, but I think that what they do is important. The awareness that they have helped raise, with partners and the Patagonia Defense Coucil, in Chile is remarkable. It would be such a shame is the Rio Baker and Pascua were to be dammed...