Membership
information (Updated:
January
6, 2025)
Introduction: The
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock
Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America (IWLA) is
currently accepting new
members. The
membership year for the
Chapter starts on October 1st and ends on September 30th
of the following year,
and is the same as the membership year for the National
level organization. The
Chapter offers both Individual and Family
memberships and has instituted a simple process for
inducting new members.
Ideals
of
the Izaak Walton League and its
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter:
The Chapter is formed as a 501C(3)
tax-exempt, charitable and non-profit organization that is
devoted to the
conservation of natural resources in the servicing area of
Virginia. Its
service ideals are embodied in the Member
Pledge:
To strive for the purity
of water, the clarity of air, and the wise stewardship
of the land and its
resources; to know the beauty and understanding of
nature and the value of
wildlife, woodlands, and open space; to the preservation
of this heritage and to
mankind's sharing in it. I pledge myself as a
member of the Izaak Walton League of America.
Accordingly,
the
Chapter is seeking members that are interested in pledging
themselves to
the furtherance of the ideals.
A desired
member will join the organization in order to serve along
with like-minded
individuals in the advancement of conservation, and the
betterment of the
Chapter to serve its ideals.
Although
the Chapter has other features deemed valuable (firearms
and archery ranges,
fishing ponds, hiking trails, etc.), which are perquisites
intended for
recreational use by the members, these are not the reason
for being of the
Chapter. In
short, the Chapter is not a
"rod and gun club," and anyone seeking only the benefits
of a rod and
gun club will not be considered a desirable member, and
should seek to join
another organization that aligns with their interests.
Prospective
Member: A
prospective member (or 2 members if a Family application)
must first have a
Chapter member in good standing for at least a year serve
as a Sponsor. The
prospective member(s) must be of sound
character and must meet with a Membership Review Panel
comprised of three
Chapter members as defined in the Operational Policies. The prospective
member(s) should complete a
provisional application and bring it for review at the
meeting with the panel.
Typically,
the
meeting with the Membership Review Panel will be on a
Saturday work day
before the following monthly membership meeting (for
example, the prospective
member will need to appear at the Chapter house on
December 7, 2024 (a
scheduled work day) to meet with the Panel in order to be
able to join the
Chapter at the next membership meeting on January 2,
2025). The
meeting is an opportunity for the
candidate and the Panel members to have a dialogue
concerning the ideals of the
organization, its bylaws and policies, and the
organization's expectations of
any new member, as well as to answer any questions by the
prospective member
before the prospect makes a final decision to proceed with
an application.
The
prospective
member(s) will be asked if they have read the Chapter's
bylaws,
operational policies and, if intending to use the ranges,
being familiar with
the governing range rules.
A working
awareness of the importance of the Chapter's web site will
also be expected.
After
this
meeting, and if the prospect is interested in proceeding,
the prospective
member(s) will be required to attend the next monthly
membership meeting at the
chapterhouse, along with their sponsor, and be presented
for a vote of
acceptance by the membership body.
The
Sponsor for any prospective new member(s) must
be present when
the prospective member appears at the monthly membership
meeting to join the
Chapter. If
the Sponsor cannot be there
to vouch for the candidate, the candidate will be asked to
return at a future
meeting.
At
the voting meeting the prospective member should bring a
check made out to IWLA
for the appropriate fees (Initiation, dues, and shooter’s
fees); see Membership
Fees below. It
should be noted that
Membership meetings are held usually the first Thursday of
each month at 7 PM
at the chapterhouse, and the Membership Review Panel for
prospective members to
be inducted the following month will be held on the
Saturday (2 days later) in
the chapterhouse. Check
the Chapter
calendar to pinpoint the exact dates.
The
Sponsor: The
sponsor
will be accountable for properly preparing the prospective
member with
the ideals of the IWLA organization as well as its
foundational bylaws,
policies and safety rules governing the
Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter!
This foundation of understanding will be key
for the success of the initial meeting of the prospective
member with the
Membership Review Panel.
Also, the
sponsor must be present to enable a new person to
join at the membership
meeting as the Sponsor is required to present the
prospective member(s) for the
approval vote by the membership.
Membership
Application: After
completion
of the meeting with the Membership Review Panel, a
prospective
member(s) must appear at the next membership
meeting on the following
month in order to be introduced by the sponsor and voted
on for admission by
the assembled membership.
It would be
good form to show up no later than 6:45 PM.
Other members arrive at around that same time, and
voting on new members
is one of the first agenda items at the meeting, which
will start promptly at 7
PM. Your
check will not be cashed until
you have been formally admitted for membership, and will
be returned to you if
for any reason you do not join at the membership meeting.
Click
here
to
download a copy of the Membership Application.
*NOTE*
- Please
complete your membership application by printing clearly
and signing the application prior to attending the
meeting with the Membership Review Panel.
- Be
sure to print your current email address in the place
provided.
- Provide
your spouse's name and email address if you are applying
for a family membership.
- New
members must submit the fully completed
application and payment in full at least 20 minutes
prior to the regular monthly meeting time as
applications will not be accepted once the
meeting has started.
New
Member
Orientation: It
is mandatory that all new members attend a "Park Safety
and Rules"
class, held on the Saturday morning following the Thursday
evening initiation
session in order to receive an All-in-One membership card
and photo ID
"Shooter's Badge" if there is an intent to use the
firearms ranges. You
must attend this safety and rules class
prior to having unescorted access to the IWLA Park and
before receiving an
entry gate (All-in-One) card (either temporary or
permanent). Sponsors
should read/download a copy of the new
member orientation presentation charts
to
help stress membership points with the prospective member.
