Greetings Steelheaders!
We are getting into the home stretch for the Portland area 50th Anniversary Celebration. We still need to sell more tables to break even on the facilities. This is your opportunity to show your support for the Steelheaders. I am re-running Larry�s piece from last time and including an image of our event flyer.
We are still looking for Chapters to host events outside of the Portland area. We agreed in a Board of Director meeting that we should not limit the 50th Anniversary Celebration to just one event and the Association will provide support for events in other areas.
The Sportsman�s Show and the Boat Show were very successful events for us. We sold a lot of raffle tickets, signed up some new members, and got a chance to network with our partners in the fishing industry.
Auction
How you can help-
Our 50th Anniversary Banquet Auction – April 10Th 2010 Location is the Holiday Inn Portland Airport
8439 NE Columbia Blvd
Portland, OR 97220
(503) 256-5000
Some simple facts about this event-
Funds from this event support the general costs of maintaining the organization to the benefit of all chapters. So let�s do it together!
What chapters can do to help
- Reserve banquet tables at the event as soon as possible so we have a better idea of our �count�. Please contact me with this information.
- Single tickets are $50
- A regular table of 10 is $450
- A Patron table of 10 is $550, and includes complimentary wine and one Patron series art print (retail value $250�)
- Request donations of items from chapter members (jigs, flies, spinners, or other items they can make). These would make good additions to the Dutch auction bags; we�re always looking for good items for the bags. Other sorts of donations are welcome of course!
- Please forward contact information about likely donors to me. Guided trips and hotel accommodations are very useful, as well as items that our members� wives like as well. (Yeah I know�they really want a new salmon troll outfit�)
- Request donations of Fishing Trips with skilled members to be part of a reward drawing for event volunteers. Both Joe Domenico and I are doing this. You can too!
- Get your friends to attend! It�s April 10th at the Holiday Inn, Portland Airport 8439 NE Columbia Blvd. Doors open at 4:30 PM
- Ask for your chapter members to volunteer at the event. There are lots of easy jobs, and they�ll still have plenty of time to visit and bid. We can find a job that will work for them, and show them all that is required to do it. Have them contact me.
- If you have members who are used to talking to the public on the phone, I can use a couple of callers to make follow up calls to our auction donors. The donors will have already received a donation request letter, so they won�t be making �cold calls�. Have the volunteers interested in this contact me.
palmerlarryd@yahoo.com, 503-286-2093 (home), or 503 793-9225 (cell)
- This year significant items for the auction will be posted to our website, along with progress updates. Check them out at-http://www.nwsteelheaders.org/
- Send your donated items to- The Association office at-
Assn. of NW Steelheaders
6641 SE Lake Road,
Milwaukie, OR 97222
Thank you,
Larry Palmer
2010 Auction Co-chair
Legislative
Kitzhaber:
I attended a meeting (Sponsored by NSIA and NW Guides and Anglers) with Kitzhaber, representing the Steelheaders and specifically our river rights interests. The gubernatorial candidate mentioned a previous meeting with agriculture interests that were less friendly to his response on this issue. Basically he wants the issue resolved with a state wide solution, ending the river by river process now in place. He also supports SAFE For Salmon as a way to establish conservation management in a way that ends the conflict.
Land Owner Liability Protection HB37:
This bill addresses a loophole in the current indemnity of landowners that permit access to the general public. We support this bill because it addresses a primary concern of land owners with the topic of public access and should improve public access in the future. It is expected to pass.
Citizen�s Rights to Oregon�s Waterways SB 1060:
Our bill was first rewritten by Senator Bates in an effort to put a stake in the ground with the progress made and establish a task force to finalize wording of a bill for the next session. The opposing senators were able to change enough votes to kill the bill. Supporting legislators are moving forward with a task force that will be hosted by the Division of State Lands.
Columbia River Salmon Spill:
The legal team is giving Washington State�s Department of Ecology another opportunity to remove the 115% Total Dissolved Gas limit at the forebay. A new petition that other groups can sign on to is being circulated.
Estuary Protection from FEMA backed development:
FEMA responded with a redline of our counter proposal solution to the law suit to protect critical estuary habitat for ESA species. We are proceeding with court action as further negotiations take place.
Klamath Agreement Signing Ceremony:
Bob Oleson attended the ceremony, culminating a couple years of effort between Bob, Norm Ritchie and Tom Smoot. Bob reported that others in attendance acknowledged with appreciation the ANWS contribution to the effort. (He also mentioned enjoying meeting California�s �Governator�.)
Attack on ESA Protections of Sacramento River Salmon:
This just in from Honorary Director, Liz Hamilton: �West Coast ocean fisheries can breathe a temporary sigh of relief, along with fishing businesses in California, Oregon, and Washington. Sen. Dianne Feinstein, who had proposed an amendment (or “rider”) on pending jobs legislation to waive protections for imperiled California Central Valley salmon for up to two years, was unable to proceed with her rider because the Senate opted not to allow any amendments as the jobs bill is debated this week.�
As mentioned earlier we along with other sportsman and conservation groups responded loudly to the US senate on this and all of us have a share in this success.
Liz goes on to warn. �Unfortunately, Sen. Feinstein has already indicated that she will seek to attach her rider to another bill later this spring, so this fight is not over. We’ll keep you posted as we learn more, but until then, thanks for speaking up for Central Valley salmon!� Of course the ANWS will continue to be diligent and ready to respond to protect our coastal chinook fishery.
Endorsements for Water, Parks and Wildlife Ballot Measure:
The ANWS board endorsed this measure at the February board meeting. This measure essentially continues the old measure 66 lottery funding of salmon recovery and park funding but with better assurances of funding for fish and wildlife for the same funds. We will be supporting this effort through signature gathering and other public outreach efforts. We hope all chapters will participate in signature gathering efforts.
Norman E. Ritchie, P.E.
Government Affairs Director
email: normritchie@q.com
cell: 503-807-7729
In Closing
Remember – You are members of an incredible organization. This is an organization that accomplishes some amazing things and you should be proud to be a member. If you want to do some volunteer work at the Association level please contact me to see how you can help.
Please do not hesitate to contact me directly at gun_dog@anws.org with your concerns, views, and/or suggestions on how to improve this monthly email blast to our members. Also, you can email me if you would rather not receive this e-blast newsletter in the future.
Thank you for your continuing support of the Association to protect and enhance fisheries and their habitats for today and the future.
Sincerely,
Jay Burris
President
