ok here goes

[TheEndlessEnigma]

I am organizing the AAS project for waters creek as the overwhelming support says i should.

The objectives here are as follows .......
to monitor water quality
assist in any types of cleanups there may be
and also the restoration of instream structures and possibly to create new ones in time

any people who would like to volunteer time labor and an occasional hot dog and cokes are more than welcome to come join in this undertaking.

I have obviously never done anything like this before lol so any input on some ideas for a group workday and project coordination will be extremely helpful

so please if you want to work help or donate please feel free to post on here or email me or even send a smoke signal.

I will soon be setting a date after talking with the DNR for a possible workday.

A question for Ngto BOD (dont worry this is positive) If we should put some instream structures in or repairs is it possible or plausible to have some signs made up kind of like what TU has .... or if anyone on the board knows anything about that .... please chime in here.

if anyone also wants to meet before hand and is willing to pay for my dinner (hahahaha) to develop a total plan here i am more than willing.

Thank you
Mikael

[bonedog]

Weak minded brute with 2 months vacation coming up here. I will help if I can.
Tight lines,
bd

[huntfish]

TEE,
I',m there. Get in touch with DNR to set this up. I'm there.

[raftgoddess]

Endless,
Did you make it up to the creek today? I wanted to get up there but couldn't. I might try to make it later in the week.
RG

[chuckwagon]

TEE,
I'm in Suwanee working so I'll help with dinner one night if we can time it right. Let me know when so i can plan for it. I am definatly willing to help.

Trey Niolon
Chuckwagon

[MBA]

Ditto with getting together to help plan...I'll catch you on IM and talk more details.

[TheEndlessEnigma]

makes me feel good that some people are willing to help .... also i have some friends not on ngto that look like they are gonna help too ..... ill contact lee this week and try to get a heads up face to face meeting with him so we can discuss what can and can't be done.

also on a side note ..... is there any of you that would like to meet face to face take notes and do this on let's say a tuesday or wednesday night ... i would sayi n the buford or suwanee area? or maybe even a sunday afternoon?

[TheEndlessEnigma]

i broke the powell as a gigantanormous fish nearly took ME under a log jam. the weather kinda stunk so you didnt miss buggin much ....

on a side note shuler's in gainesville is putting in more fly fishing stuff where i bought my replacement rod today ..... and it was 40-50 bucks cheaper than anywhere else i could find it

[raftgoddess]

Ok,
We have interest... now where do we meet? Where is everyone coming from? My offer still stands for meeting at my house here on the lake but if there is a better place speak up!
RG

[Mike Smith]

I'm in. I've always wanted to go to waters.

[Josh Barnett]

I'm in. Schedule is tough during the summer months, though. I will be there as much as possible. Thanks, Enigma, for putting the Waters Group together. Thanks, as well, to Java for helping with the generalositys' of this project.

Joshua Barnett

[chuckwagon]

I am out for this week meeting. If it goes into next week i will be able to meet. Trey/CW

[TheEndlessEnigma]

i was actually thinking next week sometime ...... this is not a crash and burn idea here

[TheEndlessEnigma]

we need to have a meeting to discuss this .... i am guessing this next wednesday ..... is that good for everyone?

I am thinking in the Buford area.

anyone have an idea of the place that is good for meeting?

[chuckwagon]

(985 and Ga 20 ) there is a golden corral? over the hill on 20 is the mall. I am sure there are places there. Wednesday next week is great for me.

Trey/Cw

[TheEndlessEnigma]

golden corral it is .... all you can eat place ... sounds like it would fit this group .....

ok i am gonna wait one week til week after next so that all of you can have time to ask off grease the wifey etc etc etc

that is the first of june i think. maybe the second .... regardless that is the date .... be there or be square

[huntfish]

TEE,
I'd like to participate but TU State Council meeting is on Weds. 1 June. Y'all go ahead and have the meeting since you know my stand.

[TheEndlessEnigma]

to the tuesday of that same week i have just been informed i wont be available which sort of defeats the purpose

[raftgoddess]

Ok, so are you saying that we will meet on Tuesday May 31?
RG

[TheEndlessEnigma]

that'll do it

[bonedog]

Got to get my hair and nails done and a bikini wax ;) LMAO. What time??
bd

[TheEndlessEnigma]

let's say .... 7 to 730 ... does that work for everyone?

