Members Making News COMING SOON!
Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited
Chapter #696
Blue Ridge, GA
Outgoing President’s Message By Ralph Artigliere First, I want to say how pleased I am that Mike Holloway is taking over as President of the Chapter. Mike is a great guy, a tireless worker, a good teacher, and a leader we can all get behind. I hope Mike enjoys leading this great group of people that make up our Blue Ridge Mountain TU as much as I did. Rather than gushing about our great group of members to the point of causing others who may read this to doubt that it could be as good as I say it is, let me list for you some of what we accomplished this year as a chapter and as individuals. I have previously thanked and credited individuals, and if I tried to do that again, I may leave someone out, so I am going to just list our chapter’s successes as a group and individually since last October 1 in no particular order and unembellished and without editorial comment. Res ipsa loquitor: the thing speaks for itself! · Placed safety signs for the Toccoa Tailwater at three public access points. · Developed and distributed a new safety brochure for the Toccoa Tailwater. · Conducted Trout in the Classroom at · Assisted a responsible developer to initiate a prototype conservation program using tax credits and provided volunteer hours along with Chattahoochee-Nantahahla Chapter adjacent to the · Sponsored two young trout campers at TU Trout Camp. · Participated in TU and NGTO Back the Brookie Stream restoration projects including one that we organized and executed at Little Rock Creek. · Spearheaded with Chattahoochee-Nantahahla Chapter the repair and renovation of the Forest Service/DNR equipment for safely driving steel, the Pionjar, when it died this past season. Our effort rallied every TU chapter and NGTO to chip in with the Forest Service to repair the device. · Underwrote the cost of a Lifetime License as an incentive for participating in for DNR’s · Participated by ride-along in electroshock study of the · Volunteered to assist Coosa Chapter in their Chili Cookoff in · Sent multiple representatives to every State Council meeting. · Conducted our own 50th Anniversary Toccoa Tailwater cleanup while rallying the most number of volunteers in the nation generating an award from TU. More importantly, ¾ of a ton of trash, including tires, appliances, construction debris, bottles, and cans were removed from the Tailwater. · Conducted a cleanup effort on Weaver Creek. · Worked together with other TU chapters, Boy Scouts and NGTO on river cleanup, Back-the-Brookie, and other service projects, forging relationships that will strengthen as time passes. · Traveled and stayed together on an annual fishing trip to the Holston and Watauga area of · Conducted monthly meetings with a record numbers of attendees listening to guest speakers of interest to TU members and the community in general. · Traveled to the Nantahahla for a stream of the month outing. · Participated in Arts in the Park to distribute information about the TU message and raise some funds for our local projects. · Participated in the Wildlife Arts Festival (fall) to broaden our public presence. · Joined the Chamber of Commerce and worked with Chamber personnel and resources on service projects (Rivers Alive) and to generate the TU message. TU leaders took Chamber personnel fly fishing to broaden their understanding of the resource and the TU message. · Provided leadership and sponsorship for Rivers Alive stream cleanup, which has been moved to November 7 this year. · Conducted our first Trout Fishing 101 for members and community adults and kids. · Initiated a Fly Fishing merit badge program to educate scouts and scout leaders about fly fishing and the TU message and to help scouts achieve merit badge and rank advancement, including our first day-long educational event with 15 scouts, 4 scout leaders, and 12 volunteers from our chapter and 4 from Chattahoochee-Nantahahla. · Traveled to Mountaintown Creek to view damage to riparian trails and creek bed. · Wrote position statements and comments on the Blue Ridge Dam Project, Mountaintown Creek bike trails, Toccoa River Commercial Rafting, · Participated in assisting DNR in proposed purchase of the · Conducted a wonderful Christmas Party social event. · Engaged in successful fundraising efforts for local and statewide projects. · Continued effort toward advocating special regulations for the Toccoa Tailwater. · Helped stock the DH. · Initiated and conducted fly tying classes at Unicoi fly shop. · Appeared on local cable TV in support of stream cleanup efforts. · Placed a display about fly fishing literature with an underlying TU message in prominent display case at local library. · Updated and improved the chapter website. · Maintained an informative monthly newsletter. · Communicated important chapter and TU information plus conservation alerts on our chapter email list. · Put on a High Country Boil that was fun, an effective fundraiser, and an event that brought guests from the local community, State of · Participated in and supported Fly Fishing for Vets activities. · Met with our State Representative regarding hatchery funding issues and wrote in support of sufficient budgeting to save the Lake Burton Hatchery. · Manned the TU Booth at the · Attended the DNR Toccoa River Protection meeting at Toccoa Riverside Restaurant in March. · Attended and supported Coosa Chapter Earth Day activity. · Attended and supported fundraising events of fellow Trout Unlimited Chapters. · Conducted water samplings in · Sold more than our chapter’s share of Dream Trip tickets, assisting the State Council in making the raffle a total sellout and success. I am sure there is more I could write. It has been an amazing year by any standard because we came together as a group with a common purpose, we partnered with other like-minded organizations and people, and we kicked butt. It is as simple as that. Thank you. Every one of you.
