Replaces former in 2023



         

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   updated November 26, 2023




Range Hours are Shorter Starting November 5

With the changing of our times back to Eastern Standard Time, clocks should have been set back one hour.  Also, starting with this time change, all firearms ranges are to close at 4 pm each day.


November 2023 New Member Induction posted November 5, 2023

On November 4, 2023, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an orientation to several new family members at the chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter include, from left to right, Melanie and Steven Bolas, and Joseph Lahmon. Absent from the photo was Aimar Lahmon and Delbert Myrick and Lauran Fiske, who were unable to attend Saturday's orientation.  Welcome our newest members of the chapter.

Brad Clark

A Group of Member Volunteers have Prepared Invoices for the Annual Mailing posted November 26, 2023

On Sunday, October 15, a dozen or so volunteers gathered  at the chapterhouse at 9:30 am to perform the annual ritual of preparing the IWLA dues invoices for 2024 for mailing.

Here is the enlarged version of the chapter inserts placed inside your 2024 annual dues invoice mailing.  A separate email (using MailChimp) was sent in a day or so to announce the invoice mailing and that you should expect to receive it sometime later this week.

If you have not received an invoice for 2024 membership, please contact the membership director, Sandy Stanford, at stanfolr@comcast.net, to receive instructions n how to proceed.  Memberships lapse on December 31, 2023 and gate access will be automatically suspended.


October 2023 New Member Induction posted October 7, 2023

On October 7, 2023, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an orientation to 2 individual members at the chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter were affirmed by the members attending the business meeting on the evening of October 5, 2023 and are pictured below. The two are, from left to right, Chris Rushbrook and Danny Dorton.   Welcome our newest members of the chapter.


        325th Fredericksburg Dog Mart Raffle posted October 8, 2023

Again this year, member Kevin Maxwell, 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.  The raffle was drawn at the October business meeting on October 5, 2023.  The first 3 tickets drawn and the winners in order are:

The Stoeger O/U shotgun was won by chapter member, Terry Fellinger

The Calcutta cooler was won by chapter member, Scott Henderson

The Seiko watch was won by chapter member, Bernie Balsley


Here is this year's poster which has been on display at several chapter meetings and the Dog Mart until October 5 when the drawing was made at the chapter's October membership meeting.  Winners need not have been present to claim the prizes, however, two of the three winners attended and claimed their prizes personally

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.


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 Board 2023/2024

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 November 26 and Our Next Chapter Work Day on December 9, 2023   updated November 26, 2023

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 will be starting in April 2024 and will recur week on Thursday morning unless there is a steady rain. The season ends when the weeds stop growing around the latter part of October. The 2023 season ended on October 19, 2023 and the lawn mowers and string trimmers have been winterized for the cold months.  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.  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 (We have obtained our new charter so are able to pickup trash when the conditions are right. For safety reasons a pickup will not be scheduled 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.  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.




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.

Installation of Officers


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.

           Wiring it
Come out to your chapter next month on workday to keep our investment properly maintained and a source of beauty, utility and pride!

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.

Session Two

   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:


New Additions to the Range Rules have been Published (Posted March 18, 2022)  

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.