pa trout articles

[bikerfish]

a couple good articles in the latest issue of pa trout about shale drilling. really nothing we don't already know, but worth reading. and if you live in pa, fish for trout and don't know what pa trout is, you are not a member of TU, why not??

 

[scotto]

Ask yourself, no need for reply - if I am a member, am I an active member? If not, why?

What every chapter needs is ACTIVE members!

 

[tomgamber]

If they would send me one notice within a month or two of my membership needing renewal I would always renew. But they send me a renewal notice every single month. So I save one in the area where I pay the bills and toss all the others. (sending all those has to cost money, right?) Then, when I clean out my mess in that area I toss the old one and when the new one comes I save it. Then I realize I haven't seen a magazine or newsletter for a while and I dig out that form and send it in with my dues. So now I've given them enough money to keep sending out unnecessarily large amounts of mail and my money hasn't helped a single piece of water. So if I don't have the new magazine by the time I get back from Thanksgiving vacation, I'll assume I missed whatever date my membership ran out and I will dig out one of those forms and renew. Why, I don't know.

 

[reds]

I stopped being a member because they did not help in the fight for access to water. I care about the resource more because i fish than any other reason. I understand protecting the water, but I refuse to help fight to protect and clean water so that someone can post land and not allow me to fish it. When they represent fisherman access laws I will rejoin, in the meantime I will spend my money and time elsewhere.

 

[whheff]

I just read the article and totally agree with scotto. Weather you are a member or not, the main point is to not let this turn into another abandon coal mine disaster. Watch your local waters and if you see a problem, call DEP or your local Fish & Boat Com. officer and report it.
This will have an affect on more than just streams. There are well water problems already pooping up far from the drilling sites.
If you can, read the article and call your local Senator on Congressman and ask them to set up some kind of tax to be used for clean up. It will only take you a few minutes. Remember, TU member or not, that we are all responsible for what happens to our streams and water quality.

 

[osprey]

tom...........they do overkill the mailing thing i aggree wholeheartedly , the reason you renew is the same as me probly , we know that for all that's wrong the idea is right and at least they are headed in the right direction........and reds..........go to Falling Springs and check out the access , provided by easements gained by TU and others , that statement about access is wrong.

 

[reds]

Osprey, I know exactly of the area you are talking about and that is great, but last year or maybe the year before the national TU came out and said publicly they were staying out of access issues that they were a resource organization. So no my statement is not wrong and it is why I decided to not renew my membership after several years of being a member.

 

[osprey]

Reds..........before you decide not renew let me run this by you , the
National Part of TU may stay out of access issues for liability reasons , but they provide tons of money to local chapters for use in access projects and they still do , i would point out the deal on Yellow creek in Bedford county as a most recent example. Reds.......I agree with you 100% they are not perfect but they are what we got and it's up to us , the members , to keep them goin in the right direction , think of it as helping the rest of your fly fishing friends and not the big-wigs , get more active , call them up and #OOPS# , write to them , but Please reconsider renewing. MIKE

 

[Maurice]

I agree completely with Osprey, Very well put. Access as it relates to TU is a grass roots issue, not a National TU iniative. (as it should be). "Soft" access agreements are personal and done with a handshake and a smile. Local cultures are best understood by local people, you and me, and if National TU were to take Access on it would be a legal charge toward land take overs.

If you want to find a reason to not be a TU member, you will, if you want to help and make strides toward better access locally or toward improved wild trout resources, you can, but it takes committment. A little or a lot is up to you. Giving up on a volunteer organizatrion that gets it traction on the ground because of a non-committal stance on a single issue is weak at best. Its about the greater good. And for trout fisheries, TU is unmatched. Not because of National but because of the boots onthe ground. Its up to you to wear those boots or not.

There is a size for everyone.

You are either part of the solution, or part of the precipitate.

 

[reds]

Mo, Not weak just the way it is. You can use your defense of the organization as a way of taking a cheap shot or admit the shortcoming of the organization. If you see me as part of the problem that is your choice, I answered honestly as to why I wrote the organization off and can say I will not return.

Soft access agreements are not what is neccesary, nor do they do any long term good, they gain access for the short term and then Donny Beaver and his ilk wave some money and landowners bite. Meanwhile the people who gave time and effort are left behind wondering why they helped with a resource that sits behind a posted sign.

 

[Maurice]

Do you fish waters under soft access aggreements or only public waters? If you don't know...then you can thank a TU member or who does something for your enjoyment of angling on private property.

 

[troutbert]

TU has been involved in gaining "hard" access as well.

But I think people should join whichever organization they think is doing the most. For those of you who don't think TU is cutting the mustard, which groups have you joined instead, that you think are doing a better job?

 

[osprey]

MO........since you brought up the boot , here i go again , the national has come out against felt soled boots , i'm a one legged fly fisher who doesn't agree with that at all but...........i'll renew anyhow , cause i realize that it goes far beyond an opinion on boots O.