Hi Rod,
Laughed at your 'Sir Rock Candy' mention ... I've garnered a few honors over my years of locality stewardship, but didn't realize I was a candidate for knighthood!
Have leased a couple locations from Weyerhauser/BN over the years, part of Hansen Creek is likely the best known. Their real estate department is quite helpful. Liability is the worry of most landowners, me included. Liability insurance is available to non-profits at very reasonable rates. If every club leased a private land locality with their insurance, we'd have lots more places for club trips. Club members could assume responsibility for occasional patrolling of the locales, and follow up with prosecuting people who did not follow the rules. This is the model used in Australia, where I go to avoid NW winters. The government sets aside fossicking areas, and clubs take responsibility for them. One place there I've dug for 20 years has always been clean & neat. My diggin buddies & I cut up a bunch of firewood and maintain the loos every year. Last year the outhouses were wrecked, and a bunch of dangerous holes were dug. We got on the horn to the local club, and within a week, a crew came out and we rebuilt the loos. We got the Forestry blokes to fill in the dangerous holes with a dozer, and we reported the folks who came by and complained that their holes were filled in. It's back to being a great place for the public to dig. It's within a wildlife reserve, so there's lots of politics, but the locals have done a great job of keeping it open. Can put you in touch with the group there, if that could be helpful. Would love to see such a system set up here. Not sure if possible in our litigeous society, but would be worth a try. The Red Top model seems like a good place to start.
Bob

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"I've been itching to use my new camera, but I'm all the way up here in Bellingham:-( I guess I'll try to make it down that way next month if no one else snaps some good shots first. I fixed my phone and left a message with Lynn, but I think you got it covered....better than I could.

~Zeke "

Aha. You are now staff photographer. That will teach you to speak up.

I have sent out a few emails and made a few phone calls to reconnect with my old cohorts in fisheries. I am past president of Pacific Fisheries Biologists and what they call a mossback in the fraternity.

I will call state fish folk on Monday and see if they would walk through Lucas Creek with me. I will call Weyerhauser folk as well. A field trip with those who can speak to policy and pragmatics would provide a focus point and forum for a concensus of thinking. Lucas Creek could be used as a specific example to illustrate policy and practices.

A proper inauguration of your new camera as well.

So wish me luck. There can be a lot of politics and rivalry that stand in the way. That can put this out of the comfort zone of some players, so stand alone interviews may have to suffice.

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