www.wyflycasters.org
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Vol. 39 No. 12
The Monthly Newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters
Merry Christmas!
WFC Concerns over joining Trout Unlimited New Products for 2013 2012 Brag Time Fun WFC / TU Editorials Event Calendar
December 2012
Le"er from #r President
each of the last three years, primarily because no one else was stepping up. A really good time for someone else to step up and fill an important role would be this month, this month specifically because the planning for the Club banquet needs to start very soon. There is a time commitment, though not a huge one, and there are always people on the committee who are great at taking care of some aspect of the planning so you don’t have to. If you like organization and tending to details there is a banquet committee chairmanship with your name on it. Should you prefer a more on the ground and hands on role, join the committee, there is always room for another member.
Greetings Fly Casters, It just dawned on me as I started typing this column that there are only 30 days left until Christmas and only 17 days until the annual WFC Christmas party. So in the next month, not only do you have to ‘shop ‘till you drop’ to take care of what goes under your tree, you also have to get your creative juices flowing as you contemplate and then determine how you will tie your Christmas themed fly for the club party. The last three years there have been only a few entries, mostly from the same few people, so this year let’s up the ante and give a former club prez a run for his money and let’s try to have more than five entries. I want to acknowledge Matt Stanton for taking on the lead role in putting together the party again this year. Matt has been taking on more and more responsibilities within the club 2
Remember the old adage, “Many hands make light work”. Also, let’s all be thinking about soliciting donations and remember, they don’t necessarily have to be fishing related. January 1st will be the annual polar Bear outing. We usually fish Grey Reef in the morning and begin settling in to the Sunset bar and Grill, some time after 11:00 am, to warm up cold toes and fingers and enjoy a steaming bowl of green chili, not to mention listening to, and sharing stories with other club members. I always enjoy this outing and hope to see you there. Tickets for the Christmas party should be available at the Platte River Fly Shop and The Ugly Bug. See you at the party!
Will
Will Waterbury, President Lee Tschettert, Vice President Casey Leary, Secretary Matt Stanton, Treasurer BOARD OF DIRECTORS Terms expire in 2013: Joe Meyer, Scott Novotny, Alex Rose Terms expire in 2014: John Dolan, Jim Johnson, Chris McAtee, Spenser Amend Terms expire in 2015: George Axlund, Brian Bayer, Jesse McGregor The Backcast is the monthly newsletter of the Wyoming Fly Casters, an affiliate club of the Wyoming Council of Trout Unlimited, the Nature Conservancy and the Federation of Fly Fishers. Editorial content does not necessarily reflect the views of the officers, board or members of the Wyoming Fly Casters. Annual dues are $20 for an individual, $30 for a family, or $250 for a lifetime individual membership or $450 for a lifetime family membership. Visit the club website at www.wyflycasters.org. To pay dues or contact the club, write to P.O. Box 2881, Casper, WY 82602. The deadline for submission of information for each issue is a week before the end of the month. Make contributions to the next issue by emailing material to the Backcast editor at marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com or call (708) 997-2071. The Backcast is available either in electronic format or through USPS snail mail. To receive each newsletter through a monthly e-mail, you must be able to open .pdf (Adobe Acrobat, a software program available free of charge) documents. Usually, each issue is roughly 1 MB in size, some are larger. Your e-mail provider may have limits on the size of attachments. In order to be added to the e-mail list, send a request to marketingmavenaha@ gmail.com. In addition to receiving each issue of the newsletter earlier than your hard copy peers, e-mail subscribers are able to print each copy in vibrant color -an added plus if the issue is rich in color photographs. By sub- scribing electronically, you also save the club roughly $17.40 a year in
printing and postage expenses.
