Summer 2009Volume 15 No. 3

Currents is Trout Unlimited Canada’s national newsletter. We are proud to be published in The Canadian Fly Fisher.

If a typical productive TUC workday involves four to six people, imagine how much could be accomplished

with 150! It happened this spring, as Grade 10 students at Appleby College descended on Lowville Park in the City of Burlington.

The two main goals of the day were introducing the Grade 10 students to sev-eral scientific methods of sampling river environments and collecting enough baseline data to get a detailed picture of the Lowville section of Bronte Creek’s current condition. It is hoped that some of the data can also be used by the stu-dents in a number of their courses.

Bronte Creek has been identified as one of Trout Unlimited Canada’s flag-ship watershed renewal projects. The workday signified the kickoff of a five-

year program. The initial two years of the project focuses on the restoration of the creek in Lowville Park and the launch of several workshops to inform and empower the local community and landowners to restore the health of their local watershed.

So what is wrong with Bronte Creek? It has a fever. Over the years, human ac-tivity has altered habitat. The result is warmer water that is not characteristic of the stream’s history. Modifications in-cluding dams, on-stream ponds, stream channel changes causing wide and shal-low sections and the removal of riparian zone cover have all contributed to the el-evated water temperatures. This means a poor living environment for aquatic creatures, as well as inferior water qual-ity for those living nearby.

Bobbing for Apples:150 Appleby College studentswade in to help out on Bronte Creek

Through education and community stewardship, TUC and the project part-ners (Conservation Halton, City of Bur-lington and Hamilton-Halton Watershed Stewardship Program) will engage land-owners and the community in helping to restore the health of the stream corridor, and, by extension, the watershed.

Eager to spend a day outdoors, each group of students circulated through to two of five stations. Volunteer profession-als taught them various sampling proto-cols and helped the students sample the stream. The five stations included:

Netting and identifying fish to see what species inhabit the area;Collecting bug samples as food web and water quality indicators;Sampling water chemistry, temperature and dissolved oxygen levels;

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Assessing the physical habitat of the stream in-cluding channel width and depth, flow, fish habitat and substrate composition;Riparian tree monitor-ing and planting.

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Bobbing for Apples...

and the preparation of Lowville Park for a major project aimed at restoring fish habitat and coldwater temperatures.

TUC extends thanks to all of those in-dividuals and organizations that helped run a station or direct traffic on that busy day. Your effort has been invaluable in getting the Bronte Creek Renewal Pro-gram off to a running start. We knew it was a success when a number of enthu-siastic students, taking measurements in the middle of the stream shouted, “This is the best field trip ever!” ■

Appleby College is situated on Lake Ontar-io waterfront property. A small stream flows through the property, emptying into Lake Ontario. It is im-portant to raise awareness about the impact of land use and land manage-ment activities on water quality and, ul-timately, to the quality of life of those that live along Lake Ontario. Not only did the students learn about many as-pects of the aquatic ecosystem, they also received rare hands-on experience.

The Ontario Trillium Foundation and the City of Burlington, as well as TUC’s Coldwater Conservation Fund gener-ously funded this project. The City of Burlington provided shrubs and trees for the day’s planting in addition to their Park facilities. The volunteers included professional consultants, Conservation Halton staff, and University of Waterloo and Guelph graduate students, assisted by TUC professional staff and summer students.

Next steps for the Bronte Creek Re-newal Project include the organization of workshops catered to the Bronte Creek community so they can be en-gaged in the renewal of their locales,

Mary Finch, our Bronte Creek Wa-tershed Stewardship Specialist, works with students to examine their catch (left). Students sam-pled fish to identify resident spe-cies, as well as ‘bugs’ to under-stand the creek’s food web and its importance as an indicator of stream health. The health of a stream’s food web is its ‘ca-nary in a cage’. Below, some of the happy student partici-pants and volunteer leaders after a hard day’s ‘wading in’. on Bronte Creek. (And yes, the T-shirt is supposed to be that way!) Photos courtesy of Jack Imhof.

Test your Currents knowledge! Read Currents to find out the an-swers to the following questions.