[bonedog]

I'm In Like Flint.
bd

[chuckwagon]

Sounds great to me!

trey/cw

[TheEndlessEnigma]

now i think ill go do the happy dance.

gonna just make it 730 ... come hungry its all you can eat

[bonedog]

Hey TEE,
Who all is gonna be there Tuesday?
bd

[TheEndlessEnigma]

i need a head count. by the way BD. there is a place right there at the mall you cna get your bikini wax done

[huntfish]

TEE,
Talked to Lee Keefer last night and he will also be showing up.

Russ

[chuckwagon]

I am there!

Trey/CW

[fishnut]

I could lend a hand, schedule permitting. All I need is a weeks notice so I don’t plan an excursion. :o

[TheEndlessEnigma]

all who showed up for our suaree.

huntfish
mjolnir
chuckwagon
and bonedog

where were the rest of you?

are you serious about this or not?

No excuse

[GregLS]

and proposed?

[huntfish]

We proposed on working on repairing the stream improvement structures that have not been upkept. Mike is going to meet with Lee (I gave Lee the wrong time) about this and possibly walk the water with him to identify other needs. Now the issue will be can we get enough manpower there. We are also exploring the possibility of a camp out, work & fish event.

[TheEndlessEnigma]

sofar is the fact the usfs plans all this stuff a year or more in advance ..... so the fact of the matter is we may not know anything til the next usfs plan comes out which will be next year.

on that note ..... we could do something a little bit before that on a stream that the state owns the land ... such as one in a park or something to kinda tide us over.

anyone want to do somethign in the meantime to keep us ... id say shapr ... but i saw how we all ate at golden corral

[The Owl]

Well, I can't speak for those who signed up and didn't show, but I can say that if I'd have signed up, I'd have been in the same boat with 'em. I can't plan anything anymore. Why can't we all just go back to being 13 again when life was easy and time was abundant. Oh the good ole days.
As for the idea of projects, I was out the minute I heard " Waters". That place has been a disaster area of fishing since the 80's. Every time any effort gets put into it to restore it, some idiots will come thru there and kill or steal all the fish out of it. It's happened what, 3 times? I'm not trying to be mean or anything, and Lord knows I commend you EE for getting something together, even if only 4 ngto'rs showed up. Kudos to you guys - all of you.

But for me to squeak out some time for something like this - I'd have to be working on primary, viable wild trout water that needs help. Like some of the smaller creeks that have erosion/temp problems. I know there are some wild fish in Waters, but that place......it's just cursed or something. After not making the thing at Smith's, I decided just not to commit to anything in writing and just show up to planned events, meetings etc. when i can. ( which so far, is never)

Again, though I personally don't care to be part of an effort to work on this particular creek, I think the fact that you guys are doing something besides posting about it is a great thing. When you get waters fixed up, can we fix the erosion problems on bear den or jones?

speaking of which, sometimes i think some places are going to have erosion "problems" no matter what we try to do to stop it. Is that right or wrong? I mean, like jones....it's just sandy as heck and probably always will be - you'd have to stop erosion in about 100 places and then still, it's gonna eventually wash around whatever you do isn't it?

Anyway, thanks for meeting up. If we decide to help out some wild trout, someone holler.

owl

( Now look.....you can flame me for this all you want, but you want the truth or some whitewashed bunch of poop? yeah, I know...well, you're getting the truth anyway. :) hahaha )

[chuckwagon]

Alright, I am gonna chime in here and set the tone for what needs to be expected.

We have a resourse in the DNR, and The Forest Service. From what I understand, most equipment and Knowhow is at our fingertips. They just need the backbone with flexibilty.

At the meeting the other night we discussed our wants with the possibilty of their needs matching.

It seems there are several streams with need of instream repair. I believe these streams have had instream structure put in years ago only to be washed away by high water years later. These repairs are a process that will continue forever. Mother nature doing her thing. Unfortunately our DNR and Forest Service don't have the manpower to keep up with these neccessary repairs.

What we are trying to propose is a core group of HARD core men that will committ to said intream repairs. With the DNR's resourses and our Labor we feel that we can restore some of the structures needed to help these streams out.

We are not looking to instantly repair a stream to gold metal waters. We know that won't happen. We are just looking to put back into the system a little of what we take from it.

We are not just looking for NGTO members. We are looking for anyone habitat minded with a little backbone.

Now, the camping and cooking can be put together as we discuss what creeks and rivers could and can be worked on.