December 2012
December 2012
TABLE OF
Thinking about the new year, I’ve been considering some design and production changes to give it a fresh look and feel. But this year has been great! As I’ve said before, the newsletter is only as good as those who continue to support it. It needs great stories, pictures, fishing trips, adventures, fishing tips, recipes, fish pictures etc. Thanks so much for all the contributions you’ve made this past year. I hope you will continue to support the newsletter in 2013. This month the newsletter examines the idea of the WFC joining Trout Unlimited. You will see written concerns and comments from some of our members (pgs. 4 -6, 11), responses to member questions from Scott Christy and TU membership benefits (pg. 9). Hopefully there’s enough information, from both sides, to begin thinking about what’s best for all members of the Wyoming Fly Casters.
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Will’s Letter
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CONTENTS
It’s hard to believe that the WFC fishing year is just about over. I have really enjoyed designing, writing and shooting images for the newsletter.
TU & WFC
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Member Notes & Classifieds
8
2013 New Product Introduction
9
TU Benefits Review
10
Brag Time 2012
11
WFC / TU Editorials
12
WFC Calendar
Please note anything not covered in the aforementioned pages will be covered by Scott in January. Merry Christmas! Wyoming Fly Casters
Peg
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Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Fly Casters
Once again the WFC is debating whether or not they’d like to join Trout Unlimited. This January, Trout Unlimited’s Scott Christy, will be speaking to WFC members about joining TU. He is the coordinator for the twelve TU chapters in WY. They are: Sheridan, Cody, Lander, Jackson, Pinedale, Evanston, Rock Springs, Saratoga, Cheyenne, Laramie and some attending members of WF C. Total number of TU members in Wyoming - 1570. All twelve chapters comprise the council of State Legislation. All members are part of the council. Annual council meetings in the past have been attended by WFC members: Will Waterbury, Matt Stanton and Scott Novotny. I spoke with Scott Christy right before Thanksgiving and he provided responses to the following questions raised by Spencer Amend and Joe Meyer. Look for Scott’s replies as noted following the word “Response:” Some of the other questions will be answered during his visit in January. - Peg Novotny Spencer Amend with assistance from Joe Meyer Before going further we need to clarify why we are opposed to having WFC become a full-fledged Trout Unlimited Chapter. We are quite fond of WFC as it has functioned during our tenure with the club (7 years and 17 years, respectively). When we each first moved to Casper, in part due to the recreational resources available in this area, we each fished alone with minimal to moderate success. Then, thankfully, we found WFC and fell in with members who unselfishly showed us where, when and how to fish our many available waters. Due to our many positive experiences with WFC, we would be terribly sorry if we didn’t try and keep the organization from making a poor choice in this matter. There is a basic difference between WFC and TU. TU is exclusively a conservation organization. WFC has a broader mission than TU. WFC is a fly fishing club with interests in conservation, and the social aspects of fishing. Response: WFC can continue to support interests in conservation and the social aspects of fishing. If WFC chooses to become a full-fledged TU chapter, we will have to modify our bylaws as outlined by TU. Perhaps the best way to highlight the differences is through a systematic review TU bylaws along with a review of what TU suggests and/or requires of chapters. The following constitutes such a review: According to TU bylaws. Article VII. Section 1. a chapter may elect officers and may finance its operations so long as such activities are consistent with the Articles of Incorporation, Bylaws, purposes and policies of TU National. Chapters are required to adopt bylaws consistent with the Articles and Bylaws of TU National, the state Council, and the mandatory provisions of the model bylaws promulgated by the Board of Trustees and the National Leadership Council. [so far neither the Articles of Incorporation, purposes nor policies of TU National or the state Council have been shared with us]. Response: Discuss in January. 4
December 2012
Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Fly Casters continued According to TU bylaws, Article VII, Section 1, Line c.5, chapters are required not to deviate from the mission or policies of TU National. Response: Correct. According to TU bylaws, Article VII, Section 1, Item d, all members of Chapters must be members in good standing of Trout Unlimited. [this currently requires all individuals to make application and pay $35.00 to TU; information contrary to this requirement may have been circulated previously] Response: Membership fee is $35.00 According to TU bylaws, Article VII, Section 1, Item e, chapters are not permitted to assess separate dues or establish separate levels of membership. [this would leave WFC with no funds of our own for such things as paying for food at outings, or the Christmas Party or the fall picnic, which probably would not be approved expenditures of funds by TU anyway] Response: TU asked if annual WFC dues were used in the past to cover the costs of all social events, outings, and parties? If not, it is ok for the WFC to have fundraising and promotional events to pay for additional social events, outings, etc. TU bylaws, Article IX, Section 7 deals with insurance. It raises a question of whether all WFC activities would be covered [such as outings], since these activities are not part of TU’s mission. Response: Not insured if the events are not sanctioned by TU. A document has been prepared by TU defined as “draft model chapter bylaws” [raises the question who has the power to finalize said model chapter bylaws]. Several provisions are currently defined as “mandatory”, while others are “strongly recommended”. Section 2 of the draft model chapter bylaws states the purpose of the chapter to be “to conserve, protect and restore coldwater fisheries and their watersheds”. [This is more narrow than the purpose of WFC.] Further Section 2 states that the chapter shall function exclusively for charitable, educational and scientific purposes. [Again, more narrow in part and simply different in other parts, than WFC’s functions.] According to this document, it is strongly recommended that Chapter bylaws track the mission statement of Trout Unlimited. Response: This allows for a certain level of flexibility. Not necessary to adopt all. Section 3 states that the Chapter shall carry out the aims and purposes of Trout Unlimited and all policies, objectives and activities pursued by the Chapter and its members shall be in conformity with the Bylaws and policies of Trout Unlimited. According to this document, this provision should be in every Chapter bylaws. According to Section 5 the Chapter shall not do anything not permitted by a tax exempt, 501(c)(3) organization. [This is identified as a mandatory provision, and is restrictive of some of the things WFC now does.] Response: Correct. Cannot make donations to political organizations. Response: Yes, as a member of non-profit entity, you are not permitted to endorse a political candidate. But of course, as a private citizen you can vote for whomever you like. This is true of many non-profit organizations. According to Article II, Section 1, dues must be paid to TU as a requirement for membership in the Chapter. And the Chapter may not have additional dues or fees, and may not charge for newsletters. Response: Yes According to Article III, Section 5, only current members of Trout Unlimited shall be permitted to vote at any meeting of the members, and no proxy voting is allowed. Response: Not mandatory. Wyoming Fly Casters
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Trout Unlimited and Wyoming Fly Casters continued Article V, Section 4, item B requires that we send TU an Annual Financial Report covering just about anything they want, but specifically contain a complete and accurate accounting of all revenues, expenses, volunteer hours by members, and anything else prescribed by TU. [WFC would have to start tracking volunteer hours.] Response: WFC already does this for TU. According to Article V, Section 4, item D, [and this is mandatory] we would be required to provide access to any member of the State Council or TU to any and all books, records and accounts. Response: Correct, this check is in place as a system to ensure that there isn’t any embezzling. Mandatory Article V, Section 5 requires the Secretary to keep minutes of all meetings of the Chapter Board of Directors and general membership meetings. [The WFC secretary does not currently keep minutes of general membership meetings.] Response: The WFC does this for board meetings. Mandatory Article VI, Section 3 requires a majority vote of members at the meeting for electing officers and directors. Response: Correct, can be deleted if officers’ are appointed by board. Mandatory Article VIII Section 1 requires that the chapter’s fiscal year must be the same as that of TU. Response: Correct, OCT 1 – SEPT 31ST. Article IX, Section 1 states that