Email your answers to Kimberly Da-vidson (kdavidson@tucanada.org).

Readers submitting correctly an-swered questions from this issue’s questions will be placed into a draw to win a coveted TUC baseball hat!

Contest closes October 31, 2009.

Currents Contest Questions1. What is the Green Zone?

2. What are diversion ridges and what do they do?

3. Where is the oldest and longest running Trout Unlimited Canada chapter located?

4. What is wrong with Bronte Creek?

5. Who won the 2007 Canadian Environment Gold Award in the category of Restoration & Rehabilitation?

It’s not trivial to us!

TroutUnlimitedCanadaOUR MISSION: To conserve, protect and restore Canada’s freshwater ecosystems and their coldwater resourc-es for current and future generations.

OUR GOALS:to conserve and protect Canada’s fresh-water fish and their ecosystems and restore their coldwater resources to a healthy and productive state;

to develop and apply effective, science-based and measurable coldwater con-servation solutions in the field;

to inform the public about coldwater conservation issues and educate com-munities about their watersheds;

to build and sustain a healthy organiza-tion.

Help us help the trout! Visit tucanada.org

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Continued from previous page

TROUTUNLIMITEDCANADA’SNATIONALNEWSLETTER | 3

TUC’s featured chapterNorthern Lights Fly Tyers-Trout Unlimited Edmonton

by Barry Wright & Phil Rowley

On May 6, 2009, the mem-bership of the Northern Lights Fly Tyers unani-

mously approved their merger with the Edmonton Chapter of Trout Unlimited, forming the Northern Lights Fly Tyers – Trout Unlimited Edmonton.

In member Greg Scatchley’s words, “Two tributaries of an-gling spirit with the desire to promote and protect our waters have merged. The result: a ma-jestic river of conservation and education in northern Alberta.”

The now over 100 strong chap-ter unites the joys of teaching and sharing for which the North-ern Lights are known with an in-creased focus on our cold water resources. The addition of con-servation driven projects within the club will put the words of the Northern Lights to action,

“Making a positive impact in our sport and in our community.”

Both organizations have proud pasts within Edmontonand northern Alberta. A letter from Chuck Voss, Western Regional Director, Washington USA, from March 1976 was the first step for establishing an Edmon-ton based chapter of Trout Unlimited. Chuck penned his response after receiv-ing a letter from Jim McLennan request-ing information on how to establish an Edmonton chapter. Two years later, the first TU meeting in Edmonton came to order on April 19, 1978.

Thirty members attended the inaugu-ral meeting. Later that year, Interim Sec-retary Jim McLennan sent a letter to the Board of Directors of Trout Unlimited Canada, requesting official certification as a chapter of TUC, and the Edmonton Chapter became part of Canada’s TUC family. Executive members included President Russell Thornberry, Vice Presi-dent Ron Pearson, Secretary Angela Redl and Treasurer Lynda McLennan.

The Edmonton Chapter is the oldest and longest running chapter in Canada and has a number of accomplishments to its credit:

September 1978, the chapter, in con-junction with Alberta Fish and Wildlife division, participated in a stream-fenc-ing project on Prairie Creek near Rocky Mountain House;September 1979, the chapter held the Cold Water Angler’s Conference, the first of its kind in Western Canada. Guests to this conference included such notables as Lefty Kreh and Charles E. Brooks;Over the years, the chapter completed res-toration projects on the North and South Raven Rivers, Sundance, North Ram River, Prairie Creek and Modest Creek;With the help and support of The Fish-ing Hole, a local Edmonton fishing re-tailer, the chapter established the Lloyd Shea Memorial Fund to fund regional conservation projects;The recently completed Raven River Study benefited from a contribution of $30,000, raised through Lloyd Shea Memorial Fund Bucket Raffles. The Alberta Conservation Association and Golder Associates further enhanced

