Conservation Federation of Missouri!

Water Conservationist, Mike Kruse

Water Conservationist, Mike Kruse

Mike Kruse is a fisheries biologist who has worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation for twenty-two years. He has worked extremely hard over the years to promote conservation in our state and has been very successful on a number of levels. In addition to his main interest in coldwater conservation, Mike is a well-rounded conservationist who is interested in all aspects of the Missouri outdoors.

In the early 1990's Mike worked long and hard on the Spring Creek Trout Habitat Improvement Project. This project involved innovative, collaborative conservation efforts between the Ozark Council of Trout Unlimited, the Ozark Fly Fishers from Saint Louis, the Roubidoux Fly Fishers, the Missouri Department of Conservation, and other organizations.

Mike was the chairman of national Trout Unlimited's Embrace-A-Stream program. This high-profile program provides funding for a wide variety of conservation projects around the country, including habitat restoration, research, and education. Under his leadership there were many success stories and the program showed a great deal of progress. In 2002, the Embrace-A-Stream awards topped $200,000 and critical funding was provided for over forty projects in twenty-two different states.

In October of 2003 the Conservation Commission accepted and approved “A Plan for Missouri Trout Fishing” which outlined a number of ways Missouri's trout program could be improved over the next ten years. The Plan was prepared by the Trout Plan Committee, which was made up of some the Missouri Department of Conservation's brightest and most dedicated employees. Mike Kruse served as the chairman of the committee and was largely responsible for much of its vision and content. In the years since its adoption, Mike has worked diligently for its implementation and deserves much of the credit for the Plan's outstanding success.