chapter bylaws may only be amended at the annual meeting or at a special meeting, and indicates the procedure. [different than WFC’s] It further states how to amend chapter bylaws to make them consistent with TU’s. Response: Any meeting can de designated as a special meeting as long as it is set up 30 days in advance. So there is an opportunity to make changes to bylaws. Article X, Section 2 requires [is mandatory] that all chapter expenses be broadly consistent with the mission of TU. [Someone outside the chapter gets to tell the chapter how to spend funds.] Response: Example ... This is in place to ensure that if the chapter bought a Lamborghini, it wouldn’t be allowed. It would have to be proven how a Lamborghini is consistent with the mission of the organization. Article X, Section 3 is mandatory and states that the chapter may not acquire or hold interest in real property, including easements, without TU approval. Response: Correct. This is more about TU wanting to know what properties are owned by the organization. Anyone interested in more detail may want to obtain and review these documents on their own. We both started out with open minds in this discussion, but the more we have found out, the more we believe it would be a mistake for WFC to lose our identity to TU, and to have decision making removed from our own elected Board. It is unclear who within TU has the authority and responsibility to make the various judgments required in these documents. Eg. Who decides what is compatible with TU bylaws relative to WFC projects and activities? We would like to know the name and title of the individual within TU who has with final authority. Response: Scott Christy can provide this information during his visit in January. For additional information and perspectives, we are including, below, several email exchanges with long-time, respected WFC members; they came to me, to be shared as needed, with other club members, from John Dolan, Rob Thompson, and Andrew Sauter. Please see page 12 for their comments. 6
December 2012
Member Notes:
Classifieds
WFC Christmas Party! When: December 12, 2012 6 PM Where: Izaak Walton League Clubhouse
6 PM, December 12, 2012, Izaak Walton League Clubhouse Tickets Available: 11/15-12/5 Ugly Bug Ticket cost: 1 for $15, 2 for $25 Lyin’ & Tyin December 15th 9 AM - 12 PM WY Oil & Gas Conservation Building, located on 2211 King Blvd. This is a great opportunity to learn how to tie flies, or how to tie new patterns that work in our backyard! If you’re interested in learning how to tie, but don't have a vice, use one of the club's vices. Ask Joe Meyer for more details. Here are the upcoming Fly Tying’ dates: January 12, February 16, March 16
Annual Polar Bear outing January 1, 2013! Typically we meet and fish Grey Reef in the AM and then meet at Sunset bar and Grill, some time after 11:00 am. It’s a great place to warm up, drink, eat and share stories with fellow members. Cliff Outdoors www.cliffoutdoors.com North Platte Lodge www.northplattelodge.com North Platte Walleye’s Unlimited www.npwalleyes.com Platte River Fly Shop www.wyomingflyfishing.com Sportsman’s Warehouse www.sportsmanswarehouse.com
Be sure and visit our local retailers and fly shops !!!
Ugly Bug Fly Shops, www.crazyrainbow.net
Large selection of framed, signed and numbered Vivi Crandall and Terry Redlin prints (contact me for names/prices) and Men’s Chaco Z/1 Sandal. Size 13. “Matrix color. New in box, $45. OBO Matt Stanton 307-258-9915 All Patagonia SST jacket XXL $300.00 2011 model NIB; SST jacket women's older style XL $125.00 NIB SST jacket Small; older style used $50.00 Scott Novotny 307-315-3534 The Patagonia SST Jacket has evolved over the years. New fabrics, pocket designs, zippers, belt loops are all re-designed in the 20011 SST. One thing has stayed constant over the years, the SST Jacket is superbly designed to deal with harsh conditions and be a functional tool in the arsenal of the fly fishier. The SST stands out in it's design, water proof zippers for hand warmer pockets as well as the main zipper. The back belt loop will allow you to thread your wading belt through the jacket and create a lock down tight seal for those deep wading situations.
Coleman Fleetwood Colonial Popup Camper 2005 Like New $5,000 Contact Scott at: gscottn@gmail.com
The SST is simply a great fly fishing jacket.
http://www.roadslesstraveled.us.Popup.html Wyoming Fly Casters
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Sage Introduces CIRCA Fly Rod for 2013 If you’re a devotee of the casting nuances of the slow action fly rod, a student of its historic ties to our sport, or just like the thrill of moving in close to actively feeding fish, consider our new CIRCA rod a reward for your years of dedication.
