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Hot Topics!

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Main Gate Status - NO GO (posted June 27, 2017)

The parts thought to be needed to fix the gate arrived today and were installed.  Unfortunately, a circuit board, not thought to be damaged, was non-functional and the gate remains inoperative.  The circuit board part has been ordered.

Regretfully, we have to again extend the closure of the Chapter to general access.  The earliest the park is now to be open for general member's access is likely to be Friday, June 30 in the afternoon.

We again apologize for this unforeseen extension to the closure of the park and any associated inconvenience. Updates will be provided as new status becomes available.
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Events for the Week of June 17 and Our Next Chapter Work Day on July 8  (updated June 27, 2017)

• June 22 through Friday, June 30 MAIN GATE inoperative and PARK CLOSED except for scheduled events
• June 24 through June 30 Cub Scout DAY Camp Event Set-up on Saturday & Sunday Scouts Arrive on Monday Morning thru Friday June 30th Contact ; Scout Leaders & Andy & Carol Lepp 540 850 6390
• Monday, June 26 through Friday, June 30, Cub Scouts using range 2 from Monday to Friday 8 am to 4 pm.  Other ranges (1, 3, and 4) are open for member use
• Saturday, July 8, see details for July below

Work Day, Saturday, July 8

• Saturday, July 8, Grounds Maintenance Tasks begin at 8:00 AM.  
  
• Saturday, July 8, 9 am, Prospective Member Interviews and New Member Orientation at Chapterhouse
• Saturday, July 8, 8:30 AM, Adopt-a-Highway roadside trash pickup 
• Saturday, July 8, 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.

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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FRILS Conduct New Shooters Training  (posted June 21, 2017)

See Lady Shooters page for details.

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Pavement of Chapter Entrance - Access to Chapter Closed  (posted June 21, 2017)

Everyone leaving the Chapter knows how treacherous the turn onto Herndon Road can be.  Pulling out from the stone/dirt driveway as a minimum can jar your teeth with the potholes that seem to form within days of being "repaired" by replacing the fill.  It was announced at the June Membership meeting that the 2017 budget includes funding for correcting this hazard and several estimates had been sought.  The situation will be remedied by asphalt paving the entry from the public road in as far as the gate.  Members were advised at the meeting that access to the property will be blocked during the construction work and the day or so of curing the asphalt and that notice would possibly be short due to scheduling of this fairly small project.

Accordingly, starting tomorrow (yes, Thursday, June 22) through noon on Sunday, June 25 the entryway to the property will be closed and access to the property unavailable.  Member access will be again available on noon Sunday, June 25.

Thank you for your understanding as we improve the safety of access and departure to the Chapter.  I believe we will all be pleased with the improvement after the short inconvenience.

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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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June draft Membership Meeting Minutes have been Posted for Review by Chapter Members  (posted June 6, 2017)

Go here to access and read the draft minutes for the recent membership meeting,  These will be offered for membership ratification at the July 2017 membership meeting.

Also note that the May 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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Youth Trapper Seminar Planned for July 17 (updated June 5, 2017)

See details at the Upcoming Events page..

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Welcome June 2017 New Members to the Chapter  (posted June 3, 2017)

Welcome our newly inducted members from June 2017,
Left to right:  Edgar (Butch) Morris, Patricia Padgett, John Padgett.

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Adopt-a-Highway (posted June 3, 2017)

Finally got a break!  Bill Hudson and a larger contingent of volunteers this month tried to completed the June roadside clean-up and the weather was perfect.  Bill and his crew collected 20 bags of debris from the roadside and it looks so much better. Bill has an Adopt-a-Highway event for every work day through October to "get 'er done." So, plan on a schedule for a pick-up in July, August, September and October. Meet in the parking lot in front of the Chapterhouse at 8:30 AM to beat the heat.  Shaun Heming has agreed to be the Assistant Road Warrior to help Bill fulfill our commitment to VDOT

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Do You Plan to Host an Event at the Chapter?  (posted June 2, 2017)

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 Greg Raines 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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FRILS Shoot Trap at the Chapter  (posted May 22, 2017)  

The FRILS conducted their first event of 2017 with trap shooting at our shotgun range on Saturday, May 20.  See the Lady Shooters web page for a full report with some photos.

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Barnett promotes PHWFF and the November Rumble at the River Event  (posted May14, 2017)

The Fred-Rapp Chapter, IWLA is local sponsor for the Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing (PHWFF) - Fredericksburg Program and this recent Comcast interview with project lead, Dick Barnett, is a great introduction on what PHWFF is all about and what the Fredericksburg Program is doing, including the event on Veterans Day in Fredericksburg.

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Several New Events Posted for June (posted May 9, 2017)

See Upcoming Events to see the details of the new listings.

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Skeet Shooting Clinic taught by an Internationally Acclaimed Instructor (posted May 9, 2017)

The Arlington-Fairfax Chapter of the Izaak Walton League in Centreville, VA, has extended an invitation for any member from our Chapter to join them in an unique clinic conducted by John Shima.  The clinic is scheduled for June 22-25, 2017 and the cost is $500 per day.  See the linked poster announcing the event.  If you are interested and have any questions please address them to Bob Magee of the hosting Chapter.  He can be reached via email at bob_magee@verizon.net.

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New Rules for Range Use and for Chapterhouse and Grounds Use Have been Posted  (updated May 5, 2017)

New Range Rules for Rifle, Pistol and Shotgun and for the Care and Use of the Chapterhouse and Grounds are both newly posted to the Member Login Area (and can also be seen on the Facilities Page).

