Please note that unless otherwise indicated, all monthly chapter meetings are held in Rm 130 in the Research Services building on the OARDC/Ohio State University campus, 1680 Madison Ave., Wooster OH. Unless otherwise indicated, chapter meetings are held the second Monday of the month from September through May, starting at 7:15 PM. Doors open at 6:45 PM, so come early and meet up with friends and catch up on what’s new.
Room 130, Research Services Building, OSU/OARDC, Wooster campus.The Research Service building is the first building to the left of the main entrance to the campus. There is parking on the south and east sides of the building.
CFRTU Meeting and Activities
As everyone has experienced, the past six months of adjusting lifestyles to minimize the impact of COVID-19 has been stressful and impactful. CFRTU was put in the position of cancelling its last three monthly meetings (March-May) on very short notice, nevertheless we have continued to make plans and move programs forward. Here is where we are moving into the fall season:
We will have our monthly meetings, starting September 14! HOWEVER, all meetings through December will be via on-line Zoom conferences. Daral Jackwood has done a wonderful job of navigating the Executive Committee through several Zoom calls in recent months and he has a plan to set up a unique gmail account for those intending to attend the fall CFRTU Zoom meetings. We will be sending out contact information to the membership by email and to other via social media outlets prior to meetings.
Randy Rowe has done a masterful job to arrange for speakers for each of our fall meetings. For the September meeting, we have Ryan Jackwood of the Harpeth Conservancy in Nashville, TN presenting “Importance of River Restoration:Improving Water Quality and Wildlife Habitat”. This presentation points out the opportunities that Zoom provides to have remote speakers make presentations. As always, we will provide the names and bios of speakers and their presentation on our website prior to meetings. So please make it a habitat to visit this website.
While talking about our website, I hope many of you have taken the time to read one of more of the informative blogs that Skip Nault has been posting. These add to the richness of the website and, certainly, provide impetus beyond the many visits to our ever popular ‘Fishing Reports’ section. Skip has also stayed busy answering numerous questions that those interested in fishing pose.
As many of you know, Trout Unlimited nationally has moved to an April 1 operating year. Renee Jackwood has kept all of our financial and other required paperwork in order through this transition. The good news is that, although we have not been able to hold raffles last spring nor this fall, we are still solvent and doing all the things that good non-profit clubs should be doing.
Lastly, we are planning to do a stocking of Apple Creek later this fall. Details are still being worked out at this time. We are also working on grant funds that might enable another stocking next spring. If the spring stocking occurs, we will plan to also hold a training session for persons interested in learning the basics of fly fishing. These are uncertain times, however, I remain impressed with the commitment of volunteers to make these events happen!
As I close, members can look for our annual newsletter in early September. Nick Wisda, editor, plans to have it ready to send out by the end of August. Although all of us miss getting together for the informal visiting that occurs at meetings, as well as for the informational aspects such meetings afford, there are ample ways to stay informed as noted here. We do hope though that a COVID vaccine is on the horizon and that we can get back to enjoying the fellowship of fly fishing in 2021.
Regards,
Steven Slack
CFRTU President
Event: Macroinvertebrate Survey of Apple Creek
Due to inclement weather today and tomorrow (June 19-20) we have rescheduled the macroinvertebrate survey in Apple Creek at Grosjean Park from tomorrow to Thursday, June 24 at 10:15 a.m. An inch and a half of rain are forecast which would bring up the level of water in the creek making sampling difficult if not impossible. Plus there may be thunder & lightning on the watershed.
When: Saturday, June 19. Time: 10:00 a.m. until noon.
Place: Apple Creek at Grosjean Park in Wooster.
We have not conducted a macroinvertebrate survey of Apple Creek for over a year. Last year’s pandemic resulted in the cancelation of the 2020 survey after nearly a decade of annual survey’s.
Why do we conduct a survey? The simple answer is that this is the most convenient way to check the health of the water in Apple Creek. Certain macroinvertebrate such as mayflies, caddis flies and stone flies are only found in streams nearly free of pollutants. In all previous surveys the water in Apple Creek has been rated as excellent, but this could change and we have a way to monitor this by our surveys.
Moreover, the macroinvertebrate sampling gives fly fishers a clue as to what flies and fly patterns to use when fishing for trout in the creek.
We will be joined in this survey by Greg Wiles, a geology professor at the College of Wooster and his first year STEM students. They are looking for sites along the creek where they can install a well with equipment to measure ground water input and measure physical and chemical parameters of the water.
What should you bring? We will be wading in knee-deep water so hip or chest waders may be needed. If the water is warm, you can wet wade in old sneakers and pants. The chapter will provide all of the needed sampling equipment.
So come and enjoy an outing on the stream and learn about the macroinvertebrate that are so important to the health of the Apple Creek trout fishery.
Positioning a kick seine in riffle water to sample invertebrates.
Getting heads together to separate invertebrates from a kick seine sample.
Checking for bugs in a dip net sampler.
A common caddis fly nymph in Apple Creek.
Event: September Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, September 13. Time: 7:15 p.m.
Topic to be announced
Event: October Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, October 11. Time: 7:15 p.m.
Speaker Katy Johnstone and Jessica Suvak-Tran, co-founders, Ohio Women on the Fly
Title: A Look at Ohio Women on the Fly
Presentation Summary: Katie and Jess will share how their passion for fly fishing led them to create a group that brings female anglers in Ohio together and encourages more women to step into the water. They will provide insight on how the group came to be, how quickly it grew into something bigger than they could have imagined and how they will continue to grow through education, events and much more.
Ohio Women on the Fly.Event: November Chapter Meeting
When: Monday, November 8. Time: 7:15 p.m.
Speaker, Bill Zawiski, Environmental Supervisor, Division of Surface Water, Ohio EPA North East District.
Topic: Dam Removal; Improving water quality in Ohio one dam project after another.
Trained as a biologist, Bill Zawiski has worked with Ohio EPA since 1989, and is currently the Water Quality Group Supervisor in Ohio EPA’s Northeast District. He has also taught Environmental Regulation and Water Resources at the University of Akron. The OEPA Division of Surface Water ensures compliance with the Federal Clean Water Act and works to increase the number of bodies of water that can be safely used for swimming and fishing. Bill has taken an active role in the movement in this area to remove old dams from Ohio rivers to improve water quality and restore rivers to a free-flowing state. Zawiski says dams and the slow-moving pools they create are a serious problem for fish and the aquatic insects they feed on. He will discuss the concepts and methods of removing old dams, and the benefits that dam removal can bring to stream ecology and fisheries.
Bill Zawiski
The CFRTU Chapter is always looking for speakers for our monthly meetings. Please Contact Us for suggestions for speakers on fly fishing, conservation of aquatic resources and related topics.