Izaak Walton League takes ‘stock’ in park
BROWNSVILLE – The Izaak Walton League is moving into Patsy Hillman Park. The long-term lease between the park board and the Brownsville Chapter of the Izaak Walton League was signed at a special dinner meeting at the Sons of Italy Hall this week. The conservation group will renovate the office at the Commissioners Pavilion for use as a meeting room. Past local president Ray Koffler said the group also will be rehabilitating the lake at the park, treating it to kill off weeds and algae and stocking it with fish.
Koffler said the initial treatment will need to be strong and may kill the existing fish in the pond. One follow-up treatment will be needed next spring, but the pond can be restocked three weeks after that treatment, so it will be ready for summer fishing.
“If we had started in March, it would have been done by now and we could have had a fishing tournament,” Koffler said. “Next spring, we’ll be able to utilize that for the kids. We’re talking about stocking it. I have someone who will give us the trout for the next two years.”
Koffler, who is the current national secretary of the Izaak Walton League, said the organization was founded in 1922 by five Chicago area men who enjoyed fishing. Within six years the group had 100,000 members, Koffler said. But the membership has since dropped to 39,000.
“It seems that people just have too many other interests,” Koffler said. “The environment is not a liberal cause, it’s everyone’s cause. If you don’t take care of the natural resources, they become scarce.”
The Brownsville chapter has been involved in cleaning up Dunlap Creek in the past few years, landing a $10,000 grant from the Izaak Walton League’s national endowment to help with that work. Koffler said the local group missed this year’s endowment grant application deadline, but should be able to get a similar grant for work at the park next year.
“We’ve been frugal with the money we’ve received and have made it grow a bit, so we have the money to take care of the park for now,” Koffler said.
He said the one thing the local chapter will need to help assure future grant funding is an increase in its membership, to show that it is a viable chapter. The dinner meeting was held as a recruitment tool, but attracted only six new members, increasing the rolls to 38. Koffler said the group needs a dozen more to show the national organization that it is growing.
The local chapter held elections, with Mike Defino elected president, Doug Pitek elected vice president and Barb Carroll elected secretary/treasurer. David Gratz was named state director, representing the chapter at regional meetings.