2013 Product News
But be warned: the CIRCA does not mimic the type of slow action that has so far defined the category – overly soft, willowy and flat. Instead, thanks to Konnetic technology’s ability to compact and align more carbon fibers into a smaller diameter blank, we were able to design a radically narrow taper throughout the length of the rod, resulting in consistently slow, yet responsive action from butt to tip. Our new CIRCA rod is a technologically advanced slow-action fly rod that honors your slower, more deliberate casting style, yet is every bit a Sage.
Rio-Gallegos Zip-Front Waders from Patagonia Patagonia Inc., the outdoor apparel company, will offer its largest and most advanced selection of new fly fishing products to date in the Spring 2013 season, with gear and apparel options for everything the angler requires. In the wader category, the new Rio-Gallegos ZipFront Waders, Skeena River Waders and the updated Rio Gallegos Waders all use the company’s innovative new Single Seam Construction (SSC). SSC is a breakthrough in wader design that eliminates seams on the interior and exterior of the leg – the highest wear point – and uses only a single seam up the back of the leg for greater durability and less abrasion. All three waders utilize a new 4layer polyester microfiber fabric with a proprietary waterproof/ breathable barrier and bluesign-approved NanoSphere DWR that is highly durable and puncture resistant without multiple layers or added weight. As compared to the 3-layer waders of the past, this collection is more durable and more breathable. Read more: http://www.floridasportsman.com/2012/08/15/new-flyfishing-gear-from-patagonia/#ixzz2DMkdi1v5 8
December 2012
Trout Unlimited benefits for all members Insurance coverage. Attached you’ll find the insurance frequently asked questions, but all Chapters are covered for liability under the TU National plan at no cost to the Chapters. The great insurance bonus is that you can also get supplemental insurance for $110 a year from TU that covers actual medical of chapter activity participants. Details on the supplemental coverage: - Accident medical: $25,000 per participant per accident; Accident dental: included in above limit - Deductible per: None; Benefit period: 52 weeks; Plan coverage: Full excess - Accidental death: $15,000; Accidental dismemberment: $25,000 - Accidental death & dismemberment aggregate: $500,000 per accident All registered active members of the participating TU chapter/council, guests, and campers are covered. Covered activities include participation in and attendance at the policy holder supervised and sponsored activities. This might include: meetings, fly fishing instruction, training, stream clean-up and maintenance. Travel arranged or provided by the policy holder is also included. Sponsored activities with duration of over seven days are not covered unless specifically agreed to by the insurer, but overnight camps with duration greater than seven days will be covered. •
TU Membership rosters: Currently Trout Unlimited has over 180 members in the Casper area and every time a new member joins in a zip code assigned to a Casper chapter they automatically become part of that Chapter. These rosters can be accessed by local chapter leadership in the Leaders Only Section of the TU National website and allow a Chapter to reach out to the TU membership database. You can also query membership changes and easily understand who has expired in the last six months, who is about to expire, who is new, and who has renewed.
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Bulk Email Tool – With the bulk email tool on TU Nationals website you can reach out to all your current membership from the database with a few simple mouse clicks. The tool also ensures that messages comply with requirements of the CAN-SPAM act and that you’re bulk emails are legal.
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Keep your fundraising $ with your local Chapter. Many National conservation organizations require their member Chapters to ‘pay in’ a percentage of funds raised or all of their funds raised. TU supports local chapters keeping their locally raised funds for local projects and gives the Chapters complete control of their resources.
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Annual Rebates. To build upon the local theme we’re really pleased that TU’s model is to try to provide money back to for membership. For every ‘new member’ membership of $17.50, TU reimburses the specific chapter $15 that year! For every regular member, TU rebates $2.50 to the State Council. In Wyoming, Chapters have in recent years voted to leave the $2.50 rebate with the Wyoming Council.
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Embrace a Stream Grants – Each Year TU National requests grant proposals from Chapters for Embrace a Stream grants. These grants are for local conservation projects by Chapters and have awards of up to $10,000. For more information on Embrace a Stream: http://www.tu.org/conservation/watershed-restoration-home-rivers-initiative/embrace-a-stream
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Fundraising Program Access – TU National provides a large selection of items from partnering leading fly fishing manufacturers that you can purchase for low rates to use at fundraising events and raffles (often below or at wholesale). The list of these partner companies is long and includes Sage, Lamson, Orvis, and RL Winston.
