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updated October 13,
2025
New Government Reports for Tax Year 2024 are
Complete posted
October 13, 2025
These are open to public review and can be found by our
members posted on the Member Login
page.
Events for the week of October 12and Our Next
Chapter Work Day, November
9, 2025 updated
October 6, 2025
Mowing and trimming scheduled for Thursday, October 9,
See
the official
chapter calendar for events during the month and
for any changes to the official event schedules.
Note especially our monthly slate of meetings and
dates where there are range closures.
Our
2025 mowing season has has likely ended. Once we
start there will be weekly mowing and trimming
sessions on Thursday morning unless there is a
steady rain. The season ends when the weeds stop
growing around the latter part of October. The
equipment will be serviced (fall of 2025) and ready
to start the season in April 2026. Work hour
credits will accrue for new members and there will
be a sense of appreciation for all members who come
to help keep the grounds looking neat and
tidy. It will make the perks of chapter
membership, like shooting and fishing, camping,
hiking, etc. much more enjoyable knowing you are
part of an organization that cares for and has pride
in the entire facility. If you can volunteer on
Thursday, come and participate with the other
volunteers who toil every week during growing season
to make the chapter a showplace. A few more
volunteers will lessen the load on what now is a
small percentage of the organization. If you
can't make it on a weekday, come out on the first
Saturday monthly work day.
If you desire an event to be placed on the
calendar, please communicate with the president,
Herbert Pritchett Sr at his cell phone number 540-226-0015
or his email address
hwpritchettsr@yahoo.com. You should also reference
the event requirements detailed in the Premises
Use Agreement located on the Facilities web page.
Usually in the first week of the month, the
chapter will hold our board meeting on Monday
(sometimes Tuesday if there is a holiday or event
such as Halloween) evening at 6:30 pm and our
membership meeting on Thursday evening at 7 pm.
Both meetings will be in the chapter house.
Scheduled monthly workdays (first Saturday of the
month is our typical schedule):
- Saturday, grounds
maintenance tasks begin at 8:00 AM, All new members
need to sign the roster sheet to obtain
credit for work hours. You must sign
in when you arrive and sign out when you
leave. There are no exceptions.
The kitchen area of the chapter house is
off-limits except for kitchen crew on work
day.
- Saturday,
Adopt-a-Highway roadside pickup event at 8:30
am (We have obtained our new charter so are
able to pickup trash when the conditions are
right. Trash has been collecting on Herndon
Road and it will be removed on April 5 (the
first event this calendar year). For safety
reasons a pickup will not be attempted if the
roadways are wet and slippery even if the rain
has subsided. .
IMPORTANT: When a pick-up is scheduled and
you are intending to participate, review and
heed the safety requirements on the Conservation
page.
- Saturday, 9
AM, Prospective member interviews in the
Activity Center temperature permitting (or
chapterhouse-- ask) and new member orientation
in chapterhouse.
- Saturday,
All-in-One badging photos between 9:30 AM to
12 noon.
The photo sitting will be first come first
served. If you are replacing a badge (where
a photo exists but the badge has failed due
to misuse) there will be a new photo badge
reissued for a fee of $10 using either your
archived photo or a new photo taken at the
time of issue.
- Saturday, around
10 AM, a trap thrower training session will be
offered as needed and weather permitting for
the auto clay pigeon thrower with wobbler base
on shotgun range (range 4). This is a 15
minute tutorial and demonstration (if demand
exists; please advise Sandy Stanford if you
want an orientation.)
- Saturday after
work has completed there will be a lunch
served in the activity center or the
chapterhouse, if weather is too cold, before
workday is considered complete.
Note: Nominally
the monthly workday is 8:00 am to 1:00
pm but in some cases, the workdays might
continue even later when workload demands
it. In consideration of the fact that
fellow members are volunteering their efforts in
support of the chapter on monthly workdays,
other recreational pursuits (fishing or shooting
as prime examples) are closed until the workday
is complete. It could be as late as 2 pm
although it might end as early as 12
noon when work has been completed. The
workday tasks have priority and all members are
requested to participate whether or not the
required new member work hours have been
met. Come out on a workday to meet
your fellow members and lighten the workload by
spreading it out. The earlier the work is
finished, the sooner we can all get back to
enjoying our property. It is always
prudent to check with the official chapter calendar for any
last minute changes.
October 2025 New Member Induction posted
October 6, 2025
On Saturday, October 4,
2025, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an
orientation to 5 new members of the chapter at the
chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter
include, from left to right, Galen Grabowski and Su
Grabowski, family membership; Holly Colby and
Christopher Colby, family membership; and Ray
Minarcik, Individual member. Children of the two
families are also included.
