Projects

TU volunteers will participate in the bi-annual clean up of the Roanoke River and river bank between the Greenway the river in Green Hill Park. As usual the TU cleanup is scheduled to coincide with The Clean Valley Day cleanup promoted by the Clean Valley Council. The Cleanup is a relaxed and casual affair. We meet at the first Picnic Shelter next to the river. Bill Bainter will be in charge and he has promised to bring doughnuts and coffee to get us all energized. So we relax and shoot the breeze until we feel like starting. Bags and gloves will be provided. Rubber boots, or old sneakers recommended, waders are optional and usually not needed. CAUTION: Metal debris exposed by the recent flooding can be sharp. Do not attempt to remove tires or other items buried deep in sand and gravel.

KIDS FISHING EVENTS – VOLUNTEERS NEEDED

Kids Fishing Rodeo 10-08-2011 Waid Park Franklin Co.

They had about 125 kids registered for the fishing rodeo according to the folks that were conducting the program. Unfortunately, the set up doesen't leave a lot of time for visits to our set up except for the kids that tried their hand at casting and then registered for the compleye fly fishing outfit that we offered as a prize. There was also two fly tying outfits in a nice wooden box for prizes. Photos of the three winners are included in the accompanying shots. Believe the biggest trourt was almost a tie between two 21 1/4" rainbows one of which weighed in at 3.88 lbs and the other about 3.55 lbs. Looked like we would be a little light in the TU Chapter participation for a while with Dick Cole, Bill Bainter and Dick Taylor there early on; but, later joined by Art Lewis, David Vecellio, Judy & John Parker & Wes Jargosky representing the clean water folks and seining the river for aquative species. Click here for pictures.

Youth education is an important part of our mission. The Roanoke TU Chapter will be participating in two kid’s events this summer.

We have participated in both of these events in past years.

Kiwanis Kids Fishing Day - Saturday, May 21, 2011 9:00am to 1:00pm

Location: Hope Tree in Salem (formerly Virginia Baptist Children’s Home) TU members will serve as guides baiting hooks, removing fish and assisting with tackle.This is not fly fishing but it is trout fishing in a pond. Kids are allowed to keep what they catch. We need members to serve as guides and to help man a fish cleaning station. A picnic lunch will be provided around noon. This is a fun event. We need your help to make this event a success.

Buchanan Fishing Derby – Saturday, June 4, 2011 9:00am to 1:00pm

Location: Fairgrounds at Buchanan on the banks of the James River TU members will offer fly casting instruction, fly tying and offer conservation and other information about Trout Unlimited membership. We will be giving away a youth fly rod/reel outfit at the end of the event. Free food will be available. This event is organized by Shannon Smith, DGIF Protection Officer. We need members to assist kids with fly casting, fly tying and man our tent to provide information to the public. Come out for a fun morning. If you would like to volunteer for either of these events, please contact Bill Bainter at: billb@roanoketu.org OR phone (540)989-5249

VTSSS Stream Sampling

If you signed up to sample a stream or streams for the VTSSS. We will be sampling on April 24th. I will be holding a training session once I get the sample kits. In the mean time I need you to go to http://swas.evsc.virginia.edu/VTSSS-2010/Survey.html click on Volunteer Sign-Up and then Sign-Up Table and select a stream from Botetourt County or Craig County that you would like to sample. Send me the stream name and ID number so I can up-date the sign-up sheet. Jack

Buchanan Kids Fishing Rodeo June 6, 2009 - Click here for details and slideshow.

Kiwanis Kids Fishing Event - Saturday, May 9, 2009, Click here for more details and slideshow.

Trout in the Classroom - Hidden Valley Middle School Release

Roaring Run, April 27, 2009 - Click here for details and pictures.

Also click link below for news story video: http://www.wsls.com/sls/news/local/article/seventh_graders_release_trout/33996/

Trout in the Classroom - Glenvar High School Release -

Roaring Run, April 3, 2009 - Click here for details and pictures.

Trout in the Classroom - Roanoke Catholic School Release

Roaring Run, April 6, 2009 - Click here for details and pictures.

News release: “Trout in the Classroom” program launched in the Roanoke Valley

The Roanoke Chapter of Trout Unlimited has sponsored three new start-up “Trout in the Classroom” (TIC) program sites in the Roanoke Valley . The T.I.C. program is designed to connect students to their local environments and their local watersheds. The program aims to teach students about watershed health and water quality.

