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Hot Topics!

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Events for the week of February 17 and Our Next Chapter Work Day on March 9  (Updated February 16, 2019)

• Saturday, February 16, Sock Hop at the Chapter, 6 PM to 8 PM, RSVP to Nona Rector at nkr4vol@gmail.com
•  Monday, February 18, President's Day, Chapter open all day
• Saturday, February 23, Project Healing Waters, 9 am to 11 am at Chpater House.

Next Monthly Work Day,     Saturday, March 9

• Saturday, Grounds Maintenance Tasks begin at 8:00 AM.
• Saturday, 9 am, Prospective Member Interviews and New Member Orientation at Chapterhouse 
• Saturday, 9:30 AM to 12 noon,  Next scheduled All-in-one Badge issue at the Chapterhouse for new members and those members that have never had a photo ID issued

Note: Firearms ranges closed until workday is complete.

No other events are presently planned however it is always prudent to check with the official Chapter Calendar for any last minute changes.

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New Member Inducted in February 2019 (posted February 10, 2019)

Welcome to our newest Ikes!

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Draft Membership Meeting Minutes for November have been Posted for Review by Chapter Members  (posted November 5, 2018)

Go to the Member Login page to access and read the draft minutes for the recent membership meeting,  These will be offered for membership ratification at the next monthly  membership meeting
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Also note that last month's minutes were read and ratified at the recent meeting and those minutes and many others are also found in the same Member Only web location.

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Do You Plan to Host an Event at the Chapter?  (updseted September 4, 2018)

The Chapter is an amazing asset if any member want to host an event on the premises.  If you have an intent to host a group, make sure you do some advance planning and contact the Chapter's Event Planner, Greg Raines.  Earlier in May, we updated the Chapter's House and Ground Rules and at the same time established a requirement for anyone desiring the use of the Chapter to access, download, read and complete the Request for Use of Chapter Premises.  This document outlines requirements for use, releases the Chapter from liability and assures the requester the full knowledge of the Chapter's expectations.  The document can always be found midway on the Facilities page.  Please submit your completed application to Herbert Pritchett at email at hwpritchettsr@yahoo.com well in advance of the anticipated use so that you are assured of permission to use and no conflicts with other events.  Always look at the Chapter Calendar when planning

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Our Chapter was Awarded Twice during the Recent National Convention  (Updated August 3, 2018)

See News Tab.

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See the News Tab for Several Recent  "News" events  (Posted June  22,  2018 )

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See Conservation page for the latest Adopt-a-Highway report  (posted May 6, 2018 )

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New Communications Capability at Our Chapter   (updated May 6, 2018 )

The long awaited change from our previous Internet supplier to Comcast Business has been accomplished.  We now have a high speed Internet, TV and telephone.  If you want to access wifi at the Chapter you may use our guest access network line by setting up your device to receive the signal (you may find the credentials in the Member Only Login page). This access was fixed on May 6 so now it should work easily for all.

Our new phone number, accessible at phone boxes outside the Chapterhouse, at the tool shed and a remote phone in the kitchen, is 540-412-9330.  You can make outgoing and incoming calls.  The bell does not riing loudly for incoming calls outside and if no one is close by do not rely on it being answered if it is an emergency.  The previous phone service was limited to outgoing 911 and was "copper wire"; this new phone is VOIP and can be used for any local dialing which is especially useful for those members that do not have good cell phone service at the Chapter. .
 

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Danger Notice!!  Raven Clay Pigeon Thrower  (Posted April 17, 2018)

On range 4 is a clay thrower that is stored in the large green box that is locked by a combination lock.. Only those that have been trained are allowed the combination and access.  On the Facilities tab near the bottom there is a Raven Clay Thrower manual of operation.  It is linked here for your convenience. Always work on the thrower from the left side and to the rear of the thrower and outside the swing arc of the throwing arm. Please review the instructions and be sure you understand the steps for preparing, operating and storage of the thrower.  Users are performing the incorrect steps in using the equipment.  The electrical leads have been damaged several times over the past year.  The throwing arm is being jammed/forced into the wrong position as users seem to think that the safety pin needs to be inserted when the arm is in line with the main structure of the frame at the 6 o'clock position.  The safety pin is inserted only when the arm is left naturally after the last pigeon is thrown and the power removed.  Looking from behind the thrower out to the range the arm will naturally end up being in about the 7 or 8 o'clock position.  Do not force it into any other position.(see step 3 in the procedure to understand that the throwing arm is not in line with the structure of the thrower and the pin is inserted in front of the arm.  The arm moves in a counter-clockwise direction.  The pin prevents the arm from reaching the cocked position at the back of the thrower.  The pin is never inserted behind the throwing arm.)    Disconnect the power leads to the large terminals of the battery but do not disconnect the charging circuit from the solar panel.  (see step 2 and step 6 of the procedure to note how solar leads should remain connected and never removed.  The power leads (larger wires) are attached to the larger terminals of the battery when operating the unit and removed when ready to stow the unit.) Remember: Red goes to positive and black to negative poles.  If you do not understand these procedures do not operate this thrower as any deviation from the procedure has the potential to serously injure you. Remember: Never set up for use with anyone to the right or front of the thrower.  Always work from the left side of the thrower (archery range side of the thrower). Seek instruction from a range officer that knows how to operate the unit and if one is unavailable, call either Jamie Branham or Sandy Stanford to arrange a lesson.  Their contact information can be found in the Contact tab of the web site

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Our Chapter Apiary is in the Local News (posted April 15, 2018 ) 

See article

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Chapter Awarded Monetary Grant from Rappahannock Electric Cooperative (posted March 28, 2018 ) 

See the Conservation tab for more information.

