What is Happening at the FCO!
A groundswell of activity is underway to significantly improve and revitalize your Flyfishers’ Club of Oregon! A sizable cadre of dedicated members have been working hard over the past 6+ months on priorities we know are critical toward building membership and engagement in the Club. The four committees, their charges, work in progress, and deliverables are briefly summarized. It’s not too late to contribute to these efforts. Please read on and if your talents or interests align with one of these groups, contact one of the members to join in keeping the FCO vital and fun!
The Operations Committee/Work Group consists of Mark Metzdorff, John Pyrch, Ken Gustafson, Kevin Quinn, Janet Arenz, and Tom Tongue, with President Mike Radakovich contributing. We have been working diligently in semi-monthly meetings. The Operations Committee focus has been on creating two documents to clarify Club operation and function:
- A revised Bylaws to detail the structure, responsibilities and succession of Club officers and Committees
- A Club Manual which will be a guide to officers and committees as to how their jobs are to be done throughout the Club year. We are hopeful that having these aspects clarified will simplify and ease the job of recruiting members to fill positions in Club leadership, and thus help solve the problem of succession which has challenged the club in recent years.
The Membership Committee consists of Stan Chesshir, Janet Arenz, Paul Franklin, Mike Radakovich, Jim Hillas, Marty Balish, Harold Weight, and Kevin Quinn. Paul Franklin and Stan Chesshir are co-chairing the committee.
The Membership Committee has prioritized 2 areas:
- Short term/ongoing- Involving membership retention, dues collection/renewal notices. We have sent out reminders and are reaching out by phone to recent members who have not yet renewed for this year and are getting pretty good responses. We currently have about 50 paid members and 15 Honorary members.
- Long Term- Involving visioning and strategic planning for recruiting new members to the Club. We have a brainstorming session scheduled for next Thursday, June 6th and are soliciting participants beyond the Committee for input. Paul Franklin is going to conduct the session.
We see the interconnection with the Program Committee to be essential for us to help “sell” the Club and attract members. So keeping abreast of events is going to be important.
The Program Committee consists of the following people:
Jerry Swanson, Mark Seligman, Ron Maben, Rick Pay, Roger Leo, Frank Rodriguez, Randy Labbe, and Lee Fiedler.
We are working to develop and execute an 18-month calendar of events and document the details behind each to help future people in the role. We meet again soon to continue that work and start working on the summer picnic.
The Communication Committee is comprised of the following members: Kevin Quinn, Mark Seligman, Lisa Hansen, and Robert Sheley. President Mike Radakovich and Mark Metzdorff are active contributors. Members are in the process of making the following improvements:
- Website Upgrade: Kevin Quinn has led the charge to revamp the website design and the committee has been working on content and flow ideas for upgrading the site. A proposal for upgrading the website will be sent to Club leadership shortly.
- Document Sharing: Operational documents, membership, program plans, meeting minutes, and other important documents need to be moved from personal computers to a document sharing site. Committee members learned about using Google Workspace and supported this platform for storing Club documents.
- Social Media: The Club needs one or two members who are willing to be dedicated to social media posts. These individuals would work closely with the Program Committee.
You may notice that some members are contributing to multiple committee efforts. These committees are not silos. There is a flow of some members to various committees or to special meetings, with all of us working to make the FCO “The Fly Fishing Club” that fly anglers want to belong to and engage. Much more to come!
Your Fellow Club Members
Metolius River
Club Outing on the Metolius
A group of six FCO members met on the Metolius on June 1. The fishing was a bit slow, with no hatch really taking off. Despite that, the outing was successful, with club members sharing flies, spots, and techniques. With any luck, the shared tips and tricks will encourage folks to get back out to the beautiful river. June is, after all, one of the best times to be there. The Green Drakes should be hatching in earnest. The weather pleasant. And the fish a bit more accommodating.
Lee Fiedler
