Annual Report from the President, Jeff Reinke

Greetings and Happy Holidays!

As part of our mission, the Gary Borger Chapter of Trout Unlimited focuses our activities to help protect coldwater fisheries here in the Midwest, and to educate and foster conservation of these precious resources.

 

We can't do this without your help. It is through your generosity (in donating time and/or money) that we are able to make a difference.

 

This Giving Season, would you please consider a donation to GBTU? 

 

With your support our Chapter can continue to fund a wide variety of critical projects including stream restoration work in Iowa, Michigan and Wisconsin.

 

You can donate online with a credit card, or mail us a check if you prefer.


Annual Letter from Jeff Reinke, President

As we close the calendar year, I will be approaching the end of my time as GBTU President. As I look back, the four years I presided were challenged with the pandemic, searching for a new home for our meetings, and the normal comings and goings of a Chapter.

 

Through our resourcefulness, these challenges became opportunities to try new things and to reach more people. We kept the energy going and there were many more days spent on the water and participating in conservation and education events. We even started this year with Live Events at the Miramar and kept our members in the loop with a simulcast along with recordings. If you haven’t joined us on our usual second Thursday of the Month, please do!

 

When I began as President, I committed to shape GBTU as a “Learning and Experience Environment” and to that end, worked toward making GBTU more accessible, and inclusive, to new and existing members, to serve as a resource for learning and information relative to the sport of fly fishing and conservation, and to make our gatherings and outings memorable. We have realized these goals which sets us up for a successful future! 

 

To make this all happen, I ask for your support and would like to share some updates and plans for the coming year, and, how you can help!


Leadership Changes

In October 2023 we will hold elections for GBTU’s Officers. Elections for the open positions of President, Vice President will take place at that time as well as re-electing Bill Davis as Secretary and Kurt Meier as Treasurer.

Kurt has graciously accepted the the position in place of our long-time Treasurer Jim Moore, who recently retired. Jim did a fantastic job as Treasurer and we always look forward to seeing him at our monthly events. Thanks Jim for all that you did for our Chapter! 

In addition to his role as Conservation Chair, Bill Davis has taken on the role of Communications for the Chapter and if you haven't noticed, take a look at our new newsletter and updated webpage to see Bill’s handy-work!


Monthly Chapter Events

GBTU started meeting live again last spring at the Miramar Bistro in Highwood. We felt that with the on-going health risks, we elected to present both live, and on Zoom, and offer recordings when we could. Our goal was to support our members engagement in GBTU events. 

 

We have maintained our goal to have great guest presenters for our events and will continue to bring in speakers who inform and entertain. As you know, many of our speakers share their knowledge without compensation. However, to provide you with the absolute best content and variety, some speakers require an honorarium or a donation to their cause. These costs can average around $500, and we often line up three to four speakers per year.

 

Please consider a donation to help us support GBTU’s ability to bring you a variety of speakers and quality content for our Monthly Chapter Events.

 


Fly Tying Nights

With the colder weather coming, we would like to start tying nights again. Along with our Members who are great fly tyers, we would like to invite guests who may even be speakers at an event.

 

Some of these guest fly tyers would join us on Zoom and may require an honorarium which averages around $250. Its been a while since we met live for this activity but when we did we had a good turn out for evenings which were one part instruction, and two parts fun!

 

For those interested we will provide a recipe of materials that will be needed that evening well in advance of the session. It’s great fun to connect with each other and learn a new fly from one of our many talented tyers. It’s also a great opportunity to support a local fly shop or vendor by fillling your fly box with all the best in class flies. Once we get things set we will post the schedule on the website. Stay tuned for more!

 


Stream Access

GBTU has partnered with Jerry Sapp from the Lee Wulff Chapter to organize and install our joint effort design for the stiles which provides access to the streams TU and TUDARE have restored. These new stiles cost $75 to $100 in materials, and provide a pass-through feature that makes getting in and out much easier and safer than the climb-over stiles.

 

Bill Davis has taken over the Conservation Chair from Matt Jennings, and the plan is to continue to install new stiles on newly restored waterways and replace older stiles as needed. GBTU members recently helped to install stiles on the Timber Coulee.

 

Your support financially, as well as volunteering your time for the work groups, would be appreciated. This is also a fantastic opportunity to meet other anglers and learn where these access points are located that lead to great fishing! 

Donate to GBTU

    

        
Conservation

Over the past few years, the government has passed legislation and appropriations under agricultural acts that provides money for stream restoration. With this money in play, many more new projects that we can work on will be forthcoming as well as an opportunity to write to our state legislators to vote for bills that include protections for the watershed and the Great Lakes.

 

Some of our GBTU Leaders sit on the Illinois Council and have access to informative documents that define these voting efforts as they arise. We hope we can count on your support to help protect our watersheds and Great Lakes! The photo at the left is from a portion of the Bad Axe which was restored by TU many years ago. The bends in the stream produced some nice trout!  The work performed on the streams not only has an immediate impact on trout habitat and the environment, but also establishes a legacy.   


Education

Education Chair Darwin Adams and his team continues to serve the community with their participation in area events which are geared to expose adults and youth groups to the sport of fly fishing. To support all the event requests, we need Volunteers! Volunteering at these events is fun and memorable and your time makes a significant difference in people’s lives. If you are interested in joining this amazing team, please contact Darwin Adams.


Project Healing Waters Fly Fishing

GBTU sponsors the North Chicago Program and this past couple of years, despite being shut down during pandemic, North Chicago re-invented itself from serving Inpatients from Lovell to engaging and serving Veterans in the Community. We rapidly grew from 2 to 18 overnight and now can offer rod building and overnight trips for our vets. Recently I turned the reins of Program Lead over to GBTU Member Jay Dzik and Assistant Program Lead will be Sam Sides, another GBTU Member. I will remain the Midwest Regional Coordinator and now a full Trustee on the Board. I will continue to volunteer in North Chicago.

 

We are fortunate to have strong volunteer and financial support from all four Chicago-based Chapters of TU along with support from Orvis and local VFW’s where TU Volunteers are members. If you are interested in more information, or would like to volunteer, I would be happy to tell you more.


THANK YOU

In this “Season of Giving” please consider a donation to help us continue the momentum we have built and to go even further. This Chapter belongs to all of us, and your support makes the experience even more memorable. Your time is also greatly valued, so please also consider volunteering for one of our activities to make our water and the environment better today and in the future. As I have stated in past appeals, when we work together, there is so much more we can accomplish! 

 

Finally, I would like to reflect on my time as President which saw several changes in our activities and events and expanded our reach to new and existing members. You can feel a new level of energy at GBTU. At times it almost felt like we were back to normal. We met outdoors and enjoyed each other’s company along the stream and around the firepit in the evenings. It felt good to feel the sun again. As excited as I was when I became President, I am even more excited for the future of GBTU. 

 

I feel that the potential of GBTU is unlimited, and with your support we can have an impact on our environment and make remarkable memories along the way. Let us find a way to make this happen!

  

Thank you for your consideration, your support, and I hope to see you at one of our next events.

Have a Safe and Happy Holiday Season!


Jeff Reinke

President

Gary Borger Chapter of Trout Unlimited

 
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Or if you prefer to mail a check:

Gary Borger Chapter of Trout Unlimited

P.O. Box 7151

Grayslake, Illinois 60030-7151   

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