OPTU Newsletter December 2021

December 2021

TO CONSERVE, PROTECT, AND RESTORE NORTH AMERICA'S COLDWATER FISHERIES AND THEIR WATERSHEDS

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Board of Directors

Officers

President: Mickey Fletcher

[email protected]

Vice President: Eric Ferguson [email protected]

Secretary: Sarah Herndon

Treasurer: Bryan Eto

Conservation Chair: TBD

Project Healing Waters Program Lead: Jim Owen

Youth Programs Chair: Steve Reiter

[email protected]

Membership Chair: Steve Reiter

Diversity Chair: TBD

Social Media: Eric Ferguson

Other Board Members

Dennis Jennings, Scott Koktavy

Newsletter Editor: Eric Ferguson

Address:

Old Pueblo Trout Unlimited

51985 E River Road, Suite 201

Tucson, AZ 85718

Contents:

New and Important

Programs

Conservation

Fishing

Events

New and Important

The New and Important section includes the president's monthly message, fund raising items and news about recent developments that effect fishing and conservation.

President's Message

Greetings Arizona Anglers:

Winter is here and I hope you have been able to get outside fishing this Holiday Season. I have attended the Annual Becker Lake Event sponsored by the White Mountain Lake Foundation. I was a “mule” in October as a volunteer with the AZGFD. Other volunteers and I carried 250 Gila Trout up Mt. Graham and stocked the fingerlings in Fry Creek.

I have purchased my new AZ registration this Fall. See photograph: “OPTU.” This year I purchased the Arizona Conservation License Plate. The funds from the purchase of this Conservation License are managed by the Arizona Sportsman for Wildlife Conservation (AZSFWC). The Arizona Council of Trout Unlimited receives funds each year from the sale of the Conservation License Plate. You can personalize the license plate to show your support of fishing and the conservation efforts in Arizona. See: www.servicearizona.com Please consider the purchase of this license plate to contribute to the conservation programs in Arizona.

We had some excellent presentations over the Fall, and will continue back up with the presentations in January. The President is seeking OPTU members willing to volunteer for a position on the Board. We have openings for Conservation, Diversity and several others. I will be calling members who have been attending our Monthly Meetings to determine if you have any interest in Board participation. These positions require very little of your time over the calendar year. Remember a popular phrase in use at my place of employment, “The word NO is a complete sentence. If you have some availability to help in 2022, we could find a place for you. Your time will be well spent.

We do have one new member on the board and like to welcome Dennis Jennings! Dennis will also be serving as an OPTU representative for the AZTU Council.

Hope you enjoyed your Holidays, see you on the water.

Mickey Fletcher, OPTU Board, 520-349-1774

Programs

The Programs Section below covers our regular scheduled programs and our outreach programs.

Monthly Meeting

January 2022 Meeting (Teams)

Duane Redford - Fly Fishing Guide

January 5th 6:30PM - 8:00PM

Join us by way of the Microsoft Teams (see below for Teams information) for a presentation by professional fly fishing guide Duane Redford. Duane spends the majority of his days guiding on the South Platte River near Deckers, Colorado and on the Eagle River near Minturn, Colorado. He began his fly fishing career fishing the Rocky Mountain West, and has been toting a fly rod for better than four decades.

Teams Meeting Info

Topic: Duane Redford - Fly Fishing Guide

Time: January 5, 2022 6:30 PM Arizona

Join Teams Meeting

https://teams.microsoft.com/l/meetup-join/19%3ameeting_NDJiMzY0YjUtYmJlNi00NzgxLTk0OTItYjQzMGY3NTgyODVk%40thread.v2/0?context=%7b%22Tid%22%3a%22a285c9b6-14c0-45fe-bd3d-18bd79bcf36c%22%2c%22Oid%22%3a%222700c5fe-fb73-43a2-ae94-aa64c4adff38%22%7d

Trout in the Classroom

Trout in the Classroom has a brand new website! You can check out the site at https://aztic.org and check out the following presentation https://vimeo.com/649234229 from November for more information about the program and the new website.

Casting Practice

Cancelled until further notice

OPTU Teams with Dry Creek Outfitters to host a casting practice every Saturday at 8:00 am, at Ft Lowell Park. Everyone is welcome regardless of skill level. Most days there is extra equipment and experienced casters to help out beginners.

Project Healing Waters

Conservation

CONSERVATION:

We are looking to get back to our in person conservation efforts in 2022! Mickey would like for us to have a clean up / fishing day down at Parker Canyon Lake this spring, and Nate Rees is looking at getting the stream temperature monitoring efforts going again in the White Mountains. We will have more details to come soon.