Trout in the Classroom programs have been in place all across the country for more than 20 years, the results of numerous collaborations between teachers, volunteers, government agencies and local organizations. The program was designed specifically for teachers who wanted to incorporate more environmental education into their curriculum. Initially started in 1997, participating students from K – 12 learn the importance if water quality and connect with their watershed by raising trout form eggs to fingerlings and then releasing them in a clean, cold stream in the spring. The state of Virginia will host over 70 TIC program sites during the 2008-09 school year.

Chapter 308 of Trout Unlimited under the leadership of Dover England , President, began this initiative in 2007 and thanks to its membership support, the Chapter was able to secure funding through John M. Oakey and Son, Salem to purchase over $4,000 in equipment and supplies to support the program sites. In 2008, three schools ( Hidden Valley Middle School , Roanoke Catholic School , and Glenvar High School ) indicated their interest in serving as a sponsoring site. But the program is really driven by the classroom teachers who managed the site and use the aquarium and trout eggs as a vital part of their lesson plans. Ms. Marilee Weikel at Hidden Valley Middle School , Mrs. Mary Lupsha at Roanoke Catholic and Mr. Charles Filer and Mr. Dave Mueller at Glenvar High School all stepped forward and they have actively embraced the program goals and objectives. In addition to all the necessary equipment and supplies, each site is assigned a T.U. Chapter Coordinator who serves as a resource to each site and supports the teacher. All three program sites will receive eyed Brook trout eggs from the Paint Bank Hatchery in early October. Paint Bank is one of several Department of Game and Inland Fisheries hatcheries that participate in the TIC programs. Brian Beers, Manager of the Paint Bank Hatchery will provide both Brook trout and Brown Trout eggs. During the first week in October, Mr. Beers will furnish each program site 300 eyed eggs which are then placed in a specially equipped aquarium. During the following days, the eggs hatch into fry and grow to the fingerling stage. However, careful attention must be shown by the students who monitor tank water temperatures, chemical balances of the water, and the overall growth and condition of the trout. Towards the close of the school year (usually in April/May), the students release their trout in a state-approved stream in the area’s watershed.

For more information see www.troutintheclassroom.org or contact: Karl Miller, Coordinator, TIC, Chapter 308, Trout Unlimited, knj_miller@MSN.com James Hutton, Coordinator, TIC, Chapter 308, Trout Unlimited, jamhut21@hotmail.com : Jon Wilson, Coordinator, TIC, Chapter 308, Trout Unlimited, jon@roanoketu.org For Photos contact K. Miller (above) for digital color prints or e-mail transfer. For Site visit interviews contact K. Miller (above)

TROUT UNLIMITED — Roanoke , VA Chapter #308 — 2008 Annual Fund Raiser

Click here for more details and pictures. Page may be slow to load due to number and size of pictures!

Kiwanis Fishing Day with the kids - April 26, 2008. Click here for story and pictures.

Handicapped access pier on the Jackson River at Johnson Springs/Natural Wells access.

Pier project a success!!! November 14 and 15, 2007.

Click here for pictures and story.

Roanoke TU and Orvis Alliance

Click here for full story. More discussion will follow at our November meeting.

Roanoke TU - Orvis Sign Up Day

Click here for pictures and story by Dick Taylor

Handicapped access pier on the Jackson River at Johnson Springs/Natural Wells access.

Hollins University Stocking Project

Dover reports on August 2, 2007 that the trout are healthy, aggressive and are doing fine. There is no indication or signs of any loss of trout.

Botetourt Children's Fishing Carnival

Buchanan Fairgrounds, June 2, 2007 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Contact person, Officer Shannon Smith 580-3999.

Volunteers needed. Those who have signed up to help: Chip Davis, Brian Hayden, David Vacellio, Dover England, Joe Nawrocki and Hans and Anke Loberg.

Saturday, March 31, 2007

Cleanup day at Green Hill Park. All members are asked to help if possible. More to follow on this.

Updated March 8, 2006

CALL FOR VOLUNTEERS – KIDS FISHING DAY

We have some details as to how we may assist the Kiwanis with their Kids Fishing Day event on SATURDAY, APRIL 21. We specifically need someone to instruct kids on:

· Fish facts (body parts, differences in species, what they eat, where they hang out, etc.)

