Allegheny Mountain Chapter of Trout Unlimited

Welcome

The 2006 Banquet will be the 40th in Allegheny Mountain’s history. To mark the occasion we are planning special prizes and guests. Mark your calendar now for April 1 at the Holiday Inn. Allegheny Mountain was the second Trout Unlimited Chapter in the state and we hope to be around for forty more years. In order to assure our survival we need to attract more youngsters to the group and are hopeful our Sandy Lick Creek Project can be one of the activities that accomplishes this.

We also hope the chance to win a Winston fly rod will attract more people to our membership meetings. All AMCTU members that attend a membership meeting will be entered into a drawing for the fly rod which will be given away at the banquet. You get an additional chance at each meeting you attend. We welcome aboard some new directors in this newsletter and highlight some of the activities we are involved with.

Progress on the Sandy Lick Creek

AMCTU has met with Dave Keller of the PA Fish and Boat Commission and he has recommended one of our first habitat improvements be to try to control erosion above the flood control project. AMCTU is discussing this with the property owners and we are hopeful they will agree to allow us access to the stream banks. A letter has been sent to the PA F&BC requesting they designate the stream a delayed harvest artificial lure project. The letter will be reviewed and voted on at their January meeting. If approved, stocking could start in 2007. We will keep you informed. On Dec. 15, George Kutskel attended a meeting with the DuBois High School’s Environmental Club/Honors Biology Program. He is going to propose they conduct a study of the macroinvertibrates in the stream, and we hope to develop interest in the stream and our chapter through this effort and joining with the school in Trout Unlimited’s "Trout in the Classroom" program.

AMCTU Receives Growing Greener Grant

AMCTU received a $20,000 Growing Greener Grant November 17 to conduct an assessment on Trout Run near Shawville. We hope to determine the magnitude of the acidification problem and develop a restoration plan to mitigate it. Trout Run is not severely impacted by Acid Mine Drainage, but is acidified as a result of acid deposition and poor buffering capacity. Ken Undercoffer attended a meeting January 4 to get guidance on how we are to use these funds.

Interested in Fly Tying?

AMCTU would like to offer a beginners fly tying course this winter. If you are interested in attending call George Kutskel at 371-9290.

New Directors

At our October membership meeting we welcomed new directors Matt Marusiak, Jim Teats, and Bob Barraclough. George Kutskel remains our President and Joeseph Buterbaugh our Secretary/Treasurer. The Vice President position is open and there is room on the board if others are interested.

2006 Meeting Schedule

February 7th Director’s – DuBois Nursing Home, DuBois

February 15th Membership – PA F&BC/Sandy Lick

March 7th Director’s – First Christian Church, Big Run

March 15th Membership – First Christian Church, Big Run

March 28th Director’s – DuBois Nursing Home, DuBois

April 1st Annual Spring Banquet – Holiday Inn, DuBois

May 2nd Director’s – First Christian Church, Big Run

May 10th Membership – First Christian Church, Big Run

August 1st Director’s – DuBois Nursing Home, DuBois

August 8th Membership – TBA

September 5th Director’s – First Christian Church, Big Run

September 13th Membership – First Christian Church, Big Run

October 3rd Director’s – DuBois Nursing Home, DuBois

October 11th Membership – TBA

November 7th Reorganizational meeting at Hoss’s, DuBois

All meetings start at 7:30 pm. Watch The Courier Express, The Punxsutawney Spirit, or The Progress for details on future programs to be presented at membership meetings.

Other Activities

September 17 AMCTU participated at the Watershed Festival at the Curwensville Dam. Ken Undercoffer, Orwin Srock, and George Kutskel taught and demonstrated fly tying and casting.

Ken Undercoffer is close to completion of his assessment of Lick Run near Elliot Park. He will share his results with the chapter when done.

AMCTU made the following donations at the January 3, 2006 Directors Meeting: $500 to The Western PA Conservancy, $500 to PA Trout, $150 to the First Christian Church in Big Run, $100 to each of the following Watershed Coalitions – Anderson Creek, Toby Creek, Bennets Branch, Sandy Lick, and Kettle Creek – and $100 to the Potter County Anglers.