Dear Friend of the North Umpqua River,
Every year, Pat and I gather maple leaves and pine cones along the North Umpqua for our daughter’s pre-school in Portland. Yes, she could find them there, but I think they remind her of a place she has known since she was a young girl. You see, we didn’t take our two kids to Disneyland, instead we drove 8 hours from eastern Oregon and took them to the North Umpqua where we camped, hiked, biked, jumped off Little Falls and fly fished. Now, they bring their kids to have the same experiences and so the love of the river is passed on. With the help of your contributions we were able to award 4 college Scholarships, the most ever awarded in one calendar year, adding another 4 people who will contribute to caring for the North Umpqua. A grant from the Templeton Foundation will enable more students from the Phoenix School to participate in the fish counts by snorkeling streams in the Steamboat Creek area as part of our Outreach project. Lee Spencer, FishWatch caretaker, was at the Big Bend Pool from June until the fires in August required he and the trailer be moved for safety reasons. Fortunately, he was able to return to the pool and will be there until the steelhead find their way to their home streams. As with most organizations, we have board members who have faithfully served the Foundation, some since its beginning. At some point, they will decide it is time for someone else to continue the charge. So, if you think you might be interested in serving a 3-year term, meeting 4 times a year, email us at: thenorthumpquafoundation@gmail.com. As you are doing your year end tax planning the Board of Directors hope you will consider a donation to the Foundation, enabling us to continue protecting this special river.
You may join/renew your membership ($100) or make any amount of contribution to our efforts either online by credit card via the “Donate Now” feature on our website or by sending a check in the enclosed envelope. Thank you from the North Umpqua and me, Becky McRae, President, TNUF www.NorthUmpqua.org
