Fredericksburg Dog Mart on Saturday;
still accepting volunteers posted September
25, 2023
We need some people to help with the cashier task for
food service and the morning gate intake ($5 a car).
There is a SignUp
application available for people.
And, remember, the chapter grounds are closed to all
recreational activities while volunteers are preparing
the facility for the Dog Mart. These activities
are identified on the chapter calendar and a sign will
be posted at the gate.
Dog Mart on September 30, final weeks of preparation posted
September 7, 2023
Everyone knows that our one annual event and
fundamental legacy is at the end of September,
right? There is a SignUp
application available for people to understand how
this event is developed each year. It does not
"just happen," it takes effort and planning. We
are in the final two weeks and there are plenty of tasks
that are still unfilled by volunteers. There is a
special workday on September 23rd with tasks that need
to be done. Shannon Christopher is seeking
volunteers (see email reminder)
for a bake sale (a great fund raiser); Nona Rector has
stepped up to lead a final effort to seek silent auction
items of fundraising value (we are looking for items of
quality and not garage sale items (for lack of a better
descriptor). Contact Nona at email address
nkr4vol@gmail.com if you can help her make this happen.
Let's all pull together to make the Dog Mart another
successful event by all measures.
Elected Officials Installed for Chapter Year 2023/2024
posted
September 8, 2023
At the September Membership Meeting held this evening,
Past President Steve Kotowski swore in the officials
elected for the year 2023/24 chapter board. All
officers and half the directors were elected at the
August meeting. Pictured below is the ceremonial
swearing in of those officials. From left to right
are pictured, Jim Lloyd, vice president; Sandy Stanford,
membership director; Barbara Pritchett, secretary;
Herbert Pritchett, president; Ralph Kinch, treasurer;
and Darrell Schultz, director. Also elected but
not present was Latoynia Ransom-Harvey, director.
Officers are elected for on-year terms and directors for
2-year terms. A complete breakdown of the board
constituency with term limits can be found at the member login
page.
Chapter Holds Annual Shooting Sports Event in Honor of
Clayton "Fred" Marshall
posted
September 8, 2023
See Activities
tab for article and selected photos.
Events for the week of September 25 and Our Next
Chapter Work Day on October 7, 2023 updated
August 27, 2023
The September workday will be the final Saturday
monthly workday before Dog Mart. We need to make
extra effort to make the property ready.
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.
Note also that our seasonal schedule of lawn mowing and
weed trimming has started and will recur very week on
Thursday morning unless there is a steady rain. The
season ends when the weeds stop growing around the
latter part of October. Work hour credits will
accrue for new members and there will be a sense of
appreciation for all members if they 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. Come and
participate with the other volunteers who toil every
week 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 (A
roadside pickup is planned for the September 9
workday to make the road presentable for Dog Mart.
For safety reasons a pickup will not be scheduled if
the roadways are wet and slippery even if the rain
has subsided. We are hoping for the April workday). IMPORTANT: When a pick-up is
scheduled and you are intending to participate,
review and heed the safety requirements on the Conservation
page. We had our first pickup on April
8 as the road had collected a lot of litter over
the winter. The weather was seasonal and
there were enough volunteers.
- 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 possessing a temporary access badge
(either orange or white), please come in to obtain
a proper photo ID. 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.
Updated 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.
No
other events are presently planned, however, it is
always prudent to check with the official
chapter calendar for any last
minute changes.
325th Fredericksburg Dog Mart Raffle posted
August 20, 2023
Again this year, member Kevin Maxwell, has provided for
three high-value articles for the Dog Mart raffle.
The articles include a Stoeger 12-gauge over and under
shotgun, a 35-liter Calcutta Cooler, and a Seiko
gentleman's dress watch with black leather band.
Coupons will be sold at chapter meetings and other
events as announced. Each coupon represents one chance
for an item cost $10 for one chance, $25 for 3, and
(best deal) $30 for 4. Ticket purchases can be
made by cash or check. The first coupon drawn will be
for the shotgun, the second coupon will be for the
cooler and the third coupon will be for the watch.
Make sure you write your name and phone number on the
coupon so it can be read. Read carefully the
eligibility requirements for the person winning the
shotgun.
Here is this year's poster which will be on display at
all chapter meetings and the Dog Mart until October 5
when the drawing will be made a the chapter's October
membership meeting. Winners need not be present to
claim the prizes
Click
here to see an image of this year's 325th
Fredericksburg Dog Mart raffle poster
All proceeds from the raffle will become part of the
chapter's treasury for use to conduct chapter
activities.