Welcome our newest members
of the chapter.
-
September 2025 New Member Induction posted
September
7, 2025
On Saturday, September 6,
2025, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an
orientation to a new member of the chapter at the
chapterhouse. The newest member of the chapter is Tom
Faupel.
Welcome Tom our newest
member of the chapter.
-
Newly Elected Officers and Directors, Chapter Year
2025-2026 posted
September 5, 2025
As an outcome of the annual election that was held at
the August membership meeting, 4 new officers and 2 new
directors were elected to the chapter board. At
Thursday's September membership meeting these recently
elected candidates were sworn into their new posts by
Herbert Pritchett, Sr., the outgoing president. Herbert
will remain as a member of the board as "past
president." Below is a photograph of the recently
elected members to the chapter board for the upcoming
year (September 2025-September 2026).
Recently
elected members of the chapter 2025-2026 board: Left to
right, Sandy Stanford, membership director; Ralph Kinch
(seated), treasurer; Gib Devey, secretary; Terry
Fellinger, president; Darrell Schultz, vice-president;
Rod Hughes, director; and Dirk Talley, director.
The
officers (president, vice-president, secretary and
treasurer) will serve a one-year term and the directors
will serve for two years.
Welcome to our newest board
members for 2025-2026!Our Chapter Received Three Awards
at the
Recent National Convention posted
August 10, 2025
See our News page for
associated articles and photos.
There is a New Feature at the Chapter posted
June 2, 2025
Led by Terry Fellinger a small group of members
installed a boat rack at the edge of the chapter pond
(the marina). See the description of the new
feature in the Member Login page of the website.
Several boats are ready for use by members.
The Floor in the Service Area of the Activity Center
has been Seal Coated with Epoxy Paint posted
June 2, 2025
Over the weekend of June 13, 2025, two groups of
chapter member volunteers successfully cleaned and
painted the bare concrete floor of the activity
center's service area (commonly called the "kitchen."
It began with the removal of all appliances, cabinets,
and shelving from the service area into the other side
of the building. Once the floor was cleared the
surface was degreased and pressure-washed so that the
epoxy paint had a clean surface to adhere. The floor
was left to dry overnight and then painted with
brushes and rollers and left to cure. On Monday,
June 16, another crew of volunteers came to the
grounds and returned all the removed items back to
their original location. The floor is now ready
to support events where member volunteers will be able
to work without raising concrete dust and to remove
spills without staining the concrete. Below is a photo
of the crew that moved all the items back to the
service area ans a photo of the completed project.
Sorry, we have no photo of the crew that removed the
equipment but it would have included many of the same
members. The color of the floor is nearly the same as
the original concrete surface color but is now a more
durable sealant that will eliminate concrete dust and
minimize staining from spills.
Thanks to all the members that gave of their time to
make this improvement to the chapter infrastructure.
PROJECT HEALING WATERS – Open Invitation to IWLA
Veterans posted
June 8, 2025
Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing is dedicated to
guiding Veterans in need of recovery through the
therapeutic and restorative power of fly fishing,
mentoring, and friendship, directly contributing to
increased sense of well-being, belonging, resilience,
and post-traumatic growth. Fly fishing has been
identified by the Veterans Administration as a
beneficial therapeutic approach for those healing from
post-traumatic events, through the levels of required
focused concentration and repetitiveness of motion, as
well as the continuum of CAMARADERIE, CONNECTEDNESS, and
sense of COMMUNITY with other Veterans.
Our program is open to all Veterans in need of this type
of activity. Our core activities include: fly fishing,
fly casting/presentation, educational/instructional
sessions, fly-tying, and rod-building events. We
formally meet three times per month:
2nd Tuesday – Fly Tying, VFW 3103, 2701 Princess
Anne St, 1900-2100
3rd Saturday – Fishing Outing – TBD for each month
4th Saturday - Fly Casting and Educational
Instruction – Chapter grounds, 12400 Herndon Rd,
0900-1200
If you are interested in participating or have fly
fishing skills and would like to support/mentor, please
don’t hesitate to contact me via e-mail:
Dave Ward – PHW Fredericksburg Program Lead - dave.ward@projecthealingwaters.org
June 2025 New Member Induction posted
June
8, 2025
On Saturday, June 8, 2025,
Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an orientation to 5
new members of the chapter at the chapterhouse. The
newest members of the chapter include, from left to
right, Wendell Tabios, William Brooks, Eric Wright,
Daniel Teets and Norman Carter.
Welcome our newest members
of the chapter.
-
May 2025 Complimentary Trapshoot at the Chapter posted
May 12, 2025
See the Activities tab
for an article and a selection of photos from this
past weekend's event. Thanks to all that volunteered
to make this event a success!
