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Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited
Chapter #696
Blue Ridge, GA
Monthly Features: Really Learning to Fish by Stony Brooks Volunteerism Exactly what does that mean? It may be defined as contributing one's time or talents for charitable, educational, social, political, or other worthwhile purposes, usually in one's community, freely and without regard for compensation. Trout Unlimited is all about volunteers, each year thousands of people around the country come together to work on education, restoration and preservation project. The membership of Blue Ridge Mountain TU is no different. Last year over a thousand hours of manpower was donated by our membership. That is equivalent to $15,000 of labor, impressive to say the least. This year your leadership team has expanded the programs, including working very closely with the Scouts. The Scout Adventure Trail (first in the nation), Cub Scout fishing days, Boy Scout Fly Fishing merit badge programs and more are dependent upon our Chapter volunteers. In addition to these new programs support is needed to maintain existing programs; Trout in the Classroom, TU National Clean Up Day, Rivers Alive Clean Up, Back the Brook workdays plus some fun activities like our very successful High Country Boil and fishing days. All of these events take planning, action and completion and only with people willing to volunteer can it happen. Everyone has a talent, it could be cooking, setting up tents, artwork or photography, teaching how to tie a knot or just lending a smiling face to a young person and saying job well done. Join other TU members this year helping to make all our programs a success, VOLUNTEER, the personal rewards are priceless.
March Newsletter (to be posted)
High Country Boil - May 15th rsvp by May 5th
Educational Program
Tightlines - Rabun Chapter News Letter
http://www.tva.gov/email/eRiver/2010/march.html
Click on the link for insight on TVA lake elevations and how they may impact generation schedules on the Toccoa Tailwater.
Sign up for the River Neighbors e-newsletter, and you will get this information on a regular basis.
Back the Brookie
Recently TU and other volunteer groups received a special thanks from EBTJV partners GA TU Back-the-Brookie, GA DNR and USFS . Every Trout Unlimited Chapter and Fly Fishing Club in North Georgia is supporting Back-the-Brookie this year including us! Over $12,000 has been donated to conserve, protect and restore native brook trout. The money will fund the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture (EBTJV) intern program. Here are all the partners in this great effort:
Blue Ridge Mountain TU - Blue Ridge GA
Chattahoochee/Nantahala TU - Blairsville GA
Cohutta TU - Marietta GA
Coosa Valley TU - Rome GA
Flint River TU - Peachtree City GA
GA Foothills TU - Clarksville GA
Gold Rush TU - Dahlonega GA
Kanooka TU - Snellville GA
Oconee River TU - Athens GA
Rabun TU - Clayton GA
Tailwater TU - Buford GA
Upper Chattahoochee TU - Roswell
GA Atlanta Fly Fishing Club - Atlanta GA
Georgia Women Flyfishers - Marietta GA
North Georgia Trout Online
Blue Ridge Mtn TU, in turn, thanks the other clubs and chapters, the Georgia State TU Council and its Brookie Chair Kevin McGrath, the Georgia DNR, USFS, and our hard-working state and federal employees and interns who stand side by side with volunteers in the deep woods to get these projects accomplished.
However, while we pause to recognize a good start to 2010's effort, we know it will soon be time to roll up our sleeves and get in the woods again and execute this year's plan. Our Chapter will be spearheading the Cooper Creek work this summer. As we get closer to these events, we will publish all the work days so members who are available can lend a hand.
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Trout Adventure Trail
Educational Program . . .
Needs Volunteers
As most of you know, our chapter is spearheading an exciting educational project, the Trout Adventure Trail. In short, it is a designation of existing trails in the National Forest (in this case the Appalachian and Benton-MacKaye Trails between FS Rd 42 and Long Creek Falls) and adding an educational component involving information on trout, trout habitat, and the importance of sustaining the ecosystem and watershed in which trout exist. We hope to inspire boy and girl scouts, other youth organizations, and the general public to hike these wonderful places and learn as they do so. Most of the educational and planning information provided will be given off-site in the form of written and internet materials. Hopefully there will be a website and supportive alliances with like organizations to make this a special opportunity. Scouts who successfully complete the trail and basic educational proofing will receive a pin, patch or medal (we have not decided yet) approved by their respective organization to wear on their uniform. The trail and its educational components are designed to provide scout advancement and merit badge opportunities and inspiration. This trail will be the first of its kind in the nation, and because the project is receiving such acclaim and reception, we expect other trails of this sort will be created in other locations/states. It would be really terrific if scouts could hike trails like this in NC, SC, TN, etc. The only substantial cost of this project is in the form of volunteer hours. It also has the added value of joining again with partner organizations like other TU chapters in Georgia and Boy Scouts, and working some new alliances in the form of the Georgia Appalachian Trail Club and the Benton-MacKaye Trail Association. Alone we are 250 members in our
Last Friday three of us walked some of the trails we intend to designate as the Trout Adventure Trail. Our report is attached. We will have more visits there and more planning work to do. If you want to help with the effort or just join us while we walk a path for others to follow, let me know. We will be going again in the next week or so, and I will announce when. I might add that we observed some very nice small stream trout water while we are out on the trails. Of course, none of you would join us on the trail for selfish reasons, right? If you do, we don't care. Our effort on this project is infectious, and we will have you whitewashing the fence in no time.
We are also planning other fishing education activities with boy scouts and cub scouts that will pick up this spring, including our own cub scout fishing event at the USFWS Hatchery on May 8. Let us know if you can help with any of these efforts.
Regardless of whether you are in a geographic or time position to participate, let us know what you think of our chapter's educational efforts. Feedback and constructive criticism are good things. We want to hear from you.
MARCH 13th Monthly Meeting
Meeting Topic Change
Saturday's meeting has been changed to a review of all the active programs Blue Ridge Mountain TU has in place. Hope to see you there!
Upcoming Events
March 13 Monthly Meeting 9-11AM
Fannin Chamber of Commerce
March 13 Dream Trip Drawing 6:00 PM
Hoot on the Hooch, Helen GA
March 20 NGTO Spring Fling, Buford, GA
April 10 Fly Fishing for Vets, Atlanta, GA
April 10 Monthly Meeting, Blue Ridge
April 24 Fly Fishing 101
April 28 South Holston, TN Spring Trip
May 1
May 7 Trout In the Class Room Release
May 8 Cub Scout Fishing Event
USFWS Hatchery in Suches
May 11 Shiela Humphrey,
Fannin Midle School
May 15 2nd Annual High Country Boil
May 28-31 Arts in the Park
Downtown Blue Ridge
June 5 State Council Meeting, Helen, GA
June 6 Trout Camp
June 12 Monthly Meeting
June 19 Ramey Workday
June 26 National River Clean Up Day
Additional information visit NEW Calendar of Events page.