August 2023 New Member Induction posted
August 11, 2023
On August 5, 2023, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave
an orientation to 1 new individual member at the
chapterhouse. The newest member of the chapter is Brad
Clark. Brad's photo appears below. Welcome
our newest member of the chapter.
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.
Members Elect Officers for the Upcoming Chapter Year
2023/2024 posted
August 4, 2023
At the August membership meeting held at the chapterhouse
last evening (August 3), the assembled quorum of members
elected a slate of officers and directors for the year
2023/2024. The election, held in accordance with the
rules of our bylaws, resuulted in the following slate of
officers for one year: President, Herbert Pritchett,
Sr.; vice president, James Lloyd, treasurer, Ralph Kinch;
secretary, Barbara Pritchett; and directors for a term of
2 years each, membership director, Sandy Stanford;
director, Latoynia Ransom-Harvey; and director, Darrell
Schultz. These officials-elect will be formally
installed and sworn in at the September membership meeting
on September 7, 2023.
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.
Two SignUp Events Added to the Member Login Web Page posted
May 20, 2023
The SignUp links for the Fredericksburg Dog Mart and
the recently scheduled Fall Spotsy Wine Festival have
been added to the Member Login
page so members may access the links and volunteer
support for the events later this fall. Sign up
soon and often!
The Prestigious Judge John Tobin honor was awarded at
the May Membership Meeting
See the News Tab.for
details.
Work Day, June 3,
2023 posted
June 4, 2023
Work day on June 3 had many varied
activities. Some brush clearing was done on
several parts of the property, weeds were pulled from
the pond to make fishing from the bank a little easier
(and to keep the weeds from taking over the entire
pond surface.) A camera was added to the power
pole in the parking lot to provide a fixed "stare" and
a higher resolution record of gate entries and exits.
The pan, tilt and zoom camera will be relocated in the
near future to provide more dynamic coverage of the
upper part of the property. A good portion of
the ramp leading to the chapterhouse entrance was
replaced as the 5/4 planking were getting very
deteriorated. Some stone was added on the side
of the sidewalk leading to the stairs at the
chapterhouse to reduce a tripping/falling
hazard. A warning stripe of yellow was also
pointed to draw attention to the sudden change in
elevation of the sidewalk. A heavy bolt was
added to the new doors to the tool shed to secure the
doors flush with the frame. The gasoline engine
powered garden pump was serviced and restored to
proper function. Nona prepared a hot dog lunch for
rewarding the workers who toiled that morning to
improve the property.
Come out to your chapter next
month on workday to keep our investment properly
maintained and a source of beauty, utility and pride!
June 2023 New Member Induction posted
June 4, 2023
On June 3, 2023, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an
orientation to 1 new individual member at the
chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter is
Connor Benhase. A photo, unfortunately was not
taken. We will try to get one when he comes back
for a visit. Welcome our newest members of the
chapter. Photo to follow.
May 2023 New Member Induction posted
May 6, 2023
On May 6, 2023, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an
orientation to 1 family membership and 1 new individual
member at the chapterhouse. The newest members of the
chapter are pictured below and are, from left to right,
John DeVincenti, Billy Jean Claytor, and Steve
Harmon. Steve Harmon was voted into membership at
the April membership meeting but had his required
orientation this month. Welcome our newest members
of the chapter.
April 2023 New
Member Induction posted
April 8, 2023
On April 8, 2023, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford
gave an orientation to 2 new individual members at
the chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter
are pictured below and are, from left to right
Daniel Nefferdorf and Jeffery Bryant. Absent
were new members Stephen Harmon and Richard Jones,
who were also voted in on Thursday: Welcome
our newest members of the chapter.
Report on the
Execution of FY 2022 Budget Available posted
February
2, 2023
Members can access the report
that was presented at the February 2023 Membership
Meeting by opening the Member Only login web page
AmazonSmile Charitable
Contributions posted
January 27, 2023
On February 20, 2023, Amazon
will be closing AmazonSmile to focus its philanthropic
giving to programs with greater impact. Member's
purchases will continue to generate Amazon donations
to the chapter until that date. See Amazon
explanation of reasoning for closing this
philanthropic means after a decade. Over the
years the chapter has received about $380 in
contributions.
New Chapter Operational Policies Approved (Posted
January 8, 2023)
On January 2 , 2023, the chapter board of directors
met, discussed and approved updates to the Attachment 1
to Bylaws constituting the Operational Procures.
