I hope this message finds all of you safe and healthy in these challenging times. The Covid-19 pandemic has transformed our world and changed our daily lives. Businesses are shuttered, schools are closed, and many of our outdoor recreation opportunities have been severely limited. Our new normal involves too much bad news and a whole lot more time at home than usual. Because I already work from a home office, my own routine hasn’t changed dramatically, but I have had to adjust to the daytime presence of my wife, who is now working remotely, and my two college age daughters, who are enjoying an extended spring break at Casa Parenta.
FCO Cancellations
As many of you may know, the pandemic also has affected our club plans for the spring. Due to Governor Brown’s Stay Home Stay Safe executive order, we have had to cancel the following events:
- April 14 dinner meeting. We will resume our regular monthly meetings after the social distancing restrictions are lifted.
- April 25 fishing outing at Rocky Ridge Ranch. While fishing would be a great antidote to cabin fever, we need to avoid group gatherings for now, so unfortunately the Rocky Ridge trip has been cancelled for this year. Refunds have been issued to members who signed up. Here’s hoping that outing committee Teri Beatty can salvage a few trips for later this year.
- May 12 auction. Given the ongoing restrictions and health concerns, plus the significant economic impact on sponsors and attendees, we have cancelled the 2020 auction. But it’s not too early to save the date for 2021 – it’s May 11 and we hope to see you all there.
New! April FCO Webinar!
But it’s not all bad news. Mike Radakovich, who recently took over as our new program chair, is putting together an interactive online presentation in lieu of our April dinner meeting. Mike, along with Jim Cox of Western Rivers Conservancy, will be co-hosting a webinar at 4 p.m. on Wednesday, April 22. Western Rivers Conservancy received this year’s Flyfisher’s Foundation $5,000 grant so this will be a great opportunity to learn more about the conservation projects that they are currently pursuing. An email with log-in information will be sent out soon. We will continue to seek other opportunities to keep our membership engaged as we ride this out.
Catch a Fishing Video
For those of you who are still can get out fishing, please send pictures for the rest of us to enjoy. For everyone else, there are plenty of fishing videos to remind us of better days ahead. One of my favorite filmmakers is Todd Moen, who is a co-founder of Catch Magazine. Since we are getting closer to the season, I leave you with this Todd Moen piece on fishing the salmon fly hatch on the Deschutes.
Stay safe, stay healthy, and know that this too shall pass.
Jim