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Spanish Speaking Person Sought

Greg Raines indicated at the March Membership Meeting that the VA Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) is asking for volunteer Spanish interpreters for a class they will be holding for children.  Anyone interested may contact Greg at 540-287-2628  (A text message works best).

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We Now Have a Work Van for Facility Maintainance Chores  (posted March 18, 2018)

Thanks to the efforts of one of our members, we have a vehicle that we can use for chores around the Chapter and to support our activities off-site. The Chevrolet E3500 van looks and runs like new and was donated to the Chapter by Dominion Electric.  The decals were added so that we can be visible in our community and project our image of Conservation and community service.  The van will become very useful in July when we need to transport cargo to the site of the National Convention we are hosting in Fredericksburg.

   

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Project Healing Waters Social Media Sites  (Posted August 3, 2017)

Members may learn more about Project Healing Waters by accessing the web sites at http://www.projecthealingwaters.org/programs/locations/virginia/   or the more detailed information on the Fredericksburg Facebook page of Project Healing Waters 

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Archery Ranges (posted June 15, 2017)

Members are reminded that the Manahoac Bowmen organization operates an archery range which is inside the woods beyond the flag pole on the west side of the pond.  No IWLA member is allowed to use that range for archery purposes without the permission and guidance of the Manahoac Bowmen.  There is a series of ranges for use by IWLA members to the right of the Bowmen's building.  It is situated between the Shotgun Range and the Bowmen's building.  There are several shooting lanes of varying distance for targets primarily for arrows with field points.  Archers shall not be using broadhead arrow tips on any target not designed for their use.  If you are not familiar with this prohibition please reference the Chapter's range rules.  If you do not understand the basis for the requirement, do not shoot broadhead arrows without consulting someone in charge of the Manahoac Bowmen organization. Shooting broadhead arrows at targets meant for field points damages the targets severely. Broadhead arrows are razor sharp and designed to rip and tear flesh.  If shot into a target meant for field points they can easily break off and present a very severe hazard to anyone left with the task of repairing the targets.  Violators of this prohibition will be severely penalized.  Again, do not use broadhead arrows unless you know what you are doing.  The person or persons that shot these arrows into field targets obviously did not know what they were doing or were maliciously/willingly damaging property.  Please direct any questions about the archery ranges and range requirements to Eugene Slagle at eugeneslagle@gmail.com.  You can obtainin additional information about the bowmen organization at their web page.

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Assured Access to Advanced Health Care Directives  (posted April 6, 2017)

At the April Chapter Membership Meeting, George Lear reported to the membership the existence of a service that the Commonwealth of Virginia provides to its citizens.  This service is a secure website that can be used to store important documents that protect your legal rights and ensure your medical wishes are honored if you are incapacitated and unable to manage your own care.  The database of Advance Directives at this website is held in a confidential and secure site, protected by the most up-to-date web and database security standards. All information submitted is used only by authorized individuals and kept completely confidential. If you are interested in learning more about this service you can obtain all the information and subscribe by linking here.

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Free Money for the Chapter (posted February 11, 2017)

If any of our members (or anyone else for that matter) shop using Amazon, it takes just a few adjustments of your account to have the Amazon company donate a percentage of the sale to the account of the Fred-Rapp Chapter at no cost to the member.  The percentage is small but just in the last quarter the Chapter has earned nearly $10 through this no cost feature of Amazon.  See our Donations tab for access to the steps to make this happen for the benefit of the Chapter. Or learn more about Amazon Smiles and how to use this feature by clicking here.

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Lost and Found (reposted May 1, 2018)

Several items have been found at the Chapterhouse:

• A set of small keys
  
• A very nice electronic camera found at the Chapter several years ago.
• A pink, black, and blue woman's scarf left in Chapterhouse on December 5, 2015

Send an email to newsletter@iwlafred-rapp.org describing your lost item and we will figure out a good time to get the item back to its proper owner.

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Our Fish at the Chapter Pond are being Tagged and Tracked (updated May 14, 2018)

Our Chapter Pond manager, Joe Webb, has started a fish tagging program at the pond at the Chapter grounds.  So far about 25 fish have been caught, tagged and released.  This program will help to assess the health of our fishery.  If you fish at the pond and catch one with a tag on the left side of the dorsal fin make sure you take note of the tag number.  You can go to the fish tagging website to see the history of the fish and add your own notations: Go to the main web site front page at www.fishtagger.com. Key in the full Tag ID printed on the tag and click Go. You will now be brought to a web page displaying the tag's history. Please add your new catch information here by clicking Add. You will be asked for information regarding your catch such as angler name/e-mail, fish type, weight, length, location caught, date caught, and any comments. You should print out and take a Fish Tag Log Sheet with you when fishing in order to record this information for entering into the computer after fishing. Please also send Joe an email to let him know you had caught and reported a fish that has been tagged. 

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