Hello all, Happy 2010! I hope everyone had a great holiday and took advantage of
our excellent winter weather for some fishing, skiing or other winter activity.
It really is a wonderful time of year to be outdoors. A couple of weeks ago a
few of us took a day trip up to the Steamboat Springs area. I had always heard
about the "Champagne Powder" up there but had never been in the winter to see it
for myself. There was fresh snow on the ground, snow falling all day, and it was
beautiful. I was almost jealous of the folks skiing on that stuff. The fishing was
pretty darn good, though...
Our guest for the January meeting will be Ken Neubecker, President of Colorado
Trout Unlimited. Ken has been involved in Colorado water issues for many years,
particularly in water needs and impacts on the West Slope. He was involved with
the Statewide Water Supply Initiative (SWSI) and has been a part of the Colorado
River Headwaters Forum for the past 16 years. He was also a co-founder of the
Eagle River Watershed Council and is a current Board member for the Colorado
Watershed Assembly. He will be here to discuss threats to the upper Colorado
River, including trans-basin water diversions, climate change and others.
At the January meeting we will also be voting to approve our 2010 Board of Directors.
We hope to add a couple of new faces, while some are changing positions. The proposed Board:
- Barbara Luneau, President
- James Hooven, Vice President
- William Brower, Secretary & Web Master
- Dick Shinton, Treasurer
- Mark Rayman, Programs Chairman
- Erik Wilkinson, Stream Committee
- Ben Lawhon, Stream Committee
- Chuck Howard, Stream Committee Advisor
- Brad Wallin, Fundraising
- Tom Tinkle, Newsletter
Please come out and lend these hard working volunteers your support.
Stream Update: The installation of the new headgates on the St. Vrain should be completed by spring,
allowing more water to stay in the river through and downstream of Lyons. Erik, Ben and Chuck have been
exploring options for our involvement in the restoration of the river, and have some exciting options
for us to consider, including a possible partnership with the local white-water rafting community.
Stay tuned.
For the February meeting we'll be doing chili and member presentations. If you have a
killer chili recipe you'd like to cook and share, or would like to put together a short
(5-15 minute) presentation on your recent fishing trip to Chile (or wherever), please
sign up with Mark or Barbara at the January meeting, or drop us an email at stvraintu@gmail.com. This is always a lot of
fun and the most popular general meeting of the year.
Art Dudley is putting together the 2nd Annual Fly Fishing Expo at the River Church in Lyons,
tentatively scheduled for April 16th and 17th. Last year's Expo was a lot of fun, even
though Mother Nature wasn't especially cooperative. Details will be coming soon, but expect
local and national speakers, workshops, demonstrations, food and fun on the banks of the
mighty St. Vrain.
Brad Wallin has taken on the challenge of putting together our next fundraiser, tentatively
scheduled for Saturday, May 15th. It takes a lot of work to make that happen, so if you have
a little spare time, please offer some of it to Brad to help him out. Donations of items large
and small for the auction and bucket raffles would be greatly appreciated. See Brad or drop us
an email.
Another plug for Dick's Kids Learn to Fly Fish program. He will be taking applications
through January, with classes starting February 13th. Boys and girls between ages 8 and
13 as of the first class session are eligible. While the class is free, there is a $50
refundable deposit required for participation, though this can be waived in cases of
financial hardship by talking to Dick Shinton. Contact Dick at the meeting or through
the Laughing Grizzly
(laughing.grizzly@gmail.com)
or in person in the shop to register.
A brief note to recognize the passing of Charlie Meyers. The Denver Post's outdoors editor
for many years was well known and loved across Colorado and the country. He was a friend to
conservationists and sportsmen alike, and will be greatly missed. R.I.P, Charlie.
Kid's Fishing day is coming up in June, it's great fun so volunteer to help get these kids
started right. Small item donations for the monthly bucket raffles are much appreciated.
Visit the website and upload some fishin' pics. Chapter fishing trip coming up in March,
where should we go? Hope to see y'all at the meeting on the 21st. Thanks, T