I invite Jeff and Lee into this discussion. The more input from you guys the better informed we can be on what can and can't be done.

Now as they say "we are looking for a few good Men"!

[runner]

Whenever the group decides which stream which day you can count me to spent an entire day working on the effort. I believe in supporting any stream regardless of what type of fish lurks in the waters,

Mike

[huntfish]

Hey Owl,
I'm throwing the flames. What streams have you worked on? There have been plenty of small water projects. Yes, I know Jeff and hopefully, he knows I'm busting his (*&^(*^(^(*^^*(&^.

Now getting off my soapbox, folks here at NGTO need to involved. TEE has VOLUNTEERED to direct this project on behalf of NGTO. This is a good idea and meets the goals of NGTO. You folks need to volunteer to assist. I can (and have been) help get the clearance from both government groups but definite volunteers are needed. This is a good opportunity for NGTO to actually get on the board within the state. This should be a NGTO project.

Otherwise, I'm sure that a TU chapter could pick this idea up.

[The Owl]

Well, if that's the issue....as in, what streams have I helped on where there was in-stream structure building? That would be exactly none. I commend you guys for doing something, tell you it's not something I can get behind though,(no offense) and you :) bust my asterick, dollar sign etc. :)
Well, sometimes life family and work(and even ideals) get in the way. I know I missed your last thing too.

If I wanted to make Smith's C&R flyfishing only, and you didn't agree with it, would you still help me do it?

I guess I was still "read" as being critical to the point of hypocritical. sorry about that, but I can't put other things asisde to work on a creek that doesn't fit my idea of something worth fixing(again). Now, next thing you know, someone will say I'm putting down an NGTO project and we know where that leads.......I'm not. I'm answering you, personally - and I mean no harm to ngto( sigh. oh the humanity. )

Anyway.......you got me. If you have to have worked on X number of projects to have an opinion about something, then I guess I'll just ziiip it.
I can't cook very well either though? that mean I gotta stay off the big green egg thread too? ;)

owl
bust my chops will ya? heh! :)

[Tom]

I know there are some TU'ers among you and someone earlier in this thread alluded to it....the planning meeting each year at the USFS. (It seems to me, EG attended at least one, representing NGTO) At this meeting the Forest Service and the DNR present their "wish list" of projects. The various TU Chapters volunteer to head up this or that project....usually about 2 per year. TU Chapters also make suggestions as to projects we would like to see come about. (We usually do this in advance so it doesn't catch the USFS or the DNR by surprise!) This is not exclusively for TU volunteers. NGTO would be more than welcome. The meeting takes place on a Saturday in December and I will make certain it is posted on the board.
As you all know, there is a hard core group withing every organization that seems to do about 80% of the work. Doubt if that will ever change.
Just for the record, the Rabun Chapter of TU tries to schedule a campout along with the work project. This seems to increase the turnout.
Good luck with your project!

[chuckwagon]

Thanks Tom,

Thats exactly what we need to know. I am putting that into my calender and will plan on attending. Keep the chatter coming gentlemen and gentlewomen.

[huntfish]

The TU meeting that Tom mentioned is on Saturday 3 December at the USFS - Gainesville Office at 0900 hours. As Tom mentioned this meeting usually establishes the work times and projects. A little heads up to Charlie should given if you plan on attending.

[TheEndlessEnigma]

would be an interesting birthday present. i will go to this .

still waiting on some contact with the usfs and quite frankly i have not had the time to make the communication ..... i am getting on it now

[TheEndlessEnigma]

just off the phone from a conversation with Jim Wentworth of the Blairsville office.

It is in the tentative plan that we are a GO for possibly the weekend of the 10th or 17th of this September.

That weekend we will be repairing structures and or possibly making new ones.

That being said .... all those who wish to be involved in this by all means please feel free to get in touch with me so we can begin planning of this shindig.

To the BOD. can i get one of you to email me as to see what needs to be done to get your stamp of approval as well.

[GregLS]

TEE first you can email all of us at once via bod@ngto.org

What are you looking for in NGTO support other than man power? When this get organized we'd be glad to feed those that show up to work (details later).

Good job on keeping this interest up! Keep us up-to-date.

Greg

[Josh Barnett]

I got a call from Michael (TheEndlessEnigma) last week. It sounds like things are getting started. Just a quick update to let everyone know that THINGS ARE HAPPENING. Michael is probably busy, right now, planning the workday! ;)