February 16th Monthly Meeting Speaker - Phil Shook
On Tuesday, February 16th at Fayerweather Yacht Club, we are fortunate to have Phil Shook, author of "A Fly-Fishers Guide to the Northeast Coast" as well as many other fishing guide-books and magazine articles. Phil is a Field-Editor for Eastern Fly Fishing Magazine, a prolific outdoor writer, a great fisherman and and all around easy going and knowledgeable person. He will be discussing fishing in the area along the northeast coast; the types of fishing such a weakfish in New Jersey and New York, striper fishing along the coastline and he will include our home waters as well. Phil will also be discussing points of access, what the best times of the year are to fish and fly patterns that he has found to be successful and consistant.
Pre Meeting Fly Tying with Fred Lord is on for 6:30. Join Us!
| Photo of Phil and Mr. Striper |
Connecticut's Wild Trout Program
Tuesday, February 9
At the Mianus Chapter's February meeting, Mike Humphreys, a biologist with the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, will present on the state of wild trout in Fairfield County and beyond. Mr. Humphreys, who leads the state's program to reintroduce, protect and grow wild trout in rivers throughout the state will discuss recent successes and how protecting wild trout should be a priority to all anglers. The meeting begins at 7:30 p.m. at Waveny Mansion in New Canaan. Members, guests and the public are free to attend. Directions.
THE BIG JANUARY FLY FISHING SHOWS ARE COMING SOON!
Marlborough, MA – Jan. 15-17, 2010
Royal Plaza
Somerset, NJ -- Jan 22-24, 2010
Garden State Convention Center
for more info …
www.flyfishingshow.com
SATURDAY APRIL 10TH-Fairfield PAL fishing Derby for kids 15
and under at Gould Manor Park in Fairfield- volunteers needed to
man a T.U. table with pamphlets, information and a sign-up sheet
and to assist the kids with baiting hooks, untangling their lines, etc.
SATURDAY APRIL 17TH- Nutmeg T.U's annual Banquet at Tashua
Knolls Country Club in Trumbull. This is Nutmeg T.U.'s most
significant fund-raising event and we encourage all to attend.
SATURDAY MAY 8TH- Fishing instruction for kids at the Trumbull
Nature and Arts Center on Rte. 25 in Trumbull- volunteers needed
for the same duties as above.
We also will be participating in another similar annual event at
Toth Park in Easton - Date to be announced
FRI. SAT. SUN. JUNE 4-6 - Nutmeg T.U.'s third annual
camping/fishing outing at Housatonic Meadows State Park in
Sharon Ct.- We will have a barbecue and there are plenty of bugs
hatching at that time of the year. The park is located on the TMA
and the fishing is excellent right behind the campground. This is a
great time of the year to enjoy the weekend camping and fishing on
the Housy so come out, relax and catch some trout. Registration
information will be provided in next month's newsletter.
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News
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. is dedicated to the physical and emotional rehabilitation of disabled active military service personnel and veterans through fly fishing and fly tying 
\education and outings.
While initially focusing on the military personnel in the Washington, DC area, the Project has expanded nationwide and is offering its services and program to active military personnel and veterans in Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs hospitals throughout the country.
The Project’s program provides basic fly fishing, fly casting, fly tying and rod building classes and clinics for wounded and injured personnel ranging from beginners to those with prior fly fishing and tying experience who are adapting their skills to their new abilities. All activities and services are provided to the participants at no cost. Fly fishing and tying equipment and materials are provided to the participants, including equipment that accommodates their special needs.
Project Healing Waters is unique in that our volunteers are teaching classes on an on-going, long term basis. It is much more than a one day fishing trip. For many participants, particularly disabled veterans, the socialization and camaraderie of the classes are just as important as the fishing outings, and provide them a new activity.
The Project’s training and educational activities are designed to ignite or rekindle the participants’ appreciation and enthusiasm for a wide variety of fly fishing outings. While most of these fishing trips are conducted within a half-day’s travel from a hospital, the Project actively seeks opportunities to offer outings in quality fishing sites across the county. The trips, near and far, are provided at no cost to the participants.
The Project relies on Federation of Fly Fishers, Trout Unlimited, and independent fly fishing clubs to conduct the program at the DOD and DVA hospitals across the nation. The volunteer staff and outings leaders include professional educators and fishing guides as well as experienced fly fishers, all of whom donate their time and knowledge to support the Project participants. Other volunteers help meet the educational, equipment, outings, training, and transportation needs.