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the chapter’s fundraising efforts result-ing in a total contribution of $97,300. This important study evaluated the cur-rent state of the central Alberta’s Raven River brown trout population, riparian conditions, fish habitat and identified critical spawning areas;The Edmonton Chapter was also in-volved with the other clubs, including the Northern Lights, in establishing Muir Lake, a quality delayed harvest fishery located a short drive west of Edmonton.In 1994, nine Edmonton Chapter mem-

bers formed the Northern Lights Fly Tyers, united by a common goal: to promote fly tying in a friendly atmosphere for novices or experts alike and to share the fly tying and fishing experience. It seemed their goal was a popular one as membership swelled to over 100 members. The club has become a familiar fixture at outdoor shows in both Edmonton and Calgary, fundraising for local conservation projects and introducing hundreds of kids and adults to the world of fly tying and fish-

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Northern Lights Fly Tyers-Trout Unlimited Edmonton member, Les Campbell, carrying on the Northern Lights’ educa-tion tradition by sharing his craft with a studious young pupil. TUC’s ‘newest’ oldest chapter combines the best tradi-tions of both of the partner organizations. Photo courtesy of Greg Scratchley.

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ing. My youngest son is an enthusiastic student of their generous teaching. In ad-dition to their outdoor show presence, the Northern Lights provides annual beginner fly tying seminars, beginner and interme-diate casting seminars, and has promoted fly tying with various community groups in the greater Edmonton area.

Prior to their merger, the Northern Lights club partnered with Edmonton Chapter to provide annual fly-fishing seminars at Grant McEwen College. The club had distant appeal and notables such as Gary Borger, Dave Hughes, Ed Engle, Gary LaFontaine, Jack Dennis, Mike Lawson, and Dave and Emily Whit-lock have all included Edmonton stops on their busy seminar calendars.

The new chapter will continue to carry on the functions and teachings of the Northern Lights Fly Tyers and the conser-vation initiatives begun by Trout Unlimit-ed, as well as developing future projects.

With continued support from the Al-berta Conservation Association, Golder Associates and other contributors, the chapter will continue with the next phase of the Raven River Study, to identify criti-cal spawning areas in the Raven River and compare those results with the pre-vious year’s study. With the assistance of TUC National, the club is investigating the possibility of turning central Alberta’s Dick Lake into trophy trout water. Partial funding for this project will come from a recent environmental judgment. The chapter will also be investigating the establishment of a “home water” — a project aimed at improving local riparian habitat and establishing a vehicle that it will be able to use to promote education and environmental awareness with local community groups. ■

Hard working members of the Northern Lights Fly Tyers -Trout Unlimited Edmonton Chapter heading off to another stream enhancement proj-ect. Photo courtesy of Greg Scratchley.

What chapter do you belong to?Greg Clark Chapter, based on the

Credit River in Ontario.

How long have you been a member of Trout Unlimited Canada?

About 30 years. I have been a mem-ber of the chapter Board of Directors for the past 10 years.

What inspired you to become a member?

While attending the Isaac Walton Fly Fishing Forum I became interested in a TU workday event planned on the Credit River. I always had an interest in the natural environment and conserva-tion based activities, so being able to do this type of work as volunteer, with people who had the same interest in conservation and fly fishing, seemed to be a good fit.

Also, as a young water resources engineer in the early 1980s I thought this would be a good organization to learn about stream restoration. Jack Imhof, our national biologist made a presentation at one of the IWFF Fo-rums about streams that challenged me as water resources engineer. He presented information on the natural behaviour of streams that most water resources engineers are typically not exposed to. I have directed my career and company towards activities re-lated to restoring natural channel sys-tems and designing fishways. I have been able to use the skills learned to help in chapter activities.

What appeals to you the most in regards to the work that TU does?

TU is a grassroots organization that completes projects based on good sci-ence. I have been involved with many different chapter activities over the years and can truly say that I have found it to be very rewarding. The con-servation activities of the chapter allow me to give something back to the natu-ral environment. The organization and its members truly believe in what they do. It’s a natural fit for me.

What projects is your chapter currently working on?

