2006 May - Seasonal Newbies
Seasonal Newbies
Thank God for coffee!! 8:30 a.m. isn’t exactly angler-time but for those of us on tea time, 8:30 a.m. requires coffee! The mist was still hanging in the trees as our new trainees began their introduction into the nuances of feeding & burping fry and trough cleaning. Al and Dave led the willing through the daily routine. I attended for an update on procedures and to become acquainted with the new faces. Believe it or not, after 3 years, I just met Dan Flanagan! He’s one of the many important people!
After making the morning rounds, we took a walk on the wild side to inspect the water intake upstream. Numerous banana slugs, rough-skinned newts and a garter snake reminded us to watch our step. Water was still gushing over the levee due to the prolonged spring rain, swelling Big Creek enough to earn respect for its pouring current. The seasonal stream feed of Berry Creek formed cataracts as we followed it up the mountainside to check another intake. We shared bits of our interests, experiences, discoveries and, not to be forgotten: fish stories – BIG STORIES…some people call them lies, some call them “partial truths,†others concede that “you just had to be there to see ‘IT’ for yourselfâ€. In fact, the following ditty came to mind: “Early to Bed, Early to Rise, Fish all Day, Make up Lies!†Well, enough of the “fibbing†theme before any more “erroneous†character statements are made! (By the way, Dave’s flask-filling lessons will be announced soon…especially handy during wintertime!)
So let’s welcome Don McVay, Neil Hulse, Jerry Granger, and Heather Swanson, with a few more to follow as we work them into THE ROUTINE and the chasing of newts. They bring specialties, skills and hobbies that contribute to the entire operation, keeping it up & running and in tip-top shape. In fact, more than a few names figure BIG TIME (you know who you are…Dan & George…) into enhancing the facilities and should be mentioned – like YOU, SETH. Expect a call to share your story! Brad & Angela simply can’t compete with our own “shed talk!â€
This time of year is labor intensive. As the fry emerge from their “buttoning-up†phase (drum-roll for fish-lingo puleez!), and enter the troughs, the number of working volunteers doubles. The hatchery is filled to capacity and requires twice-a-day cleaning to prevent waste bacteria from spreading rapidly amongst the fry. By mid-summer, the “fingerlings†are transferred to the raceway, and the labor demands slacken.
For our next newsletter, (the one announcing the Albacore Feed), a few more of you will have the chance to relate YOUR STORY, YOUR CONTRIBUTION, YOUR SLICE OF DRAMA. Remember! Without YOU we can’t do it without ANYONE! Let’s see…double negative…yes, that’s right: POOF! Read on for a few of our first contributors and their thoughts (no bear stories or 10-foot craw daddies yet!).
AND: For the pleasure of humor of the intellectual kind, please submit your own “fish poem,†limerick, 8-stanza count of “Beowulf Goes Fishing,†or simply: “Early to Bed & Lie All The Way†ditty. We’ll feature these morsels of wisdom & wit next time around. Use the newsletter address and mark it: “Fish Folly,†or Attn: Larry Wolf. Good Luck!
An ALERT: PLASTIC COFFEE CAN LIDS from the 2 lb. size are urgently needed. They are used in dispensing the fish food. The plastic lids wear-out, the cans don’t. Please send them to the Project’s address.
Thanks! Mary