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TU Leaders Only Section – Need ideas about how to hold a successful fundraiser? Looking to put together a strategic
plan for your group? Looking for tips on organizing conservation projects? The Leaders Only Section online has all of these resources and more •
Involvement and representation in the broader fisheries conservation dialogue. The voice of TU volunteers has always been grounded in local conservation but can have a national effect when unified on a particular issue. As a result, we strive to keep the vast TU volunteer network up to date on conservation items of national fisheries interest such as the Pebble Mine, or the Million Pipeline proposal. TU Members all receive Trout Magazine and TU Chapter Leadership receives further updates with the Lines to Leaders series of emails.
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Staff Support – In Wyoming, Trout Unlimited has staff that do a range of things from projects that reconnect and restore the fish habitat to focusing on public lands and effective commenting on proposed public lands actions as they relate to fisheries. These people can help you as you with coaching, counsel, and support. In addition, as a partnership between TU National and WYTU, you have the Coordinator position that can help you build the best organization you possibly can locally through leadership succession coaching, best practices, idea sharing, and outreach assistance.
Wyoming Fly Casters
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What fun we’ve had!
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December 2012
As for the question of TU funding the Cardwell easement option acquisition, Scott, in as much, has told you that TU does not fund "local" projects. My recollection is, we did NOT receive funds from the National TU and we (the WFC) did not receive funds from the State TU Council (we did not have any cash to spare back when we were dong the acquisition). We did receive funds from an Oklahoma TU Chapter for this project and it was over $1,000 since their Chapter name is on the memorial stone for donors at Cardwell..... Andrew Sauter kept the books during the fund raising and may be able to "absolutely" verify ALL donors if he kept the records.... (its been over 10 years and several computer iterations since then... I destroyed any "hardcopy records quite some time ago...) - John Dolan
WFC COMMENTS ON TU As for the question of TU funding the Cardwell easement option acquisition, Scott, in as much, has told you that TU does not fund "local" projects. My recollection is, we did NOT receive funds from the National TU and we (the WFC) did not receive funds from the State TU Council (we did not have any cash to spare back when we were doing the acquisition). We did receive funds from an Oklahoma TU Chapter for this project and it was over $1,000 since their Chapter name is on the memorial stone for donors at Cardwell..... John Dolan
It is EXTREMELY important to know the WFC is recognized by IT'S own accomplishments and NOT the affiliation with National TU..... This is very important history and continues as a current fact. John Dolan
My only addition is that the Foundation did have extra funds after the Cardwell project was completed. Our bank account over shot by about a third of money needed for Cardwell. The foundation has lived off that amount and the occasional sale of Commissioner's licenses since (and, perhaps, one or two donations that arrived a bit late for the Cardwell purchase). We have spent almost the entire amount on a couple of projects - Speas, a rehab project on the Platte above Government Bridge, and , I think helped out on one of the acquisitions below Government Bridge. - Andrew Sauter
The (Wyoming Flycasters) foundation, because it is a separate entity, would not be absorbed into the TU organization. However it might affect our ability to donate foundation funds to the club for specific purposes. As I recall back when I was an officer and was really involved, one of the major drawbacks of joining TU as a full-fledged member club as opposed to an associate member is that TU takes over the club’s treasury and dictates where and how the funds are to be spent. I’m not sure if this mandate has been changed, but in the years past that was the way it was. I would be very clear on this before the club makes any decisions. - Rob Thompson Wyoming Fly Casters
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!e Backca" Newsle#er www.wyflycasters.org P.O. Box 2881 Casper, WY 82602
Christmas Party Izaak Walton 6 PM
General Meeting
Christmas
Lyin’ & Tyin’ Gas & Oil Building 9 AM - Noon