Projects & Events

calendar of events
activities past and present
trout in the classroom
New York State DEC
TU Conservation

Chapter Meetings

Chapter meetings are schedueld for the third Wednesday of each month. They are held inside the Brighton Town Hall located at 2300 Elmwood Ave. Look for us downstairs or in the Community Meeting Room. As always, meetings are open to the public. A fly tying demo is held at 7:30 p.m., and at 8:00 p.m. meetings will begin.

Activities - Past & Present

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Float stocking Oatka Creek with Marcus Whitman ECO School
at the Caledonia hatchery

March 26, 1999; by Joe Verdone

Trout stockers and Caledonia Hatchery trout-filled trucks converged at the Oatka Fish and Game Club at 9 AM Friday, March 26. We intended to release trout over a longer length of the stream than could be accomplished by Alan Mack's Hatchery Crew working by themselves, in the hope that more fishermen would share the fish over a longer time. Brian Ward and Bob Stein drove the Hatchery trucks, and Environmental Conservation Officer Bob Doe accompanied the stocking party. Volunteer stockers included 15 student members of the Marcus Whitman Environmental Classroom Opportunity, (Marcus Whitman ECO), from Naples, NY. These 6th and 7th graders, accompanied by their teachers, a bus driver, and two senior high school "life guards" were joined by members of the Oatka Fish and Game Club, and by members of Seth Green TU. In all, approximately 35 people performed hands-on stocking of 4250 brown trout, of which 950 were 15- inch 2-year olds. Six sites on Oatka Creek in Genesee and Monroe Counties received fish.

The students were there not only to do the stocking, they had also built 6 float boxes, sturdy 2 ft. by 4 ft. frames 1 ft. high with 1/2 inch mesh screened bottoms. These held 50-70 fish each, and were led downstream by attached ropes to the appropriate area of release. A smaller number of fish at each site was carried upstream in 7 gallon pails, and then released. Trout were released only in those sections of Oatka Creek that are accessible to the general public. Posted private areas received no trout. The Special Regulations section, including the Park, received no trout either. At three of the stocking sites, fishermen were already there before the Hatchery truck. At two such sites, the fishermen joined the "bucket brigade" and helped distribute fish. They returned to fishing when the stocking was completed.

Hands-on stocking was finished by about 2 PM. The group returned to Oatka Fish and Game Club for a wonderful lunch of spaghetti, meatballs, and salad prepared by Stefano Perzia and Don Laurie, Sr. of the host club. Patti Smith's killer brownies (Proofreader's note: Not brown trout) provided a great dessert. We've had many offers to help with the second stocking, many of them no doubt motivated by the chance for another spaghetti dinner. Sorry, guys, we have to spread the good fortune around. However, someone must step up and make sure the next stocking goes as well as the first. If Stefano and Don are going to do it again, I suppose I will have to take on this important assignment. The second and last stocking will take place the third week of April. It may be we won't be able to use all of you who volunteered. The original plan, to stock three times, has been condensed to two stockings

This was a very successful collaboration among DEC, Marcus Whitman ECO, Seth Green TU, and Oatka Fish and Game Club. The ramifications are even broader. The float box design was called the Carpenter Brook design, after a creek near Syracuse where the first models were tested last year by members of Carpenter Brook Hatchery. The impetus for the float stocking came from DEC Fisheries Manager Bill Abraham and Bill Lavris of Elmira, NY, who sent plans for the boxes and several helpful comments to our chapter. Mr. Lavris is a member of Conhocton Valley Chapter, who in cooperation with Catherine Creek Chapter will perform extensive float stocking this year in their area.

These kinds of projects usually turn out to be fun. This one was more fun than most. The levels of enthusiasm and cooperation were contagious. Thanks to all of our TU members: Joe Binder, Lew Bourcy, Terry Brooks, Vince Maxwell, Mike McNulty, Dick Sutton, Joe Verdone, and Floyd Welker. A special thanks to our enthusiastic students, their teachers, and our hosts Oatka Fish and Game Club.

(photos are no longer available)

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