"For Hunters by Hunters"
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"For Hunters by Hunters" |
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THE PRESIDENT'S CORNER September 2007 By: Dan Ochsner, President, Valley Waterfowl In June, we had a changing of the guard. The Board of Directors of Valley Waterfowl conducted an election of officers and the results are in. President, Dan Ochsner, Vice President, Roger Gillingwater, Secretary and Sargent at Arms, Ron Tobeck, Treasurer, John Bertilacchi, and Past President Bill Alexander. First, I want to commend Bill Alexander and Brian Freeman for having the foresight to create such a unique organization as Valley Waterfowl. They not only had a vision, but they actually got it off the ground, and in a very short time (commencing in April of 2003), they placed in motion, a conservation based, educationally oriented, group of individuals who banded together, based on the faith of a dream, to create an organization “For Hunters, by Hunters”. After tireless hours and personal sacrifice, they have accomplished the task of bringing Valley Waterfowl to life. As a result of their efforts and the efforts of many dedicated committee members we have grown to over 600 members, conducted three successful Annual Sportsman’s Dinners, created nesting opportunities for Wood Ducks and Mallards, established an annual Hunter Safety Course, provided waterfowl hunting opportunities for our members, and continually informed our Membership through www.valleywaterfowl.org , and our periodic newsletter. There are many committee members who have made significant contributions to the success of Valley Waterfowl, but I must single out one other person who was somewhat behind the scenes, but deserves a huge round of applause for her countless hours in acquiring raffle prizes and really orchestrating the design and final touches for our past dinners, Bill Alexander’s wife, Michelle. So the baton has been passed, and we have big shoes to fill, but Bill and Brian are not gone; they will continue to provide guidance, and advice to continue the positive growth and direction to their brainchild that is so very close to their hearts. Our Valley Waterfowl caps are off to you! On a sad note, one of our dear members is gone. One of my first official duties was to attend the funeral of Sandy Hutchens in July. Sandy was a warrior, but her she lost her battle with cancer, and we miss her dearly. We were so fortunate to have known such a kind and generous person who had so much experience and talent in putting together the Lodi Ducks Unlimited Dinners of the past. I cannot say enough of her dedication and expertise. Without her, and several others that she brought with her, I am not sure we would have pulled off the first dinner in 2004. We are eternally grateful to Sandy. On Saturday, July 18th, we concluded our 2nd annual (in house) Hunter Safety Course in Lodi. We are extremely pleased that VP Roger Gillingwater took the time to become a certified instructor. Thanks Roger. Pitching in to make the day go smoother were Committee member Mark Ackerman and Founding Member, Brian Freeman. I was designated as the chef of the day, and we fed our students barbequed steak, hot dogs, chips, and potato and macaroni salad. Lodi Police Department donated their community room for the day’s activities. I am pleased to announce that we have increased our hunting opportunities to 3 blinds. This is an increase of 33% over the 2 blinds we leased last year. If you know of anyone who would like a free membership, we need volunteers to put out decoys before the season and take in decoys after the season. J. D. Moore and Jacob Flory are in charge of this project. You can either call our message phone at 209-339-9337, and give us your information, visit our website at: www.valleywaterfowl.org, or give Jacob a call at 209-369-9501. Once again, we will be hosting a booth at the International Sportsman’s Exposition at Cal Expo in Sacramento, January 17th through the 20th. Watch the website as we add new information about the incentives and prize give aways for members. Committee Members. Yes we need committee members that are willing to help us put on our annual dinner. People come and go, so we continually need a new infusion of talent to insure the continued success of our dinners. One of our original members who was on our Committee, Gordon Gomez, has moved out of state. In addition, we have lost 3 others who either moved or had job changes. If you have some time, I’d really like to talk to you about becoming a member of the team. Give me a call at work: 209-367-2452. Our 4th Annual Sportsman’s Dinner will be March 8, 2008, at Chardonnay Hall at the Grape Festival Grounds in Lodi. It’s not too early to be thinking about putting that date on your calendar. We need your help to make this dinner a success. We will provide more information on the dinner in the next Newsletter. It all starts on September 1 for me. With the opening of Dove season, my mindset changes. All my planning starts revolving around hunt dates. If you are a morning person like me, you too appreciate the sunrise. Being outdoors, experiencing our wonderful creation, (which too many times we take for granted), we have opportunities to see nature that many people will never see nor understand. I feel very fortunate to be a member of Valley Waterfowl, and I will continue to pursue the goals and objectives of the organization as set forth by the Founders. With your continued membership and support we will strive to increase the benefits of the members to make it better each year. PS: I read some of my NRA sponsored magazine “American Hunter” today on my lunch hour, and I direct your attention to an article on page 18 entitled: “Hunting Gets Some Respect”. If you have not done so, I encourage you to read this article, which confirms that we do have a voice in legislation, and hunters are a positive influence in increasing numbers of animal and birds. Valley Waterfowl is a member of NRA.
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