Message from President Evan Jones
August, 2010

Summer is in full swing now, which means (among other things) that you‘ve gotta be up before dawn if you want to catch any fish. It always seems like a good idea the night before, but when the alarm goes off at 5am it‘s a different story. At least for me. I hope the rest of you have been faring a little better.

Speaking of faring better, the oil spill in the Gulf has finally been brought under control. At least temporarily. While we are still pretty far from OK, there is some consolation in knowing the spill isn‘t currently getting any worse. I hope that doesn‘t lead folks into complacency – our elected officials still need to be reminded that this is a top priority, and our consumption patterns still need to be tempered. We‘re not out of the woods yet.

I‘m really excited about our next outing on August 12th at the Gamble Mansion. The idea is that everyone brings their favorite rod(s) and reel(s) and then we can all take turns casting each rig. It will be a great opportunity to cast a wide variety of setups in a short amount of time, and should really add to the experience level of all who participate. Did I mention that Leslie Hand is making lunch? Enough said.
--Evan

Last month's message contained a lot of useful information about opportunities to assist with efforts to help clean up the spill. It's retained here for your use for the foreseeable future...

MCFF and the Disaster in the Gulf
The fate of our beloved fisheries will not be solely determined by any one entity, be it British Petroleum or our government or otherwise. Ultimately, it will depend (as much in American history has) on the ingenuity and perseverance of our citizens. As a group of dedicated anglers whose livelihoods depend on the health of our fisheries, and as a charter club of the Federation of Flyfishers, it is our duty to take action.

But where to focus our efforts? The State Emergency Response Team has said that, "The complex nature of oil cleanup, coupled with health and safety concerns, limits the role of volunteers." And since volunteer hours are perhaps the greatest asset of a small club like ours, it‘s easy to feel helpless. Fortunately, our area is home to some outstanding non-profit agencies with decades of specialized experience, which are in a far better position to take action. By supporting them, we can maximize our efforts without reinventing the wheel.

Mote Marine (www.mote.org) is an excellent resource on the spill, and is currently deploying underwater robots to monitor the oil and establish some "baseline" data from areas yet unaffected. They are among the few organizations with an immediate need for monetary donations in order to support this important work.

Save our Seabirds (www.saveourseabirds.com) is ideally suited to do just that, although they have been overwhelmed with volunteer applications recently and are not accepting any more at the moment.

City of Sarasota (www.scgov.net/OilSpill.asp) has created a special website with helpful information.

Sarasota Bay Watch (www.sarasotabaywatch.org) is working closely with Tampa Bay Watch (www.tampabaywatch.org) to coordinate direct actions in our area and to provide training opportunities to volunteers who wish to participate in direct clean-up efforts.

Please visit these websites and sign up as a volunteer. More information will follow. In the meantime, there are a couple other concrete actions we can each take:

- If you haven‘t contacted your elected officials to hold their feet to the fire and express your outrage at their lack of oversight, do it today. And tomorrow. And every day until this nightmare is over. A complete listing of these folks can be found at www.usa.gov/contat/elected.shtml

- Finally, remember that the almighty dollar is perhaps the most powerful voting tool you have. And while boycotting BP has become understandably popular, our own insatiable consumption also admittedly played a role in creating this disaster. By using resources more prudently, we can all have an immediately positive effect on whatever comes next.

Evan

You can reach MCFF President Evan Jones, at 726-0633 or by email at: muchatrucha@gmail.com