Congratulations to Little River Chapter member Bernie Maloy who received the Eddy George Award for significant volunteer work supporting the Fisheries Department of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park (GSMNP). Bernie was instrumental in leading a team of LRCTU volunteers to successful completion of Phase I of the Stream Barrier Survey Project in GSMNP. Bernie participated in a number of other volunteer opportunities including Index of Biotic Integrity Assessments, Water Sample Collection for Acid Deposition Studies, and Brook Trout Restoration Evaluations.
The LRCTU Board of Directors unanimously approved implementation of a Volunteer Recognition Program. In addition to all GSMNP Fisheries Department activities, this expanded program recognizes Chapter members for participation in all volunteer efforts sponsored by our Chapter including, but not limited to, Trout in the Classroom, Trout Camp, Fundraising, Stream Clean-Ups, Community Science, and Service Projects. Details of the recognition program will be presented at the August Chapter meeting. To ensure all members are properly recognized for their accomplishments, be sure and enter your volunteer hours in the Chapter database accessed on the LRCTU.org website.
Speaking of our website, it is in the process of being updated. Although still a work in progress, recent updates have made the site more readable and user friendly. Other changes forthcoming will be updates to our Chapter overview, projects and upcoming events. If you are unable to attend monthly Chapter meetings, the slide presentation for each meeting is now included on the website.
Back on the subject of volunteers. Our Chapter has completed the majority of the more rigorous field work for this summer in GSMNP. It was encouraging to see several of our newer members participating in these events.
We have a couple of major events scheduled for the fall. LRCTU has been selected as an exhibitor for the Townsend Fall Festival on September 29 – 30. We will focus on the legacy of fly fishing in the Smokies and the importance of conserving our cold water resources in and around GSMNP to preserve this fishery for future generations. The other event is our annual on-line auction scheduled from November 20 to December 3. Proceeds from the auction support the GSMNP Fisheries Department. Planning and supporting these events is a significant effort and is somewhat limited by our volunteer base. If you are interested in volunteering in any capacity to assist with one or both of these events contact me at bishmoose@sbcglobal.net.
Bob Bishop,
LRCTU President
