FAOLer receives award: Great Waters Expo
Hi,
Just back from Tom Helgeson's Great Waters Expo, and there's some neat news. One of our FAOL community was the celebrated guest at the Saturday night award ceremony.
Each year, an outstanding conservationist receives the Dr Thomas Waters Award for his/her conservation efforts in the Midwest. This year's well-deserving recipient posts here occasionally, and lurks regularly.
Sarah Sanford (remember the pics of her extraordinary flies posted a while back?) was lauded for her work organizing and coordinating the massive yearly cleanup effort on the Rush River each year. This year's April 19th effort will be the fourth she's organized, and will involve more than 100 volunteers. A room full of the angling and conservation faithfulls gave her a standing ovation.
Just wish I could remember the name she posts under -grin
As for the Expo itself, what a treat. As I've said before, it's more than worth the trip from Maine to me. The furlers and those just getting interested were out in force and kept me good company, as well as Kevin and Royce and Lew and others of you who post here. Attendance at the show was great, maybe up even from last year (Saturday was pretty crowded, in fact, with standing room only at some of the seminars).
Gary Borger and Jason Borger were among the headliners, and led a varied lineup of Midwestern and travel related speakers (Wayne Bartz, Dave Baron, Brod Bohen, more), but the conservation thread was equally strong with topics like ethanol production and what it could mean to angling, watershed management, etc. Camp Fly Fish for Kids, the Women's' Forum, and the Writers' Panel weren't the only free educational opportunities at this show: there was another great aquatic insect display several tables long with live inhabitants, as well as learning stations like fly tying, the furling, knots and rigging, and others. Conservation groups were a feature again this year, and Reeling and Healing supplied everyone with fish necklaces and good advice about cancer recovery. Vermillion, the art gallery Tom Helgeson has created for the sporting world, featured a working artist though out the show. Saturday night, just before the award ceremony, the place was rockin' with the free concert by "Chasin' Steel", the U.P. bluegrass band.
btw, the Western Wisconsin Watershed Group was also recognized with an award. Their acceptance presentation left me awed at the great work volunteers can do.
What else?
Probably lots, but maybe this paints a picture.
A great Expo.
Kat
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Uneventful!
