42nd Annual IRON FURNACE CHAPTER TROUT UNLIMITED ANNUAL SPRING BANQUET

“In a civilized and cultivated country wild animals [and fish] only continue to exist at all when preserved by sportsmen. The excellent people who protest against all hunting,[and fishing] and consider sportsmen as enemies of wildlife, are ignorant of the fact that in reality the genuine sportsman is by all odds the most important factor in keeping the larger and more valuable wild creatures from total extermination.” – Theodore Roosevelt

OUT & ABOUT ON THE ALLEGHENY!

On Saturday, April 7th members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny had the pleasure of being invited guests at the 42nd Annual IRON FURNACE CHAPTER TROUT UNLIMITED ANNUAL SPRING BANQUET held at St. Joseph's Hall in Lucinda, Pennsylvania.

Trout Unlimited is all about "catch and release" and so goes the Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny.

Although no members of the Big Woods Hare Hunters won any of the hundreds of raffle prizes, special raffle prizes, door prizes, or took home any of the many oral auction items or silent auction items, a great time was had by all. We tried.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters want to thank the officers, board of directors and banquet committee for an extraordinary job. We appreciated the work which goes into a fundraiser of this kind.

St. Joseph's Rosary Society presented a delectable turkey dinner with all the trimmings. If anyone went away hungry it was their own fault. We did not.

The Iron Furnace Chapter is involved with a variety of coldwater conservation activities which include projects on Piney Creek, Mill Creek, North Fork of Redbank Creek and Callen Run Watershed to only name a few.

The Big Woods Hare Hunters of the Allegheny are especially impressed with the chapter's educational activities involving our youth.

The Iron Furnace Chapter provides financial support for a CUP student in environmental studies, a scholarship for a student at Trout Unlimited's Rivers Conservation Camp, and grants for Trout in the Classroom programs at elementary schools and high schools throughout Clarion County, They also provide free fly tying classes and a fishing clinic both open to the public. This summer they will be working on activities with the Boy Scouts and Eagle Scouts at Walter Dick Park.

The IRON FURNACE CHAPTER OF TROUT UNLIMITED must be commended.