As the policies were last modified in 2018, this
constitutes an update to this document required at least
every 5 years. The new Attachment 1, Operational
Procedures can be located as a link to a PDF file in the
Member
Lggin area of this website.
New
IWLA Logo Replaces the Old - Effective Immediately
(Posted
December 31, 2022)
New logo pictured above
Absolute Final Deadline for Chapter Membership Renewal
is January 31 and you must Pay a late fee of $20 in
Addition to Other Fees
(Posted January 23, 2023)
If your 2023 dues payment is not postmarked
before February 1, 2023, you will be dropped
from the membership rolls and must submit a new
application if you want to become a member of
the chapter and the league. That means you will
be a new member and must pay the initiation fee
and commit to a service hour obligation as a
prospective member.
Remittances received on or after January 18 (the last
envelope opening session) will be opened and processed
before the end of the month by the membership
chairman. Your payments will be processed and your
access to the property, suspended if not paid by
December 31, will be reinstated. Any dues submitted will
require a $20 late fee per our operating policies.
Checks received after January 18 will be processed near
the end of the first week of February by a small group
of volunteer and deposited in the bank soon
thereafter. That will be the last organized
renewal session of 2023.
Our Pond has been Stocked
with Trout posted
November 19, 2022
On Friday morning, November 18, a truck from a trout
farm in West Virginia entered our gates at the property
and drove immediately to our boat launch ramp and began
to unload about 300 nice sized rainbows and at least two
sizeable brown trout. Angling is allowed
immediately and you must keep each trout you catch with
a daily creel limit of 3 trout with the possibility this
will increase later. Each fish placed into the pond
probably averages a pound and a half. Before you leave
the pond, please register your catch on the clipboard
attached inside the fishing shelter so we know how many
fish we have taken from the pond. There will be a second
stocking sometime before Christmas so fishing at the
Walton pond should deliver some pleasure and excitement
well into the winter season. A couple photos of the
stocking follow:
Status report (Sunday,
November 20): It appears from the catches
recorded that the trout are acclimated and hungry.
Several nice catches of 17 inch fish have already been
recorded. It was also noted that an angler recorded 4
fish taken on two separate days. His name has been
hidden so as to protect the identity of the
guilty. It looked like he might not have read the
catch limit rule at this stage of the season. I
have attached a copy of the clip board and recorded
catches. Also a photo of the enclosure containing
the clip board in its outer water resistant
wrapping. Please remove the clip board when
recording your catch and replace the clip board with
care so the paper does not get wet. With the
warmer weather in the coming week, the fishing should be
fun! Who is going to catch the brown trout?
Remember:
The daily limit is three trout and then you are
done!
Dues Renewal Envelope
Opening Session Number Two posted
November 14, 2022
On Wednesday, November 9, 2022, a group of dedicated
Ikes gathered at the chapterhouse to perform the ritual
opening of membership renewal enveloped for the 2023
membership year starting in January. Almost 150
envelopes were opened and payments processed for the
renewing members. The gate access periods were
adjusted to expire on January 1, 2024 so the permanent
membership cards will be operational until that date and
will open the gates for entry and exit. If you
have not renewed yet you have roughly 6 more weeks to
postmark your submission before the grace period in
January 2023 when an added late payment fee is
levied. If not paid by February 1, 2023, your
membership will lapse.
A big thanks for the sacrifice of time made by the
renewal processing crew that gathered for session
2. This result of this effort added to that of
session 1 places our renewal rate at almost 50%. The
next call will come when we have approximately 150
envelopes in hand for processing and it will be on a
Sunday. Watch for the notification.
Here is a photo of the group that staffed three tables
on last Wednesday.
Winners of the 324th
Fredericksburg Dog Mart Featured Raffle (posted
November 2, 2022)
We conducted a featured raffle this year for two
prizes... a Charles Daly, 12 gauge shotgun that was
donated by member Kevin Maxwell and a YETI cooler
donated by Green Top Sporting Goods, Ashland, VA.
The raffle tickets were sold over the course of several
months and at the Dog Mart on September 24th. The
drawing was held on October 6 at the October membership
meeting at the Fredericksburg-Rappahannock
Chapter. As the winners drawn that evening did not
need to be present, the manager of the raffle, Tammie
Pasterak, chapter board member, contacted each
winner and made arrangements for the prizes to be
delivered. So, without any further ado, the winners of
this year's featured Dog Mart Raffle are:
IWLA Member, Dave Burgess
won the Charles Daly, 12 gauge Shotgun
Non-member, Toni Kelley,
won the YETI Cooler
Congratulations to our
winners and a big thank you to Green Top Sporting Goods
and Kevin Maxwell for providing these fine prizes, to
Tammie for managing the raffle, and for all the people
that purchased the raffle tickets. We will be
having another featured raffle for next year's 325th
Fredericksburg Dog Mart on the last Saturday of
September 2023, i.e., September 30.