The chapter is currently developing a multi-year work plan for our next ini-tiative in the headwaters of the Credit River Watershed. Together with the Town of Orangeville and their Sustain-ability Action Team we plan to engage the citizens in taking a more prominent role with regards to the conservation of their natural areas, and the ecosystems that comprise them. The focus will be on protecting surface and groundwater quantity and quality.

Our activities will help the Town implement projects which may include restoring streams which have been impacted by land use changes, remov-ing thermal impacts and fish passage barriers created by online storm water management ponds, and restoring re-charge wetlands. ■

Northern Lights Fly Tyers- Trout Unlimited Edmonton(continued from previous page)

TUCMember Profile:

Brian Greck

TROUTUNLIMITEDCANADA’SNATIONALNEWSLETTER | 5

In the late 1970s a group of local hunters, concerned

about illegal hunt-ing practices, formed the O’Leary Wildlife Federation, the fore-runner of the Prince County Trout Unlim-ited Chapter. It was primarily through the efforts of this group, with support from the Tignish group, that the first conser-vation officer arrived in West Prince in 1980. In 1984, David Biggar became presi-dent, and the group’s focus turned towardenvironmental issues and concerns with habitat.

Mr. Biggar led the efforts for over 25 years until his passing in 2007. The group carried out stream en-hancement work and operated Profit’s Pond, a semi-natural rearing site for Atlantic salmon in Rosebank. In 1985, the chapter assumed opera-tion of Profit’s Pond from the Department of Fish-eries and Oceans and in 1993, in addition to Atlan-tic salmon, the group began rearing brook trout for stocking in local rivers.

In the late 1980s, the chapter’s stream and riparian work concentrated in the lower five kilometers of the Trout River, an alder-choked, silt-laden and beaver-in-fested stretch of river needing serious at-tention. As work, conditions began to im-prove dramatically. Few watershed groups existed so, realizing the need for similar work on other systems, the chapter began working on rivers throughout West Prince. This work inspired like-minded individu-als to form their own groups in these areas and in 1994, the chapter’s focus switched back to the Trout River.

In 2004, the group officially joined Trout Unlimited Canada, becoming Trout Unlimited Prince County Chapter. Tradi-

Prince County Chapter: ‘Salters’ return to P.E.I.’s Trout River

tional stream enhancement measures on the Trout River evolved to include cover enhancement efforts such as split cover logs, floating raft cover and digger logs (at

left) to provide much needed protection to reduce fish pre-dation. In addition, the chapter invested much hard work and effort in spawning habitat enhancement (below).

To reduce sediment entering the stream, chapter members spent a lot of time work-ing with local landowners. One of their initiatives was the construction of laneway diversion ridges.

Diversion ridges are wide ‘speed bumps’ running on a 30 degree angle across a laneway. A large rock placed in a trench dug into the lane forms a solid base, pre-venting the deflector from compressing and denting with the weight of machinery crossing it. Once in place, the base rocks were covered with leveled and manually graded gravel. The deflectors channel wa-ter into a grassed ditch before it can build up velocity and wash silt from the lane-way into the stream.

Trout Unlimited Prince County Chapter is one of the few groups to work for im-plementation of river-specific regulations. The Trout River features a shortened an-gling season, from May 1 to September 1, a reduced creel limit of six trout per day, and a limit of only one fish over fourteen inches per day. At first, these regulations applied to a section of stream beginning approximately at the tide head and ex-tending six kilometers upstream. The reg-ulations helped fish stocks to some degree, but in the following years, concerns arose over the number of fish harvested in the

Riparian zone enhancement began with the purchase, through the local land conservancy, of a significant portion of the riparian zone on either side of the river. Riparian restoration included thou-sands of tree plantings and the construc-tion of bird and bat houses. The chapter also built a four km. nature trail adjacent to the river, and a log cabin interpretive center in 1996 to educate and inform Trout River visitors.

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Yellow Fish Road Report

Yellow Fish Road™ comes to Edmonton

Residents of Edmonton and surround-ing communities are being reminded that storm drains are the doorways to

rivers, lakes, and streams thanks to TUC’s Yellow Fish Road™ (YFR) program.

