I want to thank Bob Mallard for expressing his concern about the fate of Maine Audubon’s Brook Trout Survey Project and his recognition that our work documenting and protecting Maine’s wild and native pond-dwelling and sea-run brook trout populations is critical to the survival of these fish (“Brook trout need Audubon’s help,” March 18).

Let me first assure Mallard that despite the leadership transition at Maine Audubon, the project has and will continue to have the organization’s full support.

Maine is the last stronghold for native brook trout and we have both an opportunity and a responsibility to conserve these iconic fish. One of Maine Audubon’s conservation priorities is to use habitat protection and restoration to build resistance and resiliency in species threatened by climate change. Brook trout are a perfect candidate for demonstrating the effectiveness of the strategy and are therefore a priority for our organization.

The state of Maine has more than 6,000 lakes and ponds, and close to 1,000 of these waters have never been surveyed before. We have made great strides, but there are still hundreds of ponds left to be surveyed.

In addition, we are surveying road-stream crossings to determine which ones are barriers to brook trout and other fish and wildlife movement. We are excited to continue both projects in 2016, but to reach our habitat conservation goals we will need the help of impassioned anglers like you.

As Mallard pointed out, I don’t have a background as an angler — although I did recently take my first fly fishing lesson. Since I live in Waterville, which makes Mallard and I almost neighbors, I hope we can go fishing sometime.

One of our challenges has been that often people do not associate brook trout with Maine Audubon, and I am glad to see that keen members like Mallard can be our ambassadors, helping connect sportsmen with our work. I feel very strongly that wild brook trout conservation in general, and the Brook Trout Survey Project in particular, are central to Maine Audubon’s goal of helping people engage with wildlife and wild places so they better understand and cherish Maine’s natural environment.

I want to thank Mallard again for his enthusiasm for the work that we’re doing for Maine brook trout, and I look forward to a continued dialogue with him and other fishermen statewide about this and other issues.

Please continue to spread the word that anyone interested in volunteering for the Brook Trout Survey Project should visit www.maineaudubon.org/brooktrout or call Project Coordinator Emily Bastian at 781-2330, ext. 207.

Ole Amundsen III is the executive director of Maine Audubon.