See some drone photos of the Fredericksburg Dog Mart
on the Activity Web Tab posted
October 16, 2022
Directors and Officers Sworn in for
2022-2023 posted
September 5, 2022
At the membership meeting on September 1, 2022, the
new directors and officers that were elected in
August were installed for the 2022-2023 board.
The past president, Steven Kotowski swore in the
members that were elected. The following photo
was taken by Shannon Christopher:
From L to R:
Jim Lloyd, vice-president; Herbert Pritchett,
president; Barbara Pritchett, secretary; Jamie
Branham, director (2 year term); Ralph Kinch,
treasurer; Tammie Pastorek, director (2 year
term). Jim Rector, director (2 year term) was
absent for the photograph.
Workday Report on
August 6, 2022 (Posted
August 7, 2022)
We had a successful workday on Saturday with a group of
volunteers that braved the humidity to continue trimming
the overhanging branches on the tree line. Some of
the Troop 21 scouts continued to outfit the pontoon boat
that will eventually allow wounded veterans to venture
out on the pond for some fishing tours. And a
number of members took advantage of some training on the
newly modified skeet thrower that now has a "wobbler"
base to make shooting clays more challenging. We
oriented 3 new members (see below). We had a great lunch
of pulled pork on fresh rolls, potato salad, cowboy
beans and rice and pickled onions. After lunch, a
large audience listened to Darrell Schultz discuss the
planning and needs for setting up Dog Mart on September
24, 2022. Much work is defined and volunteers ares
still needed. Go to our Fredericksburg Dog Mart SignUp
application and choose your task. Many
openings still exist and your help is needed. More
items are needed for this year's raffle. One of
our members has obtained several items from Green Top
which will be raffled. Green Top donated one of
these items and the member donated the other.
Raffle tickets will be sold soon for these quality items
with a desire to bring in much more than their value in
return. If you want to contribute to the raffle,
send an email to newsletter@iwlafred-rapp.org along with
an accurate description of the donated item.
Judge John W. Tobin Award for 2021 Presented Posted
May 6, 2022
At the May membership meeting the prestigious Judge
John W. Tobin Award was presented to member Al
Saunders. See additional details at the News page.
Earth Day Celebration updated
May 5, 2022
On April 23, Fredericksburg and the surrounding area
celebrated Earth Day. And the
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the Izaak Walton
League of America participated in the celebration of
Earth Day on the Rappahannock at Old
Mill Park. We had four tables at the event... our
chapter membership table, the Healing Waters Fly Fishermen
was there and the Apiary had a table as will Troop 21, Boy
Scouts, who helped with our barrel train attraction.
Thanks
for those that volunteered and supported at this annual
event:
The range
rules have been updated. You may read those rules
and the changes on the
Facilities
Web Page and at the
Member Login page.
Welcome to the Boy Scouts
of America Troop 21 (Posted
March 5, 2022)
The Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the Izaak
Walton League of America, Inc. signed an agreement with
Boy Scouts of America, Troop 21 to make them an affiliate
of the chapter. You will notice that our calendar
has already placed a weekly meeting of the Troop on Monday
evening at 7 pm. You will also notice in the near
future and as the weather gets better additional activity
by the troop on the grounds as they begin to move their
equipment to the property. When you see the troop out at
the chapter give them a welcome.
Here are two photos from March 7, 2021 at their very
first official meeting at our chapter house:
Members of BSA Troop 21
shown with Scoutmasters Jason Stone and Craig Kibler
Scout led small
discussion group
A big Welcome to BSA
Troop 21
Zero Tolerance Policy Issued for Firearms Ranges (Posted
January 2, 2022)
On December 28 an email was sent to all subscribed
members announcing the initiation of a zero tolerance
policy for certain violations of the range rules.
All members are advised to read the email
and the current chapter Pistol,
Rifle and Shotgun Range Rules thoroughly.
This policy was instituted to increase the safety of
range operations and was effective on New Year's
Day. Note: If you are not receiving email
reminders from the chapter you might not be on the
distribution list and you are not informed about chapter
functions and operations. You can add yourself to
distribution, if a member, by applying here.
If you are not a member you will be removed after review
by the moderator.