The YFR began offering classroom and community group presentations to the Alberta Capitol region in April with support from the Alberta Conservation Association (ACA) and the funding from ATCO Ltd. The ACA is providing office and storage space for YFR staff member Barb Rafuse. As a schoolteacher, Barb brings years of classroom experience to the program and is working to increase the YFR program’s visibility in the area.

Protecting the prairie’s green zone

St uden t s in south-ern Sas-

k a t chewan are learning more about the impor-tance of ri-parian zone protection thanks to PennWest, Cypress Hills Interprovincial Park (CHIP) and Trout Unlimited Canada.

The Green Zone, a new hands-on ri-parian education program, was piloted at CHIP last spring. More than 100 students from four schools participated in the program that focuses on providing ripar-ian zone protection information to the region’s next generation of farmers and ranchers. The Green Zone is funded by PennWest Energy and presented by CHIP Interpreters. The program will be offered annually through CHIP’s environmental education programs.

Fish on fences

A fence at Lakeview School in Leth-bridge, Alberta, is festooned with fish thanks to the artistic skills of

the school’s kindergarten students and a group of senior citizens.

The seniors cut fish shapes out of wood which the students painted and attached to a playground fence on May 22 while

more than 200 other students painted storm

drains and delivered Yellow Fish Road™ door hangers in the community.

The City of Lethbridge has become a strong supporter of the YFR program in recent years and is working to reduce non-point source pollution to the Oldman River.

Singing & stenciling in Saskatoon

More than 300 Girl Guides spent May 2 stenciling storm drains and clean-ing up the riverbanks of the South

Saskatchewan River. The Girl Guides were assisted by ESL students from the University of Saskatchewan.

The event is part of a cam-paign by the Meewasin Valley Authority and other sponsors to reduce urban storm water pollution. A Yellow Fish Road™ song, written by Meewasin’s Doug Porteous and performed by the Saskatoon Children’s Choir, has been recorded on CD and distributed in a package to

all Saskatoon schools. Listen to the song at the Yellow Fish Road™ website, www.yellowfishroad.org.

estuary during their annual April migra-tion to feed in salt water. In 2004, regu-lation changes extended downstream to protect a portion of the estuary that saw heavy fishing pressure early in the season. Because of the regulation changes, there has been a significant increase in both the number and size of brook trout return-ing from salt water. Between 2005 and 2008, the average size of fish caught has increased from 9.63" to 11.16".

Prince County Chapter carries out an annual creel survey to record data on fish caught between May 1 and September 1. As this is the only survey of its kind car-ried out on P.E.I., it provides vital informa-tion.

TROUT RIVER 2006 CREEL SURVEY

Number of anglers 577

Hours fished 1620.65

Number of trout kept 1007

Number of trout released 4194

Equipment – fly 377

Equipment – bait 199

Largest trout caught 20"

Average size fish caught 10.27"

Trout caught: 5" - 6.99" length 12

Trout caught: 7" - 9.99" length 437

Trout caught: 10" - 13.99" length 481

Trout caught: 14"+ length 77

TOTAL TROUT 1007

All these measures have significantly enhanced the recreational fishery on Trout River, providing some of the best sea run brook trout fishing on P.E.I., both in the estuary and upstream.

Prince County Chapter refuses to rest on past laurels. With support from TUC’s Coldwater Conservation Fund and other sources, the chapter is expanding its ef-forts to two major spring-fed tributaries of the Trout River. The intent is to restore these degraded tributaries and extend the amount of spawning, nursery and rearing habitat for the ‘salter’ brook trout in Trout River. The chapter continues to educate landowners to recognize the potential of this and other watersheds on P.E.I., to pro-duce quality fisheries with concurrent im-provements in water quality, habitat and overall environmental health. ■

Trout River ‘Salters’...(continued from previous page)

Kids for Turtles help trout

One of most re- cent organizations to help deliver the Yellow Fish Road™ message is

Kids for Turtles in Orillia, Ontario. The partnership is a perfect fit, as the Kids for Turtles office has a yellow painted walkway they refer to as their “Yellow Brick Road.”