This is the
same presentation provided on the
Saturday after the member has been initiated and accepted
for membership. Note:
This is a
relatively large file and will take
a minute or so to download if you have a slow internet
connection...be patient.
“All-in-One”
Badge
(photo identification/property access badge)
After
the orientation briefing and tour, the new members will
need to sit for a photo and issuance of an All-in-One
badge. The All-in-One badge serves as an unique
identification credential for the new member. It
identifies the new member as either a shooter or a
non-shooter. It also serves as a national league
membership badge (it has the membership number in the
lower left corner). It also serves as the access card
which will open the gate for entry to and exit from to the
property. Because the non-primary member might
not have a membership number assigned at the time of the
orientation meeting, a
photo ID cannot be issued at orientation. So
that new family member will be expected to
come in the next Saturday work day to have a photo taken,
and be issued the
All-in-one card. From
start to finish,
becoming a credentialed new member takes a commitment of
three consecutive
Saturday work days. It
is suggested that
a prospective member consult the Chapter
calendar
when
planning to start the membership admission process.
Membership
Fees:
The one-time initiation
fee for either an individual or a family is $350.00. The annual dues
for an individual member is
$120.00 and family memberships are $193.00 and are payable
at the time of
membership acceptance. If
one chooses to
apply for membership on or after October 1 of the dues
year, the prospective
member will be paying the following year's fees and will
pay a prorated fee for
each month preceding January 1 of the membership year. By the same
token, anyone joining before
October 1 will be paying the full current year's dues, and
will receive a dues
invoice for the following year soon after joining.
The local Chapter membership dues also
provide membership to the National chapter of IWLA and the
Virginia State
chapter of the IWLA.
As indicated, there is an
additional $20.00 Fee for each new member if they plan to
shoot on any of the
Chapter's firearms ranges.
The
initiation fee of $350.00, the full amount of the annual
dues and, as
indicated, twenty dollars ($20.00) for each prospective
member that intends to
use the firearms ranges, are payable at the time of
joining in either cash or
by personal check made payable to IWLA. The
time of joining is the membership meeting
on a Thursday evening when the established members vote on
a prospective member’s
acceptance to the organization. The
fees
are paid at or before 6:45 pm before the formal start of
the meeting at 7:00
pm. A
prospective member and their
sponsor will be introduced early in the meeting. After
introductions, prospective members are
excused from the meeting while members deliberate and vote
for inclusion.
Membership
Publications: Included as a
benefit of your annual membership
is a subscription
to IWLA's Outdoor
America magazine; the award-winning quarterly magazine of
the Izaak Walton League of
America.
Each
quarterly
issue is filled with articles about the conservation work
of League
members as well as an in-depth coverage of broader
conservation issues.
The only way to get this magazine is to
become a member of the Izaak Walton League.
It comes as a magazine in the mail but can also be
downloaded from the archives of this IWLA web site if you are a
registered member. In
addition the National Organization has
many publications relating to environmental stewardship. View the
extensive library of publications offered
by the National organization.
Chapter
Service
Requirement for New Members:
All
new members must
obtain 20 documented Chapter Service Hours (40 for Family
Memberships). If
this service requirement is not met in the
first year period, the Chapter will levy a $150 fine for a
single membership or
a $300 fine for a family.
Note well: The 12 month
period begins at the month of membership induction and
ends 12 months later at
the Saturday anniversary of membership induction. It
does not have direct relationship with the dues
membership year. Starting
January 1,
2020, any service hours not completed in the first year
will roll over to the
next year. This
process would continue
until the Service Hours are earned. If the fine is
not paid, the member or
family membership will be terminated at the end of the
first year. In
other words, the payment of the fine no
longer forgives the balance of the service hours not
worked in the first year. Sign-up
sheets are provided for each qualified
event, and serve as the official record for accruing the
required service time.
Make sure you are signed up if you perform
service, until you have accrued the required number of
hours. The
Chapter Board of Directors may, at their
discretion, waive or extend time due to unforeseen
circumstances. Each
member or family may appeal any impending
fine to the Chapter Board of Directors for adjudication.
By
the way, the organization is made strong through the work
of volunteers. The
Board is hopeful that after the initial
requirement has been fulfilled a "volunteer ethic" and an
affinity
with fellow members will have been developed and each
member will seek
opportunities to continue to serve frequently and
strengthen the organization.
Unanswered
Questions: If
your Sponsor is unable to answer all your questions about
becoming a member of
the Fredericksburg-Rappahannock Chapter of the Izaak
Walton League you may
consult with Sandy Stanford, Chapter Membership Director,
at stanfolr@comcast.net
Annual
Chapter
Membership Dues Payment Policy:
Because
of
members not paying Chapter Dues on time each year, and the
additional cost
and work-hours incurred by the Chapter because of these
late payments, the Dues
Policy instituted in the Operational Policies of the
Chapter provides for a
strict payment schedule. Here are some key points
from the Chapter
membership dues payment policy:
- Annual
membership dues are payable no later than December 31 of
each year.
- If
the membership dues are not paid by December 31, a late
payment fee of $20.00 will be added during a one month
"grace period" that will end on January 31.
- If
the dues are not paid by February 1 of each year, the
member will be expelled from active membership.
- If
either an expelled individual or family desires to be
reinstated the expelled individual or family will have
to reapply for membership and be required to pay both 1)
the current initiation fee ($350) and 2) the current
membership dues ($120 for an individual and $193 for
family membership).
