Rusty Chinnis is the quintessential Florida “location scout”. With the foundation’s “Guardians of the Gulf” red tide documentary, Rusty assisted EISF President, Susan Sember, in mapping out some of Florida’s most breathtaking Gulf locations to compile a production shot list. Rusty also supported the high definition video production by taking Susan and her crew to some of the Gulf’s most picturesque venues on the water, while he personally captained the boat donated by Cannons Marina, along with additional captaining and travel on Rusty’s personal boat for further filming.
As an accomplished outdoor writer and photographer, a passionate conservationist and fly-fishing guru, Rusty took the EISF film crew to some of his “secret spots” to reveal a Florida worth fighting to protect. As a board member of the Manasota chapter of START (Solutions to Avoid Red Tide), Rusty has been involved in that organization’s red tide efforts, as well as being involved in other campaigns to preserve and protect the natural resources of Florida. Rusty, as President of Sarasota Bay Watch, is now building yet another positive Gulf legacy, along with his day to day business as a local contractor, committed to building "green."
Previously, Rusty was a founder and first president of the Manatee Chapter of the Florida Conservation Association, and co-chairman of the Sister Keys Conservancy. The conservancy lobbied successfully to preserve the largest undeveloped group of islands from Tampa Bay to Charlotte Harbor. The conservancy was awarded the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Award in Washington, D.C., for its work. In addition, Rusty is also passionate about saving the seagrasses of Florida and elsewhere. This past summer, Rusty worked feverishly to have a “poll and troll” zone created in the Sister Keys flats. Rusty has also assisted EISF on location in its production of an international seagrass documentary that was kicked off with an initial shoot in Florida. Again, Rusty’s “on the water” expertise proved valuable to the EISF film crew in its shots of the seagrass beds, the life within them, the prop scars caused by boaters, and the restoration techniques occurring on the Gulf.
Rusty is the past president and chairman of The Florida Outdoors Writers Association and a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. He’s a Contributing Editor to Flyfishing in Saltwaters Magazine, and the Outdoors Editor of the Anna Maria Island Sun, as well. As a member of the Federation of Fly Fishers and is an FFF Certified Fly Casting Instructor, Rusty is intimately aware of the environmental and human impacts that directly affect his sport and he is truly committed to making a difference to negate or reduce those impacts.
As a fly-fisherman extraordinaire, Rusty knows the waters. As an outdoor photographer, he knows the light. And as an outdoor writer, he knows the locations and the stories behind them. Rusty is one of the most uniquely qualified supporters we’ve encountered and EISF is most appreciative of Rusty’s contributions to our projects!