27 replies to this topic

[littlen]

With the obvious decline of fish related activities and outings (both club related and personal) last year, how did NANFA fare as an organization? Compared to other years, did we draw in as many new members? Did we lose more? I still have as big of a spot in my heart for the group and will continue to support it.

Naturally last year had a noticeable effect on the forum too as there was less to post about, but a big thank you to all who took the time to share your personal outings and pics. How is everyone else doing? I hope youre all well and havent been hit too hard by the pandemic.

I miss reading posts by some of the more active forum users and notice your absence. Its understandable, however. Im currently taking a big step out of the fish-keeping game for a time (no natives right now) so I lean heavily on the forum (not a FB member) to get my fix.

Just a mere attempt to strike up a little banter with you all, perhaps some board members have some insight about the club? Would enjoy hearing from anyone, regardless.

Cheers to a much better 2021.

[Michael Wolfe]

Hey Nick, I would say that at a macro level the organization is fine.  As of December we had about 485 members (about where we have been anyway).  We had enough money to continue to support our grants, but since we cancelled the convention (which is our largest fundraising event) we did have to dip into our reserves a bit.  Since we did not have a convention auction, we decided to try an online book auction.  It went pretty well (you will read more about it in an upcoming AC) and we may continue to try online auctions.

 

On a personal note, the whole situation certainly put a damper on the activities that we usually do in Georgia.  I think I was only out with a group once and did none of the normal public gatherings.  I'm hopeful (with no data or facts, so just hope) that things will be better in the spring.

[littlen]

Thanks for the update, Michael.  Glad to hear that the club is doing well--all things considered.  

Are there any additional ideas for fundraising in 2021 should that convention be cancelled too?  I'm guessing that would sting a bit more than having to cancel the last one.

I know even in 'good times', AC is always looking for articles.  Do you (or anyone) have ideas for content on years like this past one where fieldtrips didn't really happen?  I've always wanted to contribute more, but haven't had much hands on, native fish work in a long while.

[swampfish]

It's good to hear about the membership and financial status of NANFA. Thanks Michael. 

 

With another round of stimulus checks coming, you might think of NANFA if you are fortunate enough to not need the money to keep eating or having a roof over your head. Although I spent much of the last stimulus check locally, I used part of it to add a couple years to my membership and make a donation to NANFA. It's easy to do so on the membership form. 

 

Remember that not-for-profits like NANFA have had a drop in income as well as restaurants and other small businesses. We need to help keep the conservation and research going on our native fish that NANFA supports.

 

Phil Nixon

[MtFallsTodd]

Good to hear from you Nick. The whole Covid thing has given me much more time to play around in the creeks in my area!!!

[littlen]

Likewise! How are all those pesky Rainbows doing?!

Thats a great idea, Phil!

[MtFallsTodd]

Found at least eight different creeks and spring runs with rainbow darters!!! The more I look the more I find. Would love to know how they were introduced in my area.

[keepnatives]

What, the 2020 convention was cancelled! That's why no one was at the hotel.  Seriously I went anyway had a great time with Matt.  Since then have been enjoying retirement and slowly automating the fish room and breeding fish like crazy though mostly non natives.  But hope to change that soon.  Have also been enjoying lots of club sponsored zoom or you tube fishy presentations and a couple interesting online auctions with pick up locations for item exchanges.  Will be doing a few online presentations plugging NANFA/natives  and my Peru trip in coming weeks and months.   There are so many talks available I often have to choose one over another.   

[Josh Blaylock]

What, the 2020 convention was cancelled! That's why no one was at the hotel.  Seriously I went anyway had a great time with Matt.  Since then have been enjoying retirement and slowly automating the fish room and breeding fish like crazy though mostly non natives.  But hope to change that soon.  Have also been enjoying lots of club sponsored zoom or you tube fishy presentations and a couple interesting online auctions with pick up locations for item exchanges.  Will be doing a few online presentations plugging NANFA/natives  and my Peru trip in coming weeks and months.   There are so many talks available I often have to choose one over another.   

 

 

I'm still waiting on you in the Rockcastle River.......

[Chasmodes]

I've been around, although not posting much of late.  I've been fishing a lot.  My tanks need some maintenance before I can post videos that I'd be proud of, and I've been procrastinating.  I'll post some video updates soon.

 

The stream tank is doing well overall, but needs my attention.

 

My oyster reef tank is still a work in progress.  I have a good selection of fish in my temporary tank that went through QT OK.

 

Sorry for not posting much lately.

[keepnatives]

 

 

I'm still waiting on you in the Rockcastle River.......

Yeah, sorry we got messed up on my Kentucky vacation.  Phone issues are a pain had fun getting some Splendid darters, raising up a tank of juveniles.   Would love to make a return trip to the Ark Encounter and Creation Museum and do some sampling with you soon. 

[Josh Blaylock]

I made several local trips out this year. Mostly helping a few friends collect fish.

Derek Wheaton and I had an awesome day out over the summer. I really wish I had taken more pictures and written up a trip report. We hit up the Green River and the middle Cumberland.

As far as Nanfa is concerned I've been feeling a bit of remorse and regret. due to the situation with covid and schools I have really let things slide with Nanfa. It's been difficult working a high pressure job and being a school teacher at the same time. I'm trying to make more time for the organization this year.

Sent from my ONEPLUS A5000 using Tapatalk

[Michael Wolfe]

Josh, I think that COVID really hurt education, particularly community outreach type things more than most people realize. I do a dozen or more outings most years and did one last year. I am hoping to ramping things up this year. Already have started planning for March/April.

