Jennifer Fairbrother, Conservation Director for the Native Fish Society, receives the $21,000 check from the Flyfisher Foundation as our grantee for the 2021 North Umpqua Coalition project. Funds will support their work to increase more native summer steelhead in the North Umpqua River.
Funding Update
This year’s on-line auction netted $29,641. The Keith Hansen Memorial Paddle Raise generated $20,950 for the Native Fish Society, the lead organization of the North Umpqua Coalition’s project to build more summer steelhead in the North Umpqua River after last year’s devastating fire. In addition, the 22 auction items raised $16,379 of which the net amount will provide support our OSU grad program and the Multnomah County Library’s housing of our rare book collection and our Club’s archive. Janet Arenz did an outstanding job organizing and running this year’s event. It was our first time conducting an on-line auction and it was very successful. As such, we are looking into the possibility of having a hybrid auction next year. Currently, we have scheduled the event for May 10, 2022. Please mark your calendars and be ready to fully participate next year.
Rob Tibbet, General Manager of the Orvis store in Kruse Village, Lake Oswego – hands over a $1825 check to Janet Arenz, Auction Chair. This is an Orvis partnership with our Flyfisher Foundation through their “Giveback Days” program, which is supporting our grantee project on the North Umpqua River.
Foundation Support to Date
The funds we raise support three major activities. First, we provide an annual $5,000 grant to the Oregon State University Foundation for the Tom McAllister FCO Graduate Scholarship. This scholarship supports grad students’ fishery-related research in Oregon. Since 1997, we have provided $114,500 to this program helping to fund 22 grad students. Second, we have invested $74,000 in the Multnomah County Library to maintain and enhance our rare collection of fly fishing-related books. In addition, the library has agreed to house our FCO and FFF archive to include organizing all the Club’s historical material. Finally, we provide grants to conservation organizations dealing with the preservation of Oregon watersheds important to trout, salmon and steelhead. As of this year, we have contributed nearly $350,000 to such organizations. The FCO membership can be very proud of our funding history and the good work that is accomplished via our grant programs.
Submitted by:
John B. Pyrch, President, The Flyfisher Foundation
