Projects

We are extending our 'Adopt A Stream' program to improve the stream bank along another section of the Hokendauqua Creek. The stream banks are in bad shape due to erosion.

On the youth front, the chapter continues to sponsor at least one student per summer at the Northampton Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs Conservation School. Also, over the years, the chapter has sponsored several young men at the Cumberland Valley’s River Conservation School. For the past four years, several teachers have received funding from our chapter to attend the Wildlands Conservancy’s Lehigh River Sojourn.

Since the late 1980s, our chapter has been running fly tying classes which are currently held at the Northampton Area Middle School on Saturday mornings for eight weeks in January and February. Members from the other local chapters help with the classes which usually have about 30 - 40 persons learning to tie.

We organize group trips to locations outside our general area. Several members have gone to Alaska and also the San Juan River area. Each year in June we have gone to the West Branch Ausable River in New York. Other trips are in the planning stages.

The Chapter has sponsored six Eagle Scout projects and one Girl Scout project along the banks of the Hokendauqua Creek on the former Atlas Cement property. Some Members also assist with the Women in the Outdoors event in June and the Youth Field Day held at Ontelaunee Park in August. Starting in 2007 we are also assisting the Delaware River Shad Fishermen's Assoc. with their 'Youth Fishing Education Day' held at the Point Phillips Rod and Gun Club.

Our Chapter has purchased and presented to the Northampton High School 'Vibert Boxes' to be filled with Trout eggs and placed in the Hokendauqua Creek by the students. We are also working on a 'Trout in the Classroom' project with the Middle School. One hundred Brown Trout fry have been placed in the chilled aquarium in the Middle School Biology Lab. We had about a 90% survival rate and all the trout were released into the Hokey. We are loking forward to the 2007-8 project.. This project has been featured in several local newspapers. A 'First Cast' project is also on the agenda.