Re: NANFA-- GA Region - Year End Summary
BILL HOPPE (zzzzzzbill_at_yahoo.com)
Tue, 31 Dec 2002 10:10:45 -0800 (PST)
Another great report from Georgia . Takes a lot of
effort to do it and write it up . Thanks .
--- Rose Lawn Museum <roselawn_at_mindspring.com> wrote:
> Hi All
>
> This final day of 2002 is a quiet one, giving me a
> few moments to look back
> over my notes from this year. To say that my life is
> busy is a huge
> understatement. Nevertheless, this peculiar
> fascination with fish has
> provided me with an almost therapeutic escape from a
> "too busy" existence,
> and has led me through some of the most beautiful
> land in the country.
>
> January found me responding to the invitation of the
> guys over in SC,
> Dustin Smith and Chip Rinehart. Along with our
> excellent guide Fritz Rohde
> (Wilmington, NC), we began at the lowest point in SC
> and traced a path up
> along the western border of the state.
>
> In March, the GA Region hosted the first of many
> planned assaults on the
> Okefenokee Swamp. This successful journey drew
> seventeen participants from
> seven different states, included a nice on-site fish
> swap.
>
> Spring comes early to the South (thank God!), and
> with the month of April
> came the Seinerama at the TN River Gorge, engineered
> by the Snorkelmeister
> himself, Casper Cox. Our TN Rep. gave us a wonderful
> slice of nature and
> local culture, with great accommodations.
>
> In May, I always look forward to a Memorial Day
> weekend with NANFA
> President Bruce Stallsmith. This year he took us to
> Little River near Ft.
> Payne, AL. A paradise for snorkelers, this site
> featured crystal clear
> water with an incredible submerged canyon and areas
> of current that rival
> any theme park ride.
>
> In June, I was back over in SC with Chip Rinehart,
> near historic Edgefield.
> We sought and located Christmas darters and even
> found a stream named for
> me. How cool was that?
>
> By July, the GA Region was ready to host another
> outing. This one centered
> around the spectacular Tallulah Gorge, making a
> circle through the borders
> of GA, NC, & SC. Along the way, this memorable trip
> included dense fog,
> torrential rain, local folklore, an ambitious lady
> of the evening, and a
> close encounter with law enforcement.
>
> Later in the same month I had the pleasure of
> entertaining refugees from a
> huge cichlid convention in Atlanta, including South
> Carolina Rep. Dustin
> Smith, his friend Dan Hagley, Charles Ray (Auburn,
> AL), and Michael &
> Clarine Gaines (Kansas City, MO). We chased rainbow
> shiners in a creek near
> my home. Later we visited Long Swamp Creek near
> Tate, GA.
>
> Early in August, I made a solo trip across the
> border into AL, chasing the
> elusive Fundulus bifax in the Tallapoosa River
> system.
>
> Also in August, I was cordially received in Southern
> Ohio by NANFAns Mark
> Binkley, Eric Massengill, and Nick Zarlinga. Geoff
> Kimber and his family
> made the trip up from Lexinton, KY, and Kathy
> Duffey, who works with Nick
> at the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, came along as well.
> After liberating
> Mark's car from temporary embarrassment, we explored
> the Mad River and
> parts of the Little Darby Creek. On the trip home, I
> stopped briefly at
> Eagle Creek near Sadieville, KY.
>
> In September, MS Rep. Martin Moore summoned us to
> Tishomingo State Park in
> the NE corner of his state. The fish chases were
> great, providing me with
> some of the finest SRBDs I've ever seen. And,
> despite Martin's dire
> predictions, they are all still alive!
>
> October found me over in AL again. This time a group
> of the usual suspects
> (the TN Valley Gang) met at the Birmingham home of
> Stott Noble. This trip
> saw young Dave Neely's return from exile (actually,
> he's completing his
> doctoral dissertation). We sampled parts of the
> Little Cahaba River,
> snorkeled in Turkey Creek, and found the secret home
> of the rare rush
> darter. You really haven't lived until you've eaten
> some of Stott's "beer
> can chicken!"
>
> Okay, let's see...if I counted correctly, that's
> eight states in the same
> year. Not too bad for working two jobs and traveling
> much of the time in
> borrowed vehicles. I really tried hard to make it
> over to Texas, but it
> just never happened. Sorry, Rob, I'll try harder in
> '03!
>
> I can't say enough about the wonderful people my
> association with NANFA has
> brought me into contact with this year. Everywhere I
> went, I was treated
> well. All of these folks, in their own way, taught
> me something and freely
> shared fishlore, food, lodgings, and a comraderie of
> the highest order.
>
> If you get to come to GA in '03, give me a shout.
> Otherwise, meet me at the
> convention over in Huntsville.
>
> Thanks, NANFA! Happy New Year!
>
> All The Best,
> Steven A. Ellis
> NANFA GA Regional Representative
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=====
Bill Hoppe
Yellville Arkansas
/-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
/"Unless stated otherwise, comments made on this list do not necessarily
/ reflect the beliefs or goals of the North American Native Fishes
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/ This is the discussion list of the North American Native Fishes Association
/ nanfa_at_aquaria.net. To subscribe, unsubscribe, or get help, send the word
/ subscribe, unsubscribe, or help in the body (not subject) of an email to
/ nanfa-request_at_aquaria.net. For a digest version, send the command to
/ nanfa-digest-request_at_aquaria.net instead.
/ For more information about NANFA, visit our web page, http://www.nanfa.org