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  updated February 11, 2025






Eagle Scout candidate, Logan Varags, 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.


February 2025 New Member Induction posted February 8, 2025

On Saturday, February 8, 2025, Steve Bennett and Sandy Stanford gave an orientation to one individual and one family memberships of the chapter at the chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter include, from left to right, Brian Hogeland (Michelle Hogeland was absent for the photo), family membership, and Randy Lynn, individual membership.

Welcome our newest members of the chapter.


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.


February Workday Schedule modifications posted January 20, 2025

Because of a conflicting event scheduled for February 8, there will be no workday in February 2025. The membership tasks of orientation, prospective membership interviews and member badging will be moved to Saturday afternoon according to the official chapter calendar.


2025 Dues Renewal Status- Session 5 Processing posted January 18, 2025

We had 10 volunteers helping yesterday morning and we opened and processed about 85 renewals. All the received payments were deposited this morning so checks will be clearing sometime during the next week.  All members that were processed have had their All-in-One badges updated for expiring on January 1, 2026 so they are enabled to open the entrance gates.  In the next day or so, I will be sending an email to the remainder of the membership that have not yet renewed according to our records.  Renewals postmarked by January 31 need to include a $20 late fee.  After February 1, anyone unpaid will be dropped from the membership rolls.  If you have not yet paid, please take care of your renewal dues soon to avoid being dropped from the rolls.  If you have not received a renewal mailing (you should have received it in mid- October). please contact Sandy Stanford at stanfolr@comcast.net and make arrangements to pay your dues and fees before the end of this month.


January 2025 New Member Induction posted January 4, 2025

On Saturday, January 4, 2025, Steve Bennett and Sandy Stanford gave an orientation to four new members of the chapter at the chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter include, from left to right, Angela and Joshua Gardner, family membership; Edward Alsip individual membership; and Jason Wysocki, individual membership.

Welcome our newest members of the chapter.


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.

Group shot                 Eagle Scout Project

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.


December 2024 New Member Induction posted December 7, 2024

On Saturday, December 7, 2024, Mike Weiss and Sandy Stanford gave an orientation to four new members of the chapter at the chapterhouse. The newest members of the chapter include, from left to right, George Coutts, individual membership; Lauren and Jason Hume, family membership; and Troy Thurston, individual membership.

Welcome our newest members of the chapter.


Second Trout Stocking Planned for December 30 updated December 22, 2024

We had our first stocking of the pond on Tuesday, November 26 and a good percentage of the fish have been caught already. Come out at the end of the month to watch the second batch placed into the pond.  The truck should arrive at any time between 11 am and noon.  In recent years it has been closer to noon. The fish will be placed in the pond near the boat launch soon after the arrival of the truck. As soon as the truck clears the property after delivery, the official trout fishing event will continue.  All fish caught must be kept (no returning to the pond).  There will be a creel limit of 3 per person per day. Please register your catch in the notebook kept in the holder inside the fisherman's shelter near the boat launch.  Fabric walls have been added surrounding the shelter to temper the weather. And a new fire-pit has been built and two members built three benches for people to sit around and warm themselves at the fire-pit.a member


Annual Shotgun Shoot posted November 1, 2024

See the Activities tab to see a posting on this year's complimentary shotgun shoot held on Saturday, October 26, 2024.


Events for the week of February9 and Our Next Chapter Work Day, March 8 , 2025  updated February 8, 2025

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 mowing season has ended. Note also that our seasonal schedule of lawn mowing and weed trimming began on April 11, 2024 and recurred weekly 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 has been serviced and is ready to start the season in April 2025.  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.) Trash has been collecting on Herndon Road and it will be removed on October 5 (possibly the last 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. We have now met our annual requirement for removing the roadside trash on Herndon Road.. 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 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.

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

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.


Mowing and Trimming to Continue each Thursday Morning Updated April 28, 2024

Jimmy Miles, Grounds Committee chair, has announced that the first grounds activity for controlling weeds and grass began on Thursday morning, April 11, 2024 and is schedules to repeat each week until further notice.  If it rains heavily and in thunderstorm activity there will be no grounds-keeping activity (it might be rescheduled to an alternate day), if there is drought and little grass growth there will be no mowing and during some events the scheduled might be altered to support the event.  A notice by email will be given for exceptions but otherwise there will be mowing and trimming on Thursday mornings usually starting at 8 am conditions dependent.  The mowers and string trimmers have been working well and are awaiting operators.  We need more than the two or three string trimmer operators to perform this task efficiently.


The 2024 Wild Game Dinner was Held on March 16 at the Chapter House Posted March 17, 2024

On the evening of Saturday, March 16, the chapter hosted the annual Wild Game Dinner at the chapterhouse. See the Activities page for a few snapshots of the event.


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.

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.


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