President’s Beat
ROCKY MOUNTAIN FLYCASTERS
SUMMARY APRIL 2006 TO AUGUST 2007
As prepared by Paul Fromme, Secretary for Greg Evans
This summary of board meeting minutes constitute the annual report of the Rocky Mountain Flycasters Chapter of Colorado Trout Unlimited.
Membership:
Membership remained fairly constant throughout the reporting period. Activities to organize and maintain nametags for the General meetings provided a well-received method of engaging the membership in Chapter activities.
Treasury:
Two funds were maintained. The General fund entered the period with a balance of $8765, and the Projects Fund started with a balance of $3820. Receipts for the General fund came primarily from map sales. Receipts for the Project fund were generated by the meeting raffles and a contribution from Larimer County in support of Eagles Nest activities.
Fund balances on May 15 2007 were $6781 for the General Fund and $2487 for the Projects fund. Disbursements from the Project fund paid for the meeting site at the Hilton and supported the needs of the Eagles Nest Project. Disbursements from the General fund supported the CTU Conservation Scholarships, the ongoing operational needs of the Chapter, the operation of the Web site, and CTU support.
CSU Scholarship:
Led by the efforts of Mark Coleman, the Chapter initiated an Annual Scholarship for a CSU Graduate Student in Fisheries biology. The Chapter set a goal of providing $2000 each year to support this Scholarship. Using the encouragement of a $1000 challenge grant, the Chapter was successful in raising the funds to provide the Scholarship moneys for the 2007 school year. The scholarship was named to honor Dr. Robert Behnke, and recognize the participation of Rocky Mountain Flycasters.
A major contribution from Dr. Behnke and our Chapter’s initial success in fund raising have generated interest and anticipated participation by Colorado Trout Unlimited and national Trout Unlimited through State and National publications.
The initial scholarship has been designated and award ceremonies are anticipated in August or September 2007. A flyer is being designed to solicit donations for this ongoing Scholarship fund.
Eagles Nest:
Support for development and enhancement of the portion of the North Fork of the Poudre River through the Eagles Nest Open Space was the major “hands-on” volunteer activity of the Chapter. Robert Streeter led these efforts. As many as 2000 trees were planted, and the banks of the stream were protected from erosion by installation of riprap and rocks. The effects of the recent drought have been mitigated by repeated watering activities and replacement of deceased trees by repeat plantings. This effort has stimulated interest in expanded opportunities for stream enhancement in the section of the river from Halligan to Seaman reservoirs. This North Fork conservation Project has been designated as a major priority of the Chapter. See Eagles Nest page.
Phantom Canyon:
The Chapter continues its support of the Nature Conservancy Phantom Canyon coldwater fisheries area. This is a second major effort of Rocky Mountain Flycaster’s volunteers. David Piske and Ken Eis have led these efforts. Fishing opportunities for the public were managed through conducting raffles to select fishing participants and Guides were solicited and trained to support public fishing days. Several trail maintenance days were organized and supported by the Chapter. Cooperation with the Nature conservancy resulted in the successful conduct of educational activities in support of the Nature Conservancy conservation goals. See Phantom Canyon page and Chapter page.
SWIG:
SWIG is the Sustainable Water Information Group. This group was organized to disseminate information about current activities to enhance water storage. Robert Streeter represented the Chapter at these meetings. RMFC decided not to support any actions by SWIG beyond information gathering and distribution. Endorsement of, or opposition to activities related to the expansion of Halligan and Seaman reservoirs will be handled through CTU as a part of Statewide cold-water conservation issues. The newly proposed Glade reservoir may have substantial impact on Poudre River flows and is a major concern of SWIG.
CTU Conservation Camp:
Rocky Mountain Flycasters chapter supported Elyssa Ridinger in 2006. Matt Paisley was the 2007 recipient of the RMF/CTU scholarship. Funds for these scholarships came from the General fund. See meeting notes for May, 2007.
CTU Rendezvous:
The Chapter supported participation in the annual CTU rendezvous in both 2006 and 2007. Reports from these meetings have helped define the Chapter goals.
Chapter name:
A suggestion to change the name of the Chapter to honor Dr. Robert Behnke was discussed and rejected.
Budget and Fundraising:
A committee was formed to examine Chapter budget and fundraising. Chapter budget discussions were deferred until fundraising activities and potential were defined. Effort will be directed to publicizing Chapter activities in order to solicit significant contributions from business or corporate entities. Publicity brochures related to fundraising and Chapter activities have been developed and will be submitted for approval.
It was determined that a Banquet will be held in early 2008. Greg Evans volunteered to be the Chairperson of the Banquet. A flyer soliciting support for the Banquet is being developed. It is hoped that donations will support the Banquet before ticket sales.
Newsletters, Publicity and Web Site:
The policy of issuing only one or two newsletters each year was continued. A fall newsletter prior to the September meeting and picnic will be the major newsletter of the year. Other membership notifications will rely on postcards and the Web site. The Web site has been expanded and modified to meet the needs of the Chapter. It has been recommended that the WEB site be promoted as the major communications tool for the Chapter.
General Membership Meetings:
General membership meetings will attempt to provide a short, 10-minute, presentation about conservation issues at each meeting, prior to any fishing presentations. Rods for the 2007 meeting are being obtained from Jax. Meetings will continue to be held at the Hilton despite increasing costs. A goal of conducting fly tying lessons before each meeting was proposed.
River Cleanup:
Cleanup on the Poudre river was scheduled and accomplished in both 2006 and 2007. As a part of the 2007 River cleanup, a bench was installed on the roadside at the request of the Zimmerman family. The Chapter received a donation from CTU to support this activity. See Chapter Activities.
Chapter By-Laws:
The Chapter By-Laws have not been updated since the inception of the Chapter in the 1980’s. A committee was designated to review and update the By-Laws as needed.
Continuing and proposed activities:
The day-to-day activities of scheduling and maintaining the Chapter are augmented by the following special projects:
- Fundraising
- Banquet
- Publicity via newsletters and brochures
- Behnke Scholarship support
- Eagles Nest Open Space and stream enhancement
- Revision of the By-Laws
- North Fork Project
- Nomination of new Chapter Officers
- Mitigation plans for Long Draw Reservoir