Kids for Turtles, formed by renowned naturalist, writer, photographer and pro-fessional environmental consultant Bob Bowles in 2006, promotes habitat pres-ervation, active lifestyles, and getting the younger generation out—learning in the natural world with their families. This summer, student staff will be leading groups of youth in marking events. ■

TUC National OfficePhotos by Roger Kelley

TROUTUNLIMITEDCANADA’SNATIONALNEWSLETTER | 7

Local artists assist Vancouver Island’s trout and salmon

The Lighthouse Community Centre in Qualicum Bay, B.C. was recent-ly home to Paintings by Number, a

fundraiser co-sponsored by the Nile Creek Enhancement Society (NCES) and Trout Unlimited Canada. Several well-known artists including Ken Kirkby, Di-ane Michelin, Alan Dunfield, Sean Rebar, Bruce Muir and others, donated origi-nal works of art, helping raise funds to support salmon and trout enhancement projects in the Qualicum Bay region.

Paintings by Number was a smashing success. Local merchants and art lovers from as far away as Italy, England and points across Canada supported this event, hosted by NCES volunteers. Ken Kirkby, NCES president, said that this

“was one of the happiest events” he had attended.

The event raised $20,000. TUC’s Cold-Water Conservation Fund received half of the funds to support habitat work in the Qualicum Bay area.

We would like to thank everyone who attended as well as the folks at the Eng-lishman River Art Gallery and the Fed-eration of Canadian Artists for the idea that inspired this successful fundraiser.

NCES is a dynamic group of local in-dividuals. Their first project was the con-struction and operation of a successful pink salmon hatchery which provides an outstanding recreational fishery in the Nile Creek area during July and August. Soon after completion of the hatchery, plans for a natural spawning and rearing channel were developed. With the assis-tance of many government and non-gov-ernment organizations, local businesses and volunteers, the channel was complet-ed and continues to operate successfully.

NCES won the Canadian Environment Gold Award in the Restoration & Reha-bilitation category in 2007 for their work on Nile Creek. The group expanded on that work and became involved in kelp re-planting, eel grass mapping and mon-itoring, and public education. This year with the help of a local shellfish com-pany, Island Scallops, NCES began plac-ing artificial reefs in local waters to act as a substrate on which to place young kelp plants.

Restoration and protection of these area rivers and their adjacent marine

habitat is an ambitious project, requiring a host of talents. Ken Kirkby recognizedthis early on and has solicited assistance from other like- minded individuals and organizations. “Through our restora-tion work, we are in the business of manufacturing hope and building alli-ances with like-minded people,” Ken maintains.

Now NCES has enlisted the help of TUC and Vancouver Island University (VIU) to assist with the rehabilitation of seven local streams that support cut-throat trout and runs of pink, coho and chum salmon.

The Nile Creek-Qualicum Bay proj-ect’s three partners have complementary missions, and each helps the others to complete their goals:“To conserve, protect and restore Can-ada’s freshwater ecosystems and their coldwater resources for current and future generations” (TUC)

“To enhance and protect the fresh water and marine habitats that support salmonids and the ecosystems in which they live along the east coast of Vancouver Island” (NCES)

“Faculty, staff and students are dedicated to excellence in teaching and learning, service and re- search. Strong community connec- tions and international collaborations help foster student success.” (VIU) TUC members and VIU Fisheries and

Aquaculture faculty and students are in-volved in all facets of the project—from project planning and participating on the NCES Board to fundraising and as-sisting with field work. This project is a wonderful example of co-operation be-tween a national non-government orga-nization, a community non-government organization and a university.

Fly-casting for pink salmon, right. Frank Dalziel photo.