May 3 Workday Project - Range 1 Metal Roof posted
May 3, 2025
A few volunteers installed a new metal roof on
the range 1 pavilion on Saturday, May 3, 2025.
The pavilion had been extended last year to provide
additional firing positions on the 50 yard berm.
Today, metal ridge roofing panels were installed which
should protect the pavilion for many decades to come.
Annual Pancake Breakfast and Egg Hunt at the
Activity Center posted
May 3, 2025
See the Activities tab
for an article and a selection of photos from last
months annual event. Thanks to all that volunteered to
make this event a success!
Earth Day 2025 - Chapter Participates
posted May 2, 2025
Rod Hughes led a group of volunteers to provide
demonstrations at this year's Earth Day at Old Mill
Park. We believe this event clearly represents the
ideals and objectives in the best heritage of the
Izaak Walton League of America. Our Save Our
Stream and Apiary projects were showcased. See the Conservation
tab for some selected photos taken of the
interaction with children at the event. Thanks
to our volunteers for representing us well. An event
like this is not easy to plan and execute but the
chapter responded well to the challenge.
Judge John Tobin Award for 2024. Posted
April 5, 2025
See entry on News Page for the announcement for
this annual award.
2025 Wild Game Dinner posted
March
8, 2025
Click on Activities
to see several photos of this year's Wild Game Dinner
celebrated today at the chapterhouse.
Presentation of Flown Flag to Chapter posted
March 7, 2025
the March 6, 2025 Membership Meeting, Heather Pierce, a
new member of the chapter (see above), made a
presentation of a flag flown over an overseas base in
2024 during her deployment. Shown here is Heather
making the presentation of the flag and certificate of
authenticity to chapter president Herbert Pritchett, Jr.
Deed of Gift of
Conservation Easement posted
March 7, 2025
At the March 6 chapter membership meeting, Jim Lloyd
made a presentation summarizing the creation of a Deed
of Gift of Conservation Easement which was recorded at
the Spotsylvania courthouse at the end of October
2024. The presentation charts and a selection of
records that provide details about this easement are
provided in the member login area of
the chapter web pages. The proceeds of the
sale of associated tax credits have been deposited in
the bank account as a CD by the chapter treasurer.
This concludes the action regarding the conservation
easement.
Driving at the Chapter posted
February 17, 2025
Right after a rain or snow
event the chapter grounds can become saturated with
water and/or ice. Please take extra care to keep
on the designated roadway and off the grassy
areas. The grass is damaged and the soil becomes
rutted. Remember, any damage created by a member
or a guest of a member will be the responsibility of
the member to re-mediate. We expect some snow this
week so drive responsibly and obey the speed limits on
the property - 10 miles per hour.
Eagle Scout candidate,
Logan Vargas, Troop 847, Upgrades Apiary Pollinator
Garden posted
February 11, 2025
On Sunday, February 9, Logan Vargas, Troop 847,
worked a project that improved and updated the
chapter's pollinator garden at the apiary. See Conservation
for the story and some photos.
Final 2024 Budget Execution Report posted
February
7, 2025
The 2024 executed budget spreadsheet was presented to
the assembled members of the chapter at the chapter
business meeting held on February 6,2025. Members can
review the exhibit by logging into the member
only login page.
Eagle Scout Project posted
December
14, 2024
Our fire-pit has needed
fixing for the past several years. A scout created a
project for his Eagle Scout ranking to fix the
fire-pit. The old pit was disassembled and the ground
beneath it was excavated, leveled and lined with
stone. A new steel liner was added and the walls
of the fire-pit were reassembled. The fire-pit
is now smaller, well constructed and will serve
members of the chapter for years to come. Below
are photos of the group that assisted in this Eagle
Scout project and the new fire-pit
The chapter appreciates the
effort that has made another upgrade to our facility.
Chapter Membership Approved the Fiscal Year 2025
Budget posted
December 78, 2024
At the December 5, 2024 membership meeting of the
Fredericksburg Rappahannock chapter of the Izaak
Walton League of America, Inc. the chief financial
officer, Joe Webb, presented the board proposed 2025
budget. After a discussion, the budget was voted on
and passed with no disagreements. The content of
the line item budget can be viewed as a PDF file at
the Member
Login page of the website.
Chapter Board Members
Inducted posted
September 8, 2024
At the September 5, 2024 Membership Meeting, the
recently elected members of the board of directors
were sworn in to their new terms for the 2024/2025
year. See below for last month's election
results. The photograph was taken after the
induction ceremony on September 5:
2024/2025 Electees
 .