· Fishing Safety (how to remove a hook, how not to get hooked, bank/water considerations, sunburn, critters, etc)

· Fishing equipment (specifically spin-cast – how components work and basics of how to use)

· Casting/fishing techniques (spin-cast equipment - how to cast and retrieve the lure/bait, how to set a hook, and how to retrieve a fish)

We would like to have about six people to handle the above areas of instruction. The kids would be broken down into groups and moved through different instruction stations. Efficiency and movement would be prime considerations and teams of two people per station would probably expedite the process. The instructors could then act as fishing guides after the instruction. That’s the real fun part - besides eating : )

The list above was provided by the Kiwanis. In addition to the functions above, someone is all set to do a bit of conservation/ecology. So, TU is being to provide the “how to safely fish for what” parts of the program.

If you can help, please e-mail Dick Vipperman at dickvipp@aol.com or call 540 772 0470. Believe me, you will have a ball!

Further specific functions will be defined as the day comes closer, but I would like to wrap up these functions as soon as possible. Please contact me ASAP.

For further details refer to the earlier post on this web site and future postings as requirements become known. Let’s show the kids that Chapter 308 can do a first class job.

Dick Vipperman

FISHING DAY WITH THE KIWANIS - April 21, 2007

This is an EARLY notification that we have again been invited to assist the Kiwanis with their annual Fishing Day with the Kiwanis. This year’s event is scheduled for Saturday, April 21 at the Baptist Children’s Home in Salem . There will be a rain date in case of inclement weather.

The Kiwanis will stock a pond on the Baptist Children’s Home property with trout a few days before the event. Then, on the day of the event, underprivileged kids from several youth organizations will be bussed in for a half day of instruction, fishing, and picnicking. Most of the kids are under 10 years old, and for most of them, this will be their first fishing experience. Once the event is over, the kids will be taken back, with their fish, to their sponsoring organizations.

The primary activities that we will be involved in will be to provide some basic fishing instruction to the kids, to assist them as they fish, and provide some fish cleaning services. As we found out last year, this makes for a really fun day.

To give you some idea as to how the event is scheduled, the tentative agenda is as follows:

8:00 - 9:00 am     Preparation and setup
9:00 - 10:00 am     Children arrive, register, and go receive instruction 10:00 - 12:00 Kids fish
12:00   - 1:00         Picnic and awarding of certificates
1:00                       Children go home

A great lunch will be provided for all volunteers and there will probably be some hugs from the kids, especially the ones who catch fish.

So, mark your calendar and as the date approaches, more details will be provided. We will be doing signups as we get closer to April.

If you have questions call or e-mail Dick Vipperman at 772-0470 or dickvipp@aol.com

NOTE: As we discovered last year, this is a great couples activity. My wife, who does not fish, came along and she had a ball. She escorted kids from our group to the cleaning station with their catch while I worked with the others as they were fishing. We made a great team. So, get your spouse to come with you. Never let it be said that you never take her/him anywhere! Dick Vipperman

ROANOKE RIVER STOCKING - JANUARY 30, 2006 - Both Roanoke River Special Regulations areas will be restocked on Monday. January 30. Persons interested in assisting the DGIF personnel with this project should be at either the Green Hill picnic shelter by the river or at the Colorado Street Bridge at 9:00 am. Boots or waders would be helpful for the Green Hill Park activity.

ROANOKE RIVER CLEANUP - APRIL 1, 2006 - The annual spring Green Hill Park Roanoke River Cleanup will be conducted in concert with the Roanoke Clean Valley Council's Clean Valley Day. By aligning our activity with the much larger CVC activity, we will take advantage of the added publicity and join in on the festivities and food that will be provided after the cleanup. Further details will be available soon.

TROUT HERITAGE DAY - APRIL 1, 2006 - The Franklin County Trout Heritage Day and kids fishing rodeo will be held at the Waid Recreational Area. Trout Unlimited will again have two people man a booth at this fun event. Food and festivities abound. Yes, this is the same day as the Green Hill Park Roanoke River cleanup, but there should be no problem handling both.

PROJECT IDEAS WELCOMED!!