BRMTU BOARD EARMARKS +$18,000 FOR PROGRAMS, GROUP FUNDING

PROJECTED DISTRIBUTIONS SET FOR STUDENTS, CONSERVATION ORGANIZATIONS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH

07-12-22

The board of directors of Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited #692 in mid-July agreed upon its six-month outlay of funding grants and chapter enhancements. More than $18,000 was earmarked in cash, gear, equipment and materials for conservation programs and organizations, community outreach programs, veterans' services and student groups affiliated with Trout Unlimited.

The following outlay budget will be distributed between April and October 2022:

Casting For Recovery, $2,000
US Forest Service, $1,000
Save Georgia Hemlocks, $500
Trout Camp, $700
Future Farmers of America, $200
Faith Presbyterian Church, $500
BRMTU technology updates, $700
Fannin County Middle School Stream Project, $1,000
Rivers Alive, $400
Membership CPR training, $500
5 Rivers-Young Harris College, $2,000
GA Dept. of Natural Resources/Wildlife Division, $1,000
Smithgall Woods Conservation Area, $1,000
BRMTU storage site, $1,500
Project Healing Waters, $500
Georgia TU Council, $1,000
City of Blue Ridge park signs, $500
Friends of the Hatchery, $500
BRMTU Fishing Dayz, $1,000
Real Estate membership awards, $300

In other business ...

The board of directors agreed to extend its appreciation to each of the primary sponsors of the 2022 Blue Ridge Mountain Trout & Outdoor Adventures Festival. Bob Borgwat and Sam Miller will visit the event sponsors and present a collection of TF t-shirts.
Fishing Dayz -- those gatherings of members for some fishing, fun, food and fellowship will be designated as quarterly events, beginning with the fall season. More info to come from Harmon Smith/Bob Wetzsteon.
The board is investigating a "give back" event (picnic or such) in early fall for BRMTU members and their families in recognition of the TU community in and around Blue Ridge.
Revisions/renewals of the riverside advisory signs is on hold until the project can be defined and delivered to the Fannin Chamber of Commerce for funding through the Community Funding Grant program.

TROUT FEST 2022 SETS NEW FUNDRAISING BAR -- nET PROCEEDS top $25,000

05-25-22

Collectively, Trout Fest '22 was a success that returned record fundraising for Blue Ridge Mountain Trout Unlimited #696. More than 4,000 visitors passed through the gates of the 2022 Blue Ridge Trout & Outdoor Adventures Festival (Trout Fest) last April. Ninety vendor spaces were sold out, and sponsorships rocketed to new heights!

Trout Fest proves why Fannin County -- the official Trout Capital of Georgia -- is among the most popular destinations for outdoor enthusiasts of all kinds! From every angle, Trout Fest '23 was a smashing success. The kids fishing pond (yes! live trout!) ... the wildlife artists ... the outfitters/guides ... the agencies in attendance ... the food trucks ... the mountain bikes ... the live music ...and much more!

Net proceeds of more than $25,000 help the chapter fund its conservation, education and community outreach programs. Some of these programs and agencies include:

Save the date -- the 2023 Blue Ridge Trout & Outdoor Adventures Festival opens its gates on April 29. Planning for it begins in September. Have you got skills you'd like to bring to Trout Fest? Our staff can always use volunteers to help build a bigger, better event each year.

Hook 'em!

Bob Borgwat, event coordinator

email: bborgwat@gmail.com

phone: 706-838-5259

07-29-22 -- President and CEO Chris Wood on the urgent work ahead to make our waters cleaner, our fisheries healthier, and our communities more connected. Click here to view/read.

It's a wrap! August BRMTU membership meeting notes

MEETING DATE -- AUGUST 13, 2022

19 members, 5 visitors
Fishing report???
Treasurer's report not provided ... Larry Myers was not present.
Conservation Chair report not provided ... Carl Riggs was not present.
Chapter president John Jenkins reviewed his trip to the Cx3 TU convention in Portland, Maine.
Tracy Dumakor was introduced (in absentia) as the new president for 5Rivers/Young Harris College.
Discussion arose among guides and visitors from Cohutta Fishing Co. and chapter members about the water temperature and water release issues on the Toccoa River tailwater. Hope to see many of these folks join BRMTU as new members.
BRMTU Vice-president Mel Richardson reported on the PEAKS luncheon the chapter funded at the University of North Georgia/Blue Ridge. PEAKS was a free series of classes for the community. Mel said it was worthwhile to investigate offering a class of fly-fishing or fly-tying. They plan to have a fall session.
Blue Ridge Blues-n-BBQ Festival supports Blue Ridge Trout Festival. Pres Jenkins call on BRMTU members to give back to them by volunteering to help 'em out on September 17 in downtown Blue Ridge.
Fall Arts in the Park, presented by the Blue Ridge Mountain Arts Association, takes place October 8-9. BRMTU volunteers will man one of the gates.
Next meeting -- 9-11 am, September 10 at Faith Presbyterian Church. Program to be announced.

Holiday eats: Crayfish & Eggplant Dressing

Jim Reich Snags Holiday Meal Recipe on South Louisiana Fishing Trip

When BRMTU members travel for their fishing trips, they sometimes return with a catch that includes more than fresh fish. Jim Reich shares this recipe he snagged when fishing this month with his sons about 50 miles south of New Orleans: a hearty crayfish and eggplant dressing from Executive Chef Burney Young of Delta Marina in Empire, Louisiana. r

Summerville trout hatchery gets montana trout eggs

Four shipments to replace trout lost in Labor Day Weekend flood

Despite losing more than 17,000 trout in a Labor Day Weekend flood at its Summerville Trout Hatchery in Chattooga County, the Georgia Department of Natural Resources Wildlife Resource Division (WRD) is making good on its promise that it will not let the near disaster affect trout stockings in 2023.

The hatchery just received 220,000 rainbow trout eggs from Ennis, Montana. It is the first of four egg shipments that will be used to replace the lost fish and stock north Georgia trout streams.

The shipment of 220,000 trout eggs is now in hatching jars at the Summerville hatchery. In those jars, the eggs are gently rolled in a water flow. That keeps the eggs clean and well-oxygenated as they incubate.

The Summerville Trout Hatchery on Fish Hatchery Road was hit with 14 inches of rain in less than eight hours on Labor Day weekend. That caused its trout raceways and production ponds to overflow and that turned the facility into one big lake. It was only by quick action by hatchery personnel that saved the entire facility from an even worse loss. Personnel were netting fish in puddles and asphalt roadways.

Of the 72,000 trout being raised at the facility, approximately 55,000 survived. The majority of the fish that did escape were small fish that were to be stocked in 2023.

Georgia Outdoor News

BRMTU Members trip: South Holston River

The BRMTU South Holston River Trip in Tennessee takes place May 2-4, 2023 . Just three spaces remain open.

Cost: $75 per person ... includes a bed at Redbrick and Farmhouse at Holston Castaways in Bluff City, TN, and three evening dinners.

Trip coordinator: Harmon Smith, phone: 770-540-4608.