Hey there. This is Rob! Sounds as though there is interest in a regional
meeting!!! I guess I would like to see something positive come from a
gathering such as this in the way of sending to our elected officials that
their are people out here who actually pay attention to these fish and the
particular habitat! Perhaps this could be the TOPIC OF SOME DISCUSSION and
brainstorming! Here in Trumbull County, The Soil and Water Conservation
district is proposing a countywide Riparian Zone Ordinance that would
protect the buffer strips along streams. This is going to be a tough sell in
some instances, but is certainly a step in a positive direction. The
activity that Bill Flynn describes happens too often and those that do these
known "WORST MANAGEMENT PRACTICES" should be held accountable. This is not
really a property rights issue, rather a responsibility issue, and when
somebody mutilates a stream bank, this causes problems for someone else's
property. So why should those that do these things to our water be protected
by law under the guise of "property rights"? According to officials at Soil
And Water Conservation, the only real way to control this practice, is to
write to our elected state house people and push for better laws to protect
sensitive riparian areas. As a state group of NANFA people, perhaps we
should draft a letter and submit it to them. If all of us love these fish as
much as we say we do, and would like to preserve the quality of streams so
that our love of "collecting" can be bountiful in the future, we somehow
have to be heard. There are too many of us out there who are never seen or
heard! In the meantime, it is a shame, that in a water rich state such as
Ohio, those who responsibly collect fish, will pose more questions in the
mind of say our wildlife officials, than the developer who butchers stream
banks all the time. How can you sustain a species w/o regard to it's
habitat???.... It seems to me, that as "nuts about natives" that we really
are, it only makes sense to advocate or support their habitat's wise
stewardship. This could be a topic as well as visiting a nearby stream. I
know of several streams in N.E. Ohio that are excellent sites for
observation, however, I do not know how many NANFA people would be willing
to travel up here. I therefore recommended the HOCKING HILLS
REGION. Sometime by the 3rd week of June 2000 would seem nice. I guess all
we need to do is all agree on a place and time and just meet there. I
thought about reserving some sort of lodge. This has to be done quickly
however, since time is running out. I would need to collect a registration
fee to pay for the use of a place that can accomidate up to 20 persons. We
would
have the place for a whole weekend. This is possible, and I can get it done,
but not without fees and commitment (solid) from at least 12 Ohio NANFA
people!!! Nevertheless, if that doesn't sit popular, I am open to
suggestions, or we can just pick a PLACE, DATE AND TIME, pursue our own
accomodations (everyone for his/her self) and spend the day in the field. We
could use say... Hocking Hills lodge as the meeting place. In trumbull
county, there is the use of say the WARREN PUBLIC LIBRARY. There are
accomodations in this area. If I get SOLID COMMITMENT from at least 12
people, I will send them a list upon recipt of their R.S.V.P.
SORRY.......NO E-MAILS FOR THIS AS I WANT TO SPEAK WITH A LIVE PERSON!!! I
HAVE A TOLL-FREE PHONE NUMBER, SO THEIR IS NO EXCUSE NOT TO CALL!!! Hope
I hear from you soon, THANKS.... Rob Carillio PH. 1-877-236-2033 e-mail
darterman_at_hotmail.com
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