On November 27th 2006 the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters came to our clubhouse as guest speakers for our general meeting. They put on a great show and even though they surpassed the 30 minutes given to guest speakers, it proved not to be near enough time to describe how much the OFAH actually does for the outdoor community.
R.J DeGroot and Jeremy Holden talked about the Atlantic Salmon program and how they could effect this side of the lake. They covered member benefits such as the Ontario Out of Doors magazine subscription, Women's programs, liability insurance, retail discounts, fundraisers for the club and the list goes on.
We spoke about the special situation we have with the ramp and how difficult it would be to get a large percentage of our over 300 members to affiliate. No problem. If we get five G&F members who are OFAH members to sign up the club we can sell OFAH memberships at a discount, club affiliate price. This is the first step to perhaps something even bigger.
The OFAH is a respected organization and carries great weight within the Ministry of Natural Resources and the Ontario Government. Affiliated clubs get a piece of that respect earned and have better access to more opportunities to better and strengthen our club. Some thought our doors might be closing soon but it was made clear Monday November 27th 2006 we're not ready to do that.
The motion was raised and seconded and then accepted. We will be taking the first step by registering five members (to be announced) with the OFAH for an official affiliation and we will be offering our members OFAH memberships with all the trimmings for a discount club affiliation rate of $30.55 normally $44.95. We may sell lottery tickets ( ofah.org/lottery ) to make our fundraising easier plus so many more benefits.
We were also presented a certificate of appreciation for the contribution some of our members (also to be announced) gave to the fall salmon egg collection for the Ringwood hatchery. Metro East Anglers and the OFAH partnered up to take over the hatchery rather then let the under funded OMNR close it down. If you don't already know what the OFAH does, visit the Federation web site to read more and you'll be glad to be part of an affiliated club.
