Date: Fri, 07/22/2011 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Erin Mooney, TU National Press Secretary, (703) 284-9408 Trout Unlimited’s Mid-Atlantic Council Chair Named to Maryland Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative Advisory Commission Arlington, Va.—Trout Unlimited’s (TU) Mid-Atlantic Council Chair, Nick Weber, of Brookeville, Md., has been named as a member of Maryland’s Marcellus Shale Safe Drilling Initiative Advisory Commission. The Commission will study issues related to natural gas exploration and production in the Marcellus Shale in Maryland. “I’m honored to be a part of this esteemed commission and to use my experience in coldwater conservation to help shape the discussion about gas drilling in Maryland,” Weber said. “Maryland’s natural resources are precious gifts and I will work hard to represent the interests of fish and wildlife in the state.” Maryland’s Departments of the Environment and Natural Resources, in consultation with the Advisory Commission, will conduct a three-part study and present findings and recommendations related to the impact of Marcellus Shale drilling in Maryland. Weber, a longtime TU volunteer, has been chair of TU’s Mid-Atlantic Council since July 2010. Trout Unlimited is the nation’s largest coldwater conservation organization, with 140,000 members dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring North America’s trout and salmon fisheries and their watersheds.