NANFA-- Ohio is out of the ice blocks... and off! :)

Todd Crail (farmertodd_at_buckeye-express.com)
Tue, 4 Mar 2003 22:20:17 -0500

Greetings NANFAns,

I was first just going to report this to the BOD list... But I decided
everyone can benefit :)

I've got spring fever like no tomorrow. Today it was up around 40, I was
working outside with just a sweat shirt on, and it's time for all this snow
and ice to go bye-bye. Unfortunately, the weatherman has predicted a nasty
winter storm tonight... I hope it melts by the time I get up tomorrow.
Ignorance *is* bliss :)

Apparently, I've taken on the job of Ohio State Rep for NANFA, so I thought
I'd tell you all a little about what's going in this lil' state of ours.
I'm really excited about what is coming up, and wanted to share some of that
excitement.

**************************************************

First things first. It was illustrated to me in a very pointed way how
important our State Rep Program is. I was sent the Ohio list, and I thought
my address was entered incorrectly. I couldn't understand how AC was coming
here... I thought "Well maybe the postman was just putting it at the right
address." Then... I saw my address a little further down the list.
Uhhhhh....

Yeap that's right. I've lived here for a year and a half and had another
NANFA member three doors down the street from me. Even met the guy, and he
had expressed an interest in seeing my tanks... But the house was a mess, so
I didn't invite him in. How about that huh? We talked last weekend, and he
has a different approach to NANFA than I do... He likes to fly fish, and is
an avid conservationist about stream health. Around here, there isn't much
in the way of typical fly fishing species besides on ponds. He joined
because he wondered what all these neat animals are that he's been catching.
I can't wait to show him some darters :)

This is especially interesting, because my big plan this year was to really
learn how to fly fish so I could catch and photograph some of the larger
fish that evade our seines and too small for typical rod and reel
presentations, or are in areas too difficult to net. And here the solution
and experience was right down the street.

So I'd like to urge you all to get in contact with your reps... Reps if you
haven't already, get in contact with all your folks. Tomorrow's club may
live right down the road! :)

**************************************************

Next on the agenda... Ohioans... We'd like to have a get together this
month. We haven't determined a date or location yet. Maybe there's some
suggestions out there? It seems our greatest density is in NE Ohio... But I
don't want that to preclude any other locations. We've got a whole lotta
different habitat around. I'd like to see all of it :) And don't be shy
if you're close by and want to join in (MI, IN, KY, PA, WV). We got quite a
list of characters in the "usual suspects" and I haven't had a bad day out
yet, even when we didn't catch much of anything :)

**************************************************

Something more concrete on the calendar.... May 3rd, Ohio NANFA will be
helping new NANFA members Dan and Michelle Vargo along with the rest of
their Beaver Creek Nature Center crew put on a nature weekend at Beaver
Creek State Park in far East Central Ohio. NANFA will be there to provide
native fish geekyness. The way Beaver Creek runs thru the park is set up
fantastically to get in and show some people what's living right there:

http://www.farmertodd.com/NANFA/101202/pages/BeaverCreek.htm

You can see where that picnic area and parking is adjacent to the riffle, up
there to the left. Good place to set up some tanks and go back and forth
from the riffle. Hopefully, some of the visitors will want to get in and
join us :)

I will send out reminders and contact other non-list people... But if
there's anyone you can think of that would like to be here for this, please
pass this along. If there's any questions, please feel free to ask me via
email or by phone (it's in AC now).

**************************************************

And finally... This week I will be setting up a native tank at a local High
School. The tank currently has 5 goldfish and a whole lotta algae. It will
be a pleasure to make that conversion! :) Down the road, I may need to call
on a couple people to come out this way to help me demonstrate the ecotypes
in the wild. If this sounds like something you'd like to do, please get in
contact with me. It may or may not involve a weekday. I will know more as
I work with the teacher this week.

Pictures to come..... :)

**************************************************

Okay, well I think that wraps it up. Thanks for you time... And I hope you
share my excitement for the year ahead! :)

Todd

I hope you know that this will go down on your permenant record.
http://www.farmertodd.com
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