An Editorial Dispatch on The Toccoa River's Future
By BRMTU Newsletter Editor Joe DiPietro
As BRMTU members many of us are constantly pondering the future of the Toccoa. However, it's my opinion that too many people in the general public fail to look at the broad future of the Toccoa River watershed and its tributaries. Today, the river and the creeks that feed it are filled with numerous unanswered questions: How will the impending 2010 draw-down of Lake Blue Ridge for Dam repair affect aquatic life, both in the lake and up-, and down-stream from the dam? What will the increasing number of tubers/paddlers on the upper-end of the river do in terms of ecological degradation and additional litter? Does the Toccoa River tailwater have the ability to support self-sustaining populations of trout without the help of stocking? The list of questions goes on and on.
I propose that we encourage the members of our community think about what the Toccoa River will look like in 30 years. As an average citizen, what do you expect it to look like? Will it remain the same, or will someone step up to make sure it's protected as it should be? Between poachers, developers who do not practice legally-required Best Management Practices and a myriad of other complexities, it seems to those of us who hope to maintain the river that we are fighting an uphill battle.
Despite the efforts of the county- and state-wide "Rivers Alive" annual cleanups, the amount of trash (by the ton) continues to go up each year, according to data from the Fannin County Chamber of Commerce. Unfortunately, I don't think this should be misconceived as more people helping in the clean-up events. Rather, I think it is more likely the result of an increasing number of careless users and increasing development along the river.
My hope is that the U.S. Forest Service will step in where it can, on it's property, and establish what's known as a "long-term river management plan" for the Toccoa River Watershed. This would include a management plan to be re-evaluated on a 15-year basis. However, during periods between the re-evaluation, the long-term plan needs to include "limits of acceptable change" to allow for new outfitters, businesses and growth to occur in a sustainable and "acceptable" manner along the Toccoa River. All the while, keeping the river's best interests at heart.
This, to me, seems the best avenue. I wish there was some way to aggregate the upper and the lower portions of this river, in terms of management. But, with private property owners, the TVA and the USFS controlling different portions, it seems almost impossible. Still though, there must be a way to work together.
I often tell clients who I take fishing: "We have two main industries in Fannin County... tourism and real estate..." and while people aren't buying homes at booming rates right now, we still have plenty of folks taking advantage of low/discounted rate cabin rentals/sales.
As I look to the future, I hope to see continued growth and prosperity in and around the Toccoa River watershed. Still, I pray it happens in a sustainable, green and environmentally-friendly way. My life, my income, the food on my table depends on this. Some of my goals and dreams depend on this. I can only hope that all who use the river can find some common ground to maintain it's current state, if not improve it.
Someday, it would be awfully nice to take my future grandchildren fishing on the Toccoa River and have them enjoy it just like it is today. I left my home state of Florida after hearing too many stories of "how the saltwater fishing in Tampa Bay used to be." God, please don't leave me telling my children and grand-children about how the Toccoa River used to be...It's too good of a resource, I want them to experience it for themselves.
With the right regulations and cooperative efforts between landowners, all river users, the Ga. DNR, the USFS, the TVA and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, I believe this dream of mine is possible. I feel I owe it to the "old timers," who have already told me of how the fishing in Fannin County's public waterways "used to be," to make this cry of help for the Toccoa.