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Are there fish in our pond? (posted April 30, 2017)

This young angler is wondering why you do not know:

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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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See the News Tab for First Quarter, 2017 Newsletter (posted March 31, 2017)

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See Upcoming Events for Photos of the 2017 Wild Game Dinner on March 16.  (posted March 28, 2017)

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President's Budget Proposal  (posted March 16, 2017) 

The President released his 2018 budget proposal in the last several days.  The budget has a number of cuts in funding from executive department agencies that are funded from the non-discretionary part of the overall federal budget. The Izaak Walton League National organization has evaluated the proposed reductions and has stated its position on the consequences the proposed budget represent.  Here is the stated position of the Izaak Walton League of America on the President's proposal.

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The Shoreline of the Pond has been Seeded (posted March 5. 2017)

The shorelines have been finished graded and the last of the seeding and straw laying was done during the work day on Saturday.  we had a number of volunteers that made the work load balanced.  After the seeding task, the seeded gounds were staked and caution tape was draped between the stakes.  For the next several months as the seeds germinate and the grass matures, members are asked to stay away from the seeded turf.  Fishing needs to be confined to the pier and the dam area.  Your cooperation will result in the best looking pond in this part of the region  If we can now get some gentle and steady rain the seeds will germinate quickly and the pond level will begin to return to normal level.  It is as much as 4 feet below normal pool in the recent weeks.

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Volunteer Positions Available (updated March 2. 2017) 

Apiary (Bee Colony) Assistants
The caring for the bees is labor intensive and Jim Ashcraft indicates that his volunteer workforce has recently been reduced to himself and two others.  He needs some assistance with this conservation effort.  Those that are interested in bee keeping should contact Jim at jashcraft@comcast.net or Greg Raines at onehrdwkr@hotmail.com
 
Conservation Committee Chair  The task is to coordinate conservation projects and activities and seek conservation experts for presenting at Membership meetings for the Chapter.  Anyone interested should contact Greg Raines at onehrdwkr@hotmail.com
We have received some new green shirts with yellow  Izaak Walton logos that will soon be available for purchase.

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Member Login site -- Passcode changed (posted March 2, 2017)

Members are advised that the passcode for the Member Login site was changed in early March 2017.  If you try to login with the code you have been using in 2016 and cannot gain access you will know that the code has been changed.  Members that are on distribution for email from the Chapter received an email blast sometime on March 3.  If you are not on distribution for email, request you be added by either using the method located in Member Login.  If you miss this opportunity in the next few hours, send an email request to newsletter@iwlafred-rapp.org.  Be sure to include your name and the email address you want to receive your email. 

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Adopt-A-Highway Schedule now Set for 2017  (posted March 2, 2017)

Please look at the Conservation web page to see the schedule that has been set for this year's series of roadside trash cleaning that has been established for our assigned 2 mile section of road.  The first pickup is on Chapter work day in April (April 8)

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Save our Streams -- Do you know how to identify an aquatic macroinvertebrate?  (posted February 26, 2017)

 First, what exactly is an aquatic macroinvertibrate? Let's break down the term. "Aquatic" means water, "macro" means big (or big enough for us to see without using a microscope) and "invertebrate" means without a backbone. So an aquatic macroinvertebrate is a water bug that we can see with our naked eye. 
If you want to know more about the categories of identification here is a good place to start  Another good chart can also be used for ID.

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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 February 1, 2017)

Several items have been found at the Chapterhouse
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• A set of small keys
• Eyeglasses  and case at the shot gun range a few weeks ago in January 2017
• A down filled vest coat a few months ago at the Chapterhouse porch (December 2016)
• A pair of Foster Grant reading glasses left November 14 maybe during the Project Healing Waters Benefit event
  
• 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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2017 Membership Renewal  (updated October 22, 2016)

The 2017 Membership Renewal forms were prepared on Sunday morning, October 2, by a small group of volunteers and were taken to the Post Office on October 3.  Members should all have received their envelope on or around October 6, Thursday.  If you do not receive an envelope for renewal of your 2017 membership to the Izaak Walton League of America, something is amiss and you should contact Sandy Stanford by simply dropping him an email at stanfolr@comcast.net to let him know that we have somehow missed you.
This year, for the first time ever, you will not receive anything back in the mail from the Chapter after you pay your dues.  You have your permanent membership all-in-one card and it will remain in effect for another year upon your remittance of the 2017 dues.  Your card will be extended for an additional 12 months and the gates will continue to open for you.  You will not need to come to the Chapter for any reason related to renewal.

Be sure to read the inserts along with your membership invoice.  There are two from the Chapter:

1. The annual shooter's fee insert.  If this form applies to you, complete it and send along with your remittance.  If you shoot and are less than 65 years old then you should remit an additional $10 for each shooter's card that you possess.  If you are 65 or older then you have hit the jackpot and may shoot for only your membership fee.  If you decide to shoot and have not been a shooter before you must remit your fee and come to the Chapter on work day to exchange your regular membership ID for a shooter's ID.  You are not allowed to shoot without a shooter's ID.  Likewise if you decide to not continue as a shooter, you must exchange your badge for a regular membership badge.  Your shooter's ID will be deactivated on December 31 and you will need to obtain a replacement all-in-one card.
2. A membership renewal facts insert.  Very important information is included on this insert as we have discontinued postal mailings during the year except for the annual billing.  All information passed to membership is now passed only by electronic communication.

For your information and convenience the two Chapter inserts that are in your envelopes are replicated here:

            Shooter's fee insert.                                 Membership renewal facts insert.

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Our Fish at the Chapter Pond are being Tagged and Tracked (posted September 1, 2016)

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.  Joe also announced that in partnership with the Chapter's Project Healing Waters Fly Fisherman Program the pond will again be stocked with rainbow trout this year.  This stocking will be done after the temperatures of the pond water have dropped to a safe level for survival of the species.

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