[ShadetreeIchthyologist]

Just wanted to check in and say hello. Life's been crazy busy in Charleston SC since I moved a little over a year ago for a job. I try to get out a catch a few fish here and there but I've not gotten my dip net wet in a while. Need to do some exploring this spring. 

[UncleWillie]

Glad to see everyone doing well.  Like many others, my activity on the forum has been quite limited.  I check the forum frequently, but rarely post or chime in unless I have something productive to say.  After about 3 years of being tankless, I set up some old tanks around the house and had miscellaneous temperate fish (native and non-native) for the last year or so.  I recently moved, and most my stock was given away or is currently sitting in a cooler with a sponge filter.

 

For work, I would typically fly for long travel, but this year has been mostly traveling to various places across the southeast in a vehicle.  Over the last few months, I've been bringing a little 12 gallon cooler and a dip net in the car everywhere I go.  I typically buy a 1- or 3-day fishing license when I can, and on my way out of town spend an hour or so dipping in some publicly accessible areas.  So now I am slowly replacing non-natives with natives.  The plan is to fill the 65 gallon up this weekend and get this cooler full of fish out of my dining room!

 

I have recently moved back to my hometown and will be closer to Michael Wolfe, and I hope to be more active in the community.  Hopefully that will happen when I get settled in.  But that could take some time - I have spawn of my own getting ready to hatch anytime in the next 3 weeks!

[Michael Wolfe]

 

I have recently moved back to my hometown and will be closer to Michael Wolfe, and I hope to be more active in the community.  Hopefully that will happen when I get settled in.  But that could take some time - I have spawn of my own getting ready to hatch anytime in the next 3 weeks!

 

Well congratulations to you and good for me to have you back in town.

[gerald]

I too am really missing the stream outings with aquarium groups and land conservancies that I'm used to doing.  One highlight was in Sept when I got to sample stream fish communities (IBI analysis) for the City of Chattanooga and visited a bit with Casper.  Found an introduced population of rainbow shiners in a Hiwassee River trib 20 miles NE of Chatt.  Been doing a lot of English country dance on Zoom for social interaction.  My wife is a dance caller; the dances are adapted for 1 or 2, rather than the normal long lines or circles.  The explosion of online fish club meetings has been a sanity-saver too; plenty to choose from.

[Casper]

2020... The year of Covid.  Unfortunately I expect Covid concerns to run well into 2021.  I am a long way from getting vaccinated here in the chaotic, long lines of Hamilton Co.  We have had a large number of ever increasing deaths.  I've been staying Covid concerned and avoiding large indoor groupings, even family gatherings over the holidays.

 

I expect we will not get a Spring nor Summer NANFA convention.

 

Nonetheless i had a pretty good 2020 as my mantra was "There's no Covid in the creeks".  I enjoyed several snorkelers visiting with trips to the regional rivers.  Though the Cherokee National Forest had shut down their snorkeling program due to virus transmission concerns, ( masks, snorkels & wetsuits ) for those with their own gear i organized several fun trips.  I have met many regional folks through my book sales and they all wanted to get out in the nice weather.  Several drove from hours away and we made the most during their visiting days.  Socially distanced camping with no hugs and kisses worked as well.  It felt good to be out in the fresh forest air.  This Fall the CNF snorkel team enjoyed a nice Forage Camp along the Tellico and earlier during Earth Days we camped along a trib to the river.  Both camping days were too cold to snorkel but we did some seining and fishy photography.

 

The big disappointment for 2020 was just days before Jeremy and i were to launch a multicity film tour we had to cancel.  Packed theaters and Covid do not mix and potentially being termed "Typhoid Marys" was not appealing.  This was when Covid concerns were first coming pronounced.  But later in the year during the Summer and Fall we had several outdoor screening events that were fun, well attended, safe and productive.

 

I also got a 4th year snorkel trash mongering with volunteers into North Chickamauga Creek.  Early October's Tennessee River Rescue, which was canceled but we did our part socially distancing.  Earlier during the 2020 Spring i got to witness massive River Chub mounds and spawning Spotfin Shiners for the first time in North Chick.  Lots of vintage bottles too.  It's always fun to return the following Spring and see what we had missed or was newly exposed from the Winter flood flows.

 

For 2021 Spring I'm planning several camps for Morels and Chub mounds from GA to KY into May.

 

Here is hoping the best 2021 for all of us fishy folks.

 

Oh yea... I spent a lot of time in the cement pond this year uprooting plants as the gravel bed had compacted and was strangling the 2 riffle run and waterfall pumps.  The water is now flowing free and clear and I'm excited as to what kind of spawnings will occur come Spring.  However a frustration has moved in, an ever growing Banded Water Snake.  He is about 3' long now and plump.  I'm nervous and he is fast.  He eats my fish easy and is quite content to live here.

[L Link]

I haven't been the most active here on the forum though I've been here for a couple years now. I don't know many of you, but I greatly enjoyed meeting Casper (if over the phone) for some fishy talk and snorkeling advice last spring (advice which led to an absolutely wonderful snorkel trip to E. TN)! I look forward to meeting more fellow NANFAns, perhaps this spring, since I hope to have at least one good snorkel expedition down to TN again, along with a ton of local destinations.

 

Casper's "no Covid in the creeks" mantra resonates with me a lot; dreaming of colorful darters, spectacular minnows, and mound-building chubs is what's getting me through these last months of winter!

 

I as well am hoping for a good year for the fishy community, here's to a year as full of wonder beneath the surface as possible for all!

 

 

-Lock Cabe

 

 

 

 

[gerald]

"no Covid in the creeks" ... mink are susceptible to Covid.  I wonder if otters are too?