With 20 per cent of the world’s fresh water, the largest number of lakes in the world (31,000) and the fifth largest number of rivers worldwide, a Canadian charitable group that invests in projects aimed at enhancing those waterways in this country has a lot on its plate.

Trout Unlimited Canada (TUC), a Calgary- and Barrie, Ont.-based organization that has launched dozens of projects to enhance fish habitat and water quality since being formed in the early 1970s by a group of Ontario and Quebec-based anglers, needs help to continue that work, said CEO Silvia D’Amelio.

“We’re in dire need of additional ticket sales for our March 18 event,” she said of the group’s annual Calgary fundraising dinner. “It’s our largest single fundraising event.”

With an overall annual budget of $2 million, the annual TUC dinner has in the past raised as much as $1 million.

But “due to recent negative changes in the economy,” with an already depressed oil and gas industry now coping with the impact on the world’s economy from the Coronavirus (COVID-19), ticket sales this year have lagged, she said.

The annual Calgary Water Conservation Dinner and Auction, being held at the Hudson (located on the sixth floor of Calgary’s downtown Hudson’s Bay building, 200 - 8 Ave.), will include raffles, auctions and the sale of merchandise and art, all with the aim of raising vital funding for TUC activities. The doors for the event open at 5 p.m. Tickets will cost $350 per person for the event.

“Historically the oil and gas industry has been our strongest supporter,” said D’Amelio. “We’ve been proud to work with the industry.”

In fact, many of the organization’s projects have involved co-operation with the industry.

The TUC, which has 27 chapters across the country, may have been launched by anglers, but its membership now includes conservationists, environmentalists, landowners and others who are concerned about preserving Canada’s reputation as a land of clean and abundant fresh water.

Industrial development, urban development and other factors now jeopardize that reputation, which is why D’Amelio says the work of the organization is so vital.

“Our role of helping to protect water quality has become more important,” she said.

The organization does so through becoming involved in projects aimed at erosion control, flood management and other initiatives.

While the TUC has other fundraising initiatives across Canada, she said it’s important for the upcoming dinner to preserve its role as a key fundraising effort, especially given Alberta’s reputation as a paradise for anglers and others who enjoy the outdoors.

To purchase tickets for the event go to the group’s website or call 519-994-2180.