STREAMS OF THOUGHT—NOTES FROM THE CHAPTER PRESIDENT
WISDOM COMES WITH WINTERS. — Oscar Wilde
Ok—I think I have built up enough ‘Winter Wisdom’ (ala Oscar Wilde), I want to put it to use!! But I checked the air temperature at the house this morning—in the mid-20s. There is still snow on the mountains which means mostly cold melt water getting to the mountain streams. I also checked water temperatures this morning—Cataloochee in the mid-30s and Little River, high-30s. Even the eternal optimist Byron Begley, in his daily fishing blog the day of this writing, said that ‘don’t expect good fishing’. Bah, humbug! But, having said that there are folks out there doin’ good. Charity posted a pic of recent rainbow she caught while out in the Park (would you expect anything less?) and I have a friend who is a newbie to fly fishing, but is hooked, mostly because of recent success on the Holston. So, there are fishable places out there. I hope you have been able to find some!
This month’s chapter meeting presenter is Britteny Whipple of Keep Blount Beautiful. This is particularly timely because Keep Blount Beautiful, through the efforts of Britteny, has joined us in our Pistol Creek cleanup efforts. She has been responsible for getting the word out to local media and other area conservation groups (we just got a plug from the Little River Watershed Alliance). I look forward to hearing about the group she heads as well as working with Keep Blount Beautiful and other groups to expand our Pistol Creek Cleanup effort. And with time, maybe we can get some increased participation in our annual Little River cleanup in the Park.
Our Trout in the Classroom program continues to move forward. The word is spreading of the success of TIC; we now have 4 schools on the waiting list. We want to incorporate these schools but need volunteer help to make their wish a reality. Contact Jim Jeswald if you are interested.
Tight Lines!
Steve Y
MEETING – THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 24 @ BLUETICK TAVERN, MARYVILLE
Brittany Whipple, Executive Director of Keep Blount Beautiful is going to talk about what Keep Blount Beautiful does and how they work with other non-profits to help keep Blount County clean and beautiful. Social hour starts at 6:00 pm, program starts at 7:00 pm. See you there!
PISTOL CREEK CLEANUP ANNOUNCEMENT FROM LITTLE RIVER WATERSHED
The Little River Watershed Association is joining forces with the Little River Chapter of Trout Unlimited, Keep Blount Beautiful for a cleanup of the Little River and its tributaries after the winter stocking season. Timings are Saturday, March 26th from 9am to 12pm. We will meet at the Blount County Courthouse at 9 am and will cleanup Pistol Creek around Bicentennial Park. Trash bags, gloves, pickers, safety vests, and a limited number of waders will be provided. Volunteers are encouraged to wear long pants and closed-toed shoes that can get wet.
