Rivers, lakes and streams benefit from dinner and auction
If you think Canada is awash (pardon the pun) in clean, fresh water, think again. Unabated development over the years coupled with foolish policies (Montreal dumping tons of sewage into the St. Lawrence springs to mind), have put a strain on Canada’s freshwater ecosystems and their coldwater resources. Thank goodness for organizations the likes of Trout Unlimited Canada. Ironic indeed that it was a group of seven fly fishers from Montreal who formed Trout Unlimited in December 1972. Toronto was the next city to join the cause. Then Edmonton. And today, TUC has chapters from coast to coast. TUC, headquartered in Calgary, can boast wins the likes of the Yellow Fish Road-an award winning program that reduces storm water pollution and the Hidden Creek Project-a restoration effort to stabilize an eroding slope along Hidden Creekan invaluable spawning tributary at the upper Oldman River as but two of the organizations successes.
It’s signature annual fundraiser, held this year Mar 17 at Hyatt Regency Calgary, was attended by scores of conservationists, business leaders and avid fly fishers. Auction items one would not normally see (think amazing artworks, a Bruce Springsteen autographed guitar and Riverview Plantation quail hunting, to name but a few) and the online auction of a 2001 BMW Z8 Roadster valued at a crisp $284,300 ensured the evening was a great success raising considerable coin for TUC. The collector car, generously donated by Mel Benson, is up for grabs through an online auction that closes April 5 at 8 p.m. ( Visit https://elevateauctions.com/TUCbmw to place your bid.”
Kudos to the 2017 dinner committee of Jack Fuller; John Majko, Kris Benson, Bill Brown, Tim Hamilton, Brian Mellor (TUC National board chair), Rafi Tahmazian, Fred Calverley, Bill Basarsky, Wade Brillon, Dave Byler, Chelsea Johnston and Glen Rumpel on the success of the event.
Others in attendance included: Alberta Minister of Environment and Parks, Shannon Phillips; TUC CEO Silvia D’Amelio; Don Pike, director of special events; Birks’ general manger Susanne Ventura with colleagues Nicole Thompson and Evelyn Xie; Alberta BioPhotonics’ Danny Dalla-Longa and his wife Vermillion Energy’s Sarah Raiss; RBC’s Cal Malhiot; Kevin Melnyk; Polaris Seismic’s Bill Mooney; GWL’s Randy Carson; Mike MacDonald; U of C, Faculty of Science dean Lesley Rigg with colleagues Department of Geology professor David Goldblum and Faculty of Science associate dean Cindy Graham; and past TUC president and CEO and current CEO of the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area, Greg Shyba.