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Trout UnlimitedCanada

Doug Cressman Chief Executive Officer dcressman@tucanada.org

Kimberly Davidson Membership Coordinator membership@tucanada.org

Lorne Hutchison Director, Finance and Administration lhutchison@tucanada.org

Jack Imhof National Biologist jimhof@tucanada.org

Roger Kelley Director, Conservation Education rkelley@tucanada.org

Don Pike Director, Special Events dpike@tucanada.org

Brian Meagher Alberta Provincial Biologist bmeagher@tucanada.org

Len Yust Executive Director, Ontario lyust@tucanada.org

Silvia D’Amelio Ontario Biologist sdamelio@tucanada.org

Sheila McKnight Yellow Fish Road Manager Ontario/Quebec smcknight@tucanada.org

Barb Rafuse Yellow Fish Road Edmonton Program Assistant edmontonyfr@tucanada.org

Mary Finch Bronte Creek Watershed Stewardship Specialist mfinch@tucanada.org

National Office: Ste. 160, 6712 Fisher St. SE Calgary, AB T2H 2A7 Tel: 403-221-8360 Fax: 403-221-8368 1-800-909-6040

Ontario Office: Rm. 273, Axelrod Building, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1 Tel: 519-824-4120 Fax: 519-780-1696

tuc@tucanada.org www.tucanada.org

Currents layout: David Soltess Design dsdesign@telus.net

Alberta’s Spring fundraisers

Two of Trout Unlimited Canada’s biggest fundraisers were held this past spring. The Calgary National Conservation

Banquet and Auction, branded “The Big One”, was held April 8, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Chaired by Shaw Commu-nications CEO Jim Shaw, the dinner once again held up its reputation as being the premier fresh water conservation event in North America. Despite tough economic times, attendees reached deep into their pockets raising over $900,000 for TUC conservation programs.

The highlight of the evening was a sur-prise donation from Ron Joyce of a trip for 12 to Fox Harb’r Resort in Nova Sco-tia which included a cruise on his new sloop. This generous donation raised $90,000 for the dinner. In addition, Shaw Communications donated two trips for 12 by private jet to Eagle Point Lodge which raised a combined total of $92,000. These donations were part of an incredible live auction that featured 48 items that raised a total of $542,000.

Another highlight was the fantastic dinner buffet served by the Hyatt Hotel. Kathryn Maroun, well known angler and host of What a Catch television show, commented, “What a great idea—I could choose what I wanted and the selections were terrific.” Her views were echoed by many others in attendance. At the end of the evening, the 525 plus guests went home well fed and happy about an out-standing evening for trout and freshwater conservation.

On May 7, the 24th annual Edmonton National Conservation Banquet and Auction was held at the Crowne Plaza Chateau Lacombe Hotel. The evening was their most successful fundraiser in three years, with increases in attendance and revenues totalling over $105,000.

Part of the evening’s festivities includ-ed a table raffle. Guests at each table placed their raffle contributions in an envelope for a chance to win an auto-graphed copy of Jim McLennan’s latest book, Water Marks, a collection of his writings over the past decade. Fun was had by all and the trout ended up ahead by almost $1000.

The live auction started with a “Lucky 10” auction. There were 10 Toyota Truck spinning combination outfits available for

bidding. Each of the 10 successful bid-ders were brought on stage for a reverse draw, with the last person standing being able to choose from a Vancouver Island golf getaway, a hand-made seven foot four-weight, two-piece, two tip bamboo rod with Orvis reel and line, or a set of four Robert Bateman framed prints done for the 75th anniversary of Alberta’s pro-vincial parks. The lucky winner chose the Vancouver Island golf getaway and the remaining two prizes were sold in the live auction. The combined revenues from the “Lucky 10” totalled over $5500.

One of the many highlights of the eve-ning was the meal served by the hotel. Led by Chef Jasmin (Jass) Kobajica, the meal was, in the opinion of TUC’s Direc-tor of Special Events, Don Pike, “...simply one of the finest—if not the finest—meal I have enjoyed in almost 20 years of or-ganizing and eating at special events.” It was efforts such as this that made the evening a total success. As a result, the Edmonton Dinner Committee has al-ready booked the Crowne Plaza for May 6, 2010 for their 25th Anniversary banquet and auction. ■

Calgary dinnerattendees included former AlbertaPremier Ralph Klein (top), angler and television host Kathryn Mahoun (centre) and Calgary’s May-or, Dave Bronconnier, checking out auction items (bottom). TUC photos.

TUC National Office