The Chapter is having another stream cleanup day. A few weeks ago we had a very successful clean-up of Little Seneca Creek. This time we will work on Great Seneca Creek  @ Black Rock Road. Black Rock Road is off of Route 28 to the north, or Route 118 to the west.

Wear”work clothing”, and bring gloves. Waders may be in order as well, or at least wear something you would be willing to get wet in if we need wade the stream to remove debris.

The Chapter will provide water.

Please contact Noel Gollehon (ngollehon@comcast.net) or Charles August (csaugust@comcast.net).

Looking forward to seeing you there……of course, one can fish afterward.

Sudden Passing of Dick Switalski

We were recently notified by Kathy Switalski, Dick Switalski’s wife, that Dick died suddenly last Friday, May 28.  He had just finished working out at his health club and was swimming laps when he suddenly disappeared below the surface.  Lifeguards removed Dick from the pool to perform CPR and use a defibrillator but he was not able to be revived.  A subsequent coroner’s exam ruled that Dick had suffered a heart attack, and, apparently, gasping for breath, had drowned.

Dick Switalski - the morning he & Charles left the Strauss Center in Claryville , NY. 

Charles & Dick had spent the previous 4 days fishing Catskill area streams in late May 2010.

Dick was a longtime, active member of SVTU and was currently in his 2nd year as a chapter board member.  For friends and members who participated in our winter fly tying sessions, you’ll note that Dick served as the intermediate/advanced group’s guru one evening.  Dick could get you excited about catching trout even before you finished tying a fly - a great teacher!  He had recently completed a fishing trip with Charles August, SVTU Secretary, in the Catskills (NY).  In fact, at our May 26th chapter meeting, Dick gave a wonderful presentation on fishing the Catskills.  Even at 70 years of age, his enthusiasm for TU and all things fly fishing just oozed from Dick anytime you were around him.  Many chapter members would rank him as the #1 fishing buddy you could ever have.  Those same folks knew that if you were serious about planning a fishing trip to anywhere in the area, or the U.S. for that matter, Dick was your man.  Recently, Dick had also been an integral part of the chapter’s planning efforts for the upcoming June 19th BBQ.  Consequently, Dick would not have been in attendance, since he was scheduled to be in Las Vegas with his wife to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

The family requests that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made to the Seneca Valley Chapter 369, of Trout Unlimited.  The family’s address is 16700 Gooseneck Terrace, Olney MD  20832-2458.

There will be a church ceremony for Dick on Wednesday, June 9, 2:00 PM, at the Oakdale Emery United Methodist Church, 3425 Emery Church Rd, Olney, MD.

The May SVTU meeting will be held at the Up-County Center, at the northwest corner of Middlebrook Rd and Rte 118, in Germantown, MD.

Our own Dick Switalski will give a presentation on fishing Big Bushkill Creek and the West Branch of the Delaware River, in northeast Pennsylvania, and the big five (Beaverkill, Esopus, Willowemoc, East and West Branches of the Neversink, and East Branch of the Delaware) in the Catskills. 

The meeting room opens at 7:00, when folks start gathering to socialize and discuss their latest fishing adventures, etc.  At 8:00, there is a brief chapter business meeting and a raffle.  The feature speaker’s presentation starts about 8:15.  Bring a fishing buddy or family member – non-members are welcome.

The May SVTU meeting will be held at the Up-County Center, at the northwest corner of Middlebrook Rd and Rte 118, in Germantown, MD. 

This month’s guest speaker was to be Vicki Blazer, a very well known Fishery Biologist/ Pathologist with the US Geological Survey’s National Fish Health Research Laboratory; however, a change in her busy schedule requires that she postpone her talk.

Check this site in a few days for an update on the program.

The location will be Seneca Creek State Park.We have reserved a shelter.

More details to follow, but there will be a raffle with some nice prizes.

Note that this is Father’s Day weekend, …bring your Dad…so it can be the start of a weekend-long celebration!

Keep checking the website for updates on the time, etc.

Phone: 410-260-8830
Fax: 410-260-8951
Email: awheeler@dnr.state.md.us

The casting clinic scheduled for this coming Saturday, April 3, at Seneca Creek State Park, is canceled.  We hope to hold a clinic the first Saturday in May – check this site for an announcement.

In addition to the cleanup on Little Seneca Creek, Seneca Valley Trout Unlimited will conduct a stream clean-up on Beaver Creek near Hagerstown on Saturday, April 17, from 9:00 am to noon.  So, you have a choice of locations on that date.  This is the stream that the Chapter has been partnering with the Beaver Creek Watershed Association, and others, on a restoration effort since 2004.  Come out and see the fruits of our labor!  Participants should meet at the pavilion on Beaver Creek Church Road.  Bring waders (if you have them) or waterproof/mudproof boots, work gloves, sunscreen, a hat, and water.  Snacks and water/sodas will be provided afterwards.  Non-members are welcome to join us!  Heavy duty trash bags will also be provided.  Hope to see you there.

Seneca Valley Trout Unlimited will conduct a stream clean-up on Little Seneca Creek on Saturday, April 17, from 9:00 am to noon.  Participants should meet in the parking lot of the Lodge at Little Seneca Creek, just north of where Clopper Road/Rte 117 crosses over Little Seneca Creek.  This is ~ a mile south of where Clopper meets Rte 121 or ~1.3 miles north of 118 (Germantown Road) and Clopper.  Bring waders (if you have them) or waterproof/mudproof boots, work gloves, sunscreen, a hat, and water.  Snacks and water/sodas will be provided afterwards.  Non-members are welcome to join us!  Heavy duty trash bags will be provided.

We will also have a second stream clean-up on June 26, but the stream has not yet been selected/confirmed.  Watch the site for more details on this second clean-up.