In order to have a viable Project Healing Waters program, three groups must co-exist: a fly fishing club willing to provide the volunteers and organize the program, a DOD or DVA hospital willing to host the program, and wounded or disabled soldiers or veterans willing to participate. Because each of these groups is unique, no two Project Healing Waters programs will be exactly the same.
Project Healing Waters originated at Walter Reed Army Hospital in Maryland in 2005. By 2007, the organization began to spread by word-of-mouth so that today Project Healing Waters programs are now operating at 77 VA hospitals in 34 states and Canada. Our programs are staffed by over 400 volunteers and have three paid staff members, not including the officers or members of the board. In the past two years over 2000 wounded or disabled veterans who participated in our programs and, currently, there are 700 enrolled.
Presently, there is no Project Healing Waters program in Connecticut. Mr. Cohn is meeting next week with key members of the hospital staff at West Haven VA hospital to discuss beginning a program at that facility. A program leader for Connecticut has been selected, Keith Tanner, and volunteers are being recruited. Mr. Cohn hopes to begin the CT program by the end of February 2010.
Please contact Project Healing Waters at their website, or Mr. Cohn here:
Marcus E. Cohn
New England Regional Coordinator
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc.
newengland@projecthealingwaters.org
from: http://www.examiner.com/x-29915-Connecticut-Fly-Fishing-Examiner~y2009m12d22-Project-Healing-Waters-looks-to-establish-Connecticut-Chapter-Solicits-volunteers
Project Healing Waters looks to establish Connecticut Chapter: Solicits volunteers
December 22, 9:06 AMConnecticut Fly Fishing ExaminerAlain Barthelemy
Marcus E. Cohn,
New England Regional Coordinator
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing, Inc. contributed this article.
Stream Flow Regulation latest news:
View the current flow on the Saugatuck River by the USGS here.
As many of you know, the DEP has announced a new streamflow regulation, as required under Public Act 05-142. Rivers Alliance, The Nature Conservancy, The Housatonic Valley Association, and many other groups are preparing comments on the proposed regulation. We will circulate comments for your information. The regulation itself and a summary are available on the DEP website, and we would be happy to forward electronic copies to you. The public hearing opens on January 21.
The purpose of this message is to announce three opportunities to attend presentations on the regulation. Two have been arranged by the Farmington River Watershed Association, and one by the Thames River Basin Partnership. If none of these suit your schedule, we will try to find or arrange a more convenient opportunity. You can email us at rivers@riversalliance.org or call at 860-361-9349.
onservation District, Thames River Basin Partnership, 189 Pomfret Street, Pomfret Center, CT 06259, (860)928-4948 x 605
Stream Flow Regulation Meeting
On Monday night at 7 pm, Pete Aarrestad, one of the DEP officials who drafted the newly proposed stream flow regulations will present especially to TU to help the CT Council and the individual Chapters grasp the breadth of these proposed regulations and the specific impacts they will have. Pete agreed to hold this special meeting with us as a group, and I would hate to see him disappointed by a turnout of only a handful.
The timing of this meeting is crucial and that is why it was developed with such short notice.
Our Council leadership is currently working with TU National and John Larkin to develop a strong, science based response in support of these regulations. Along with this fact-driven written testimony, we will need each Chapter to commit to help develop the groundswell of letters and individual advocacy needed to show the Committee which will eventually approve or reject the regulations, that there is significant support for these much needed changes. The water companies have paid staff already working to oppose these new regulations and they've already made significant headway in building support from the business community, chambers of commerce and other groups.
Following the Dec. 7 meeting, there will be a final public information meeting held by the DEP in Hartford on Dec. 21 during the day - a time most of us can not attend.
On January 21, the public hearing will be held at which time we will need to have lined up a number of individuals from our Chapters, Council and TU National to appear and enter their support into the record.
On February 4, all written testimony is due.
So, what we are looking at, essentially, is a 6-week window in which we have to educate ourselves on the regulations, develop the main points we will be emphasizing and contending in support of the regulations, and to develop carefully crafted written and oral testimony that will hopefully lead to full support of the new regulations by the legislative committee.
Please let me know if you are able to attend this vital meeting. We are hopeful that we can have at least one representative from each Chapter on hand so that there is a clear stream of information flowing back to the Chapters and individual members throughout the state.
If you are interested in attending these important meetings, please contact Ron Merly.
