West Virginia Council of Trout Unlimited Winter Meeting, February 22, 2014

Flatwoods, WV Days Hotel - Mountain Lakes Amphitheater

10:00a Call to Order/Participant Intro/Review Agenda

Approval of Fall 2013 Minutes

  • Randy Kesling motion to accept minutes, Steve Young – Second
  • Minutes Approved

Executive Committee Report:

  • NLC Report (Chris Shockey)
  • All chapters submitted 2013 financial reports
  • Unable to see 990-N submittals – due February 15
  • Wheeling Chapter only had 1 meeting 2013
  • Mountaineer Chapter 0 meetings 2013
  • TU.org website issues - Training session recorded (Feb 3 – TU.org)
  • Current contest for best chapter story (TU.org)
  • Financial Report – Phil Smith via Lee Orr absence
  • 2013 Trout Fest Review
  • 2014 Trout Fest Discussion
  • Will exclude Fly Fishing Show (save $1,000)
  • Discussion on Location/Time of Year
  • Add budget item of $300 for potential liability insurance
  • 2014 Proposed budget attached – Phil Reviewed
  • Steve Young inquired on Chuck Ripper Prints status – “close to breaking even”
  • Dave Bott motion to pass, Anthony Lafferty Second
  • Legislative Update – Phil Smith
  • Birth Place of Rivers Update
  • Current WV Water Quality/Politics Update & Discussion
  • By-Laws Update
  • No Comments on previous proposed changes with new By-Laws
  • Phil Smith proposed consolidation of various WVTU committees
  • No discussion
  • Steve Young motion to accept, Larry Orr Second
  • Unanimous vote to amend By-Laws

Chapter Updates:

BCTU via Anthony Lafferty

  • Fundraiser March 6
  • Trout in the Classroom Update (TIC “struggling” statewide this year)
  • Spoke on strong membership but lack of participation at meetings - Consistent 12 participants

ENCTU – Steve Young

  • Annual Banquet - March 11th – Online Registration
  • New Website up – ENCTU.org
  • Partnered with Clay Center / DNR on promoting the Arts
  • Getting some fish for display ENCTU and DNR provided fingerling brown trout
  • Activities – SOS on Loop in April/October, Annual Stockings
  • New membership – Class in the angling arts – fly tying, rod building – participants get a free membership to ENCTU
  • Membership bouncing around 550

KYOVA – No Representatives

  • Phil updated council on their chapter activities 2-3 meetings a year
  • Fly Tying & Fly Fishing activities
  • Phil receives their newsletters
  • KYOVA has had no participation with Council past several years

MCTU – No Pulse

  • Dave Bott updated Council on rebuilding participation
  • Chris Byrd – Fly Tying Class
  • Dave Bott spoke with Gary Berti on Fly Tying class
  • Re-charter Chapter concerns
  • Discussion on new chapters in MCTU area

Northern Panhandle, no representatives

  • Dave Bott updated council on chapter activities
  • Judy and Chapter are still active
  • Goal to rebuild relationship with council

PPKTU

  • Dave Bott updated council on chapter activities
  • North Fork Clean-Up still scheduled
  • March 28th Fundraising banquet

SFTU

  • Philip Smith gave update to council
  • Meetings every month
  • Awareness cards were made for distribution and spreading the word
  • 15 current members, several more interest
  • April 26 – First Fundraiser (Bluegill Tournament), Local clean-up, Scout participation, “trout talk”
  • Chapter is brainstorming habitat projects

Southern West Virginia

  • New Chapter
  • Meeting monthly, board of directors monthly meeting
  • Athens, WV current location
  • Current hang up is with UGTU to approve/object zip codes
  • Finglering stockings in Glade Creek, TIC at 2 schools (participation from East River TU)
  • Supporting ENCTU with Elkhorn Cleanup
  • Brainstorming Milking Creek and Rich Creek projects, Adopt-a-Road/Adopt-a-stream program near a fishable creek for advertising/visibility

UGTU – No representative

  • Larry Orr proposed motion to donate $500 to new startup chapters
  • Dave Bott second
  • Unanimous vote in favor to donate $500 each to SFTU and SWVTU

Committee Officer Reports

  • Marcellus Shale / Water Quailty Report – Randy Kesling
  • Water Quality Monitoring Program. Jaimie Holmes
  • Trained 50 people, 30 monitors on streams, 3 trainings to date Fayetteville, Morgantown, Charleston
  • Training slated for Elkins, March 1st
  • Currently no funds for additional trainings
  • DEP will use data from water quality
  • ENCTU will fund 2 kits
  • Randy will talk to Jaimie on monitoring kits prior to council purchasing/donating any kits
  • Nature Conservation will share a data report on location of impact
  • Trout Festival (see above comments)
  • Fly Fishing School – Polly Kalich
  • 25 (2012) dropped to 9 (2013)
  • Tentative Date May 16, 2014
  • Randy Ash commented on moving Fly Fishing School to a new location that is easier for traveling
  • Discussion on moving date of Fly Fishing School
  • Summary: Fly Fishing School & Trout Fest will attempt to combine, but unsure of location.
  • Elk River Sewage Plant – Larry Orr via Steve Sattler
  • In the hands of the lawyers
  • Local issue

Updates from National TU positions in WV – See attachment

Updates from WV DNR – John Robinski

  • Bucket Brigade Update
  • Handout on Angler’s Survey on Fishing treated streams
  • Jonathan Paine discussed creating an electronic survey and publicizing

Upcoming Spring Council Meeting the afternoon of the 2014 Bucket Brigade.

Meeting Adjourned 1:05pm

Winter 2014 Attendance:

Name / Chapter / Email
Philip Smith / SFTU /
Jonathan Paine / MCTU /
Polly Kalich / MCTU /
Steven Pugh / SWVTU /
Randy Ash / SFTU /
John Rebinksi / WVDNR /
Chris Shockey / BCTU /
Larry Orr / ENCTU /
Steve Young / ENCTU /
David Bott / PPKTU /
Randy Kesling / MCTU /
Anthony Lafferty / BCTU /