Pictured from Left to
Right - Jim Rector, director; Jamie Branham, director;
Barbara Pritchett, secretary; Herbert Pritchett,
president; Ralph Kinch, treasurer Tammie
Paterak, and Terry Fellinger, vice-president
Eagle Scout Project - New Rail on Pier posted
May 29, 2024
On Saturday, May 25,
2024, a group of scouts, mentored by the facilities
committee, dismantled and replaced the aging rails
on the chapter's fishing pier. In addition, a gate
was added to facilitate Project Healing Waters Fly
Fishing participants to embark on their fishing
platform (pontoon). This was a great upgrade
to one of the recreational features the chapter
provides to those members that take advantage of
fishing in our pond.
The Prestigious Judge
John Tobin honor certificate was awarded at the
May Membership Meeting posted
May 5, 2024
See the News Tab.for details.
New Version of Range Rules Published posted
January 6, 2024
New rules for use of
the ranges have been published. A change has
been made to define better the use of suppressors on
the chapter property. See either the Member
Login page or the Facilities
page to read the new requirements.
Our Pond Supports All Kinds of Natural Flora and
Fauna posted
August 11, 2023
The pond has an abundance of examples of all
aquatic animals and flora in central Virginia.
This year there is a return of pond weed growth to the
shoreline of the pond. Our pond manager and a few
volunteers have been waging a battle to reduce the
growth to make fishing a little easier. The growth
will be abated when colder weather settles in.
Also, the pond has yielded an abundance of fishing
experiences throughout the winter and spring when
anglers have been rewarded with all sorts of large
catches including trout and bass. The pond also
serves as a source of other natural wildlife.
Occasionally, the wildlife that inhabit our pond will
sometimes need some management. Here is a photo of
one of our members who has reduced the population of a
healthy if not ugly snapping turtle. I am sure
there are others in the pond so it is important not to
dangle your toes in the water lest you encounter the
jaws of one of these reptiles.
Butch Morris Awarded for his "Save Our Streams (SOS)"
Conservation Effort posted
August 4, 2023
See article and photo on the conservation
web tab on the Fred-Rapp chapter website.
New Officials Were Elected as Officers of the National
Chapter posted
August 3, 2023
The Izaak Walton League of America, Inc wrapped up
their annual convention last week. The
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter is proud to announce
that our chapter president, Herbert Pritchett, Sr., of
Fredericksburg VA has been elected as the vice president
of the national chapter of IWLA, Inc. Pictured
here is a photo of the installation of the officers'
ceremony conducted at the convention. From right
to left are the new president-elect, Jodi Arndt;
vice-president-elect, Herbert Pritchett, Sr.; and
treasurer-elect, Scott Meyer, who is also from a
Virginia chapter.
Herbert is the Newly Elected National Chapter
Vice-President (See the News Page) posted
July 29, 2023
We Have been Hearing Recent Claims of Very Large Bass
in Our Pond posted
June 28, 2023
Member Dirk Johnson sent a photo of a catch made by his
daughter at the chapter pond yesterday. This is
proof positive that we have some big ones in our pond
just waiting for someone to put a hook in their mouth.
She looks very happy!
Communications with Membership posted
June 9, 2023
It is again apparent that not all members are getting
communications from the chapter. We use a variety
of email, calendars and social media to try to
communicate information. Some information is
critical, for example firearms range closures. We try to
pass the word as quickly as we know when critical
situations arise. The fastest way to do this is by
email and the use of the chapter calendar. If you
are not on distribution for email please let me know at
newsletter @ iwlafred-rapp.org (take out spaces to form
the email address) and I will put you on the list of
distribution. If you have a family membership include
your significant other's information as well. I need
your first and last name and email address to do this
after checking to assure you are a member. (No non
members are on the distribution.) I also try to
make sure information of import on the use of the
property is listed on the chapter calendar. You
can always check the chapter
calendar at this link. The calendar trumps
any other scheduling information usually. The chapter
calendar is a Google calendar and if you use Google
calendar as your personal calendar you can overlay the
chapter calendar so you can always be up to date with
chapter events. Less often, information can be found at
our website and our Facebook sites. If it is a
time critical notification, look for an email and a
calendar entry.
The only US postal mail notification you will receive
in any year is the annual mailing for annual dues which
normally happens in early to mid October each year.
By the way, if you are changing either your postal mail
or your email address make sure you notify the chapter
so our communications will keep up with you.
Again, you can send it to me (Jim Lloyd) at newsletter @
iwlafred-rapp.org (remove the spaces to form the email
address) and I will assure that the databases needing
change will get changed.
Come out to your chapter next
month on workday to keep our investment properly
maintained and a source of beauty, utility and pride!
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