President’s Message

We've got a lot of important activities coming up in May, and we're going to need a lot of help and support in making them successful.

The injured servicemen and women from Walter Reed will be at our lake for a day of picnics and fishing on May 3. We don't have to tell you how important this one is, and all kinds of help is required.

On May 17, we're holding a women's outdoor event, expecting about fifty women and exposing them to all aspects of outdoor life; fishing, trap and pistol shooting, conservation issues, etc.

The Marriott Corporation will hold its community service day on Wednesday, May 21, at our Chapter. We have lots of projects planned for them, but we'll need chapter member volunteers to supervise those activities. If you're available on that day, we sure could use you.

Particularly if you're a new member, please don't hesitate to volunteer just because you don't have any experience. We'll walk you through what has to be done. You'll have fun, meet some really neat new people, and get a real sense of satisfaction from actually making something happen.

There's information on each of these activities in the Newsletter, along with who to contact. If you have any questions about any of it, just call me and let's talk.

Miles Greenbaum, President

WOW! – Women’s Outdoor Weekend

WOW! With an acronym like that, how could this not be a good time? What is it? On May 17, from 8am to 5pm, the Rockville Chapter will be hosting a women only day filled with outdoor activities, outdoor education and expert instruction. Everything will be supplied by the Rockville Chapter, Maryland DNR, and some other partnering organizations. Workshops will include archery, fishing, shotgun/trap shooting, women’s self defense, nature photography, pistol shooting, as well as a free lunch. No experience required. Ladies, ditch you-know-who, invite your girlfriends, and then come and enjoy a day outside with the girls. This event is open to both members and nonmembers. Registration is required. To register, or for additional information, Contact Chairperson Theresa Daly by phone .

Lake Spillway Leak Repair - Part Two

Superior Grouting Services returned to our lake on April 9, and finished up their efforts in repairing the spillway leak. Our lake chairmen did a thorough inspection job after the first visit, and found some areas that needed special attention. At the chairmen’s direction, Superior Grouting Services returned and pumped additional grout into areas not filled on their first visit. Chairman Bill Jackson says that the second visit seems to have stopped the leak. YeeHaw! That said, you should be aware that this problem could still return.

We are grateful that our lake chairmen are determined to resolve this situation that imperils the future of our lake. The contractor has to be given some credit for the willingness to return and get it right. The Capital Improvements Committee deserves credit for researching the options and contractors, and making a well-informed recommendation. And finally, we thank those members that attended the March general membership meeting and approved the funds necessary to do the work.

May Has Many Opportunities for Volunteer Hours

The fee for not putting in your mandatory six hours of volunteer time has increased to $75. To avoid having to pay, we suggest you take advantage of the opportunities available to you in the month of May. There’s a pistol range work party, an archery range work party, two 3D archery work parties, Marriott Service Day, and Walter Reed Day at the lake. The dates and details are contained in the calendar and articles of this newsletter. Some of the events, Marriott Service Day and Walter Reed Day, require you to make contact with the chairperson to volunteer. Work parties only require you to show up on the day and time indicated on the calendar. Work gloves are a good accessory to bring to a work party.

Scholarship Applications Have Been Received

Each year the Rockville chapter awards three $1500 scholarship awards to Montgomery County students pursuing advanced learning in the areas of conservation or environmental sciences. Scholarship Committee Chairman Lee Hays says that we have received eight scholarship applications from Mont. Co. students. Lee indicates that all the candidates are top notch and deserving of consideration. Good luck to all the applicants!

The Rockville Email Group

The Rockville Chapter operates a members-only email list for announcements and discussions among members. To sign up, send an email identifying yourself to iwlar-owner@yahoogroups.com.

Hosting Solders at the Lake from WRAMC

Saturday May 3rd is fast approaching...according to the office at WRAMC; we should count on at least 15...hopefully more. So...here's a list of what we know and/or need so far...

WE NEED: people to bring tables and chairs down from the Chapter house at 9 a.m. Saturday morning; a photographer; tents/tarps for getting out of the sun/rain; people to stay and clean up or come late to clean up and people to return the tables and chairs to the Chapter house. The plans are that our visitors will be leaving about 3 P.M.

FOOD/SUPPLIES we need: 3 dz. hot dogs & buns; 3 dz. burgs & buns; condiments; chips; paper plates & plastic ware & napkins; salads; appetizers; desserts; coolers; ice; roasting pans for serving; charcoal; sodas; juice bottles; water; hand cleaning wipes; some nightcrawlers for fishing would be good too.

Please respond and let us know what you would like to help us with ... food, supplies, etc. We will need the stuff at the lake around 9 am, or...bring non-perishables to the meeting on Friday night then we'll tote 'em down to the lake Saturday morning. If we missed anything...please let us know. Organizers to contact are Judy Drengwitz and Judy Danish and Warren Rumble - food .

Thanks in advance for your help...

New Members Recently Inducted

Seven new members were inducted into our Chapter at the April meeting:

Jeremy Adams Brookeville

Ron & Sheila Adams Brookeville

Brett Layman Montgomery Village

John Pearson Rockville

Bob Skelton &

Bernadette Englert Germantown

A warm welcome to all and we hope to get to know you better throughout the year. The best advice we can give you: Get involved and enjoy all we have to offer!

Member Laura Markus is Walking for the Cure

Laura is walking 39.3 miles for the Avon Breast Cancer walk in Wash, DC May 3 and 4. Her goal is to raise $3900 for the cause and she needs the help of sponsors to achieve that goal. You can help Laura by making a donation. You can make arrangements through her website at www.snipurl.com\soldbylaura, or if you prefer, you can write out a check, make it payable to the Avon Walk For Breast Cancer, and mail it to her at 10758 Wayfarer Road, Germantown, MD, 20876

Junior Archery

Our phenomenally popular Jr. Archery League begins Sunday June 1^st and will run for ten weeks. It is open to all children and adults too. There is a need for additional help running this activity (an understatement). There will be no Jr. Archery held on 4^th of July weekend or on June 15, Father’s day. Contact Lee Hays , to volunteer your help.

Marriott’s “Spirit to Serve” at the Rockville Chapter

Wednesday, May 21, from 9am till 3pm, 40 to 50 volunteers from the Marriott Corporation will come to our chapter and help us with some projects. This is an annual event for Marriott Corp. - they generously pay their employees to go out and support the local community by volunteering their time and labor. They will supply the labor and we need to supply the leadership. This is a great opportunity for our chapter, and it would be tragic if we couldn’t fully benefit from the work of these generous volunteers due to a lack of support and leadership on our end. We need members, perhaps retirees, who are available to supervise working groups on certain projects. Anyone that can help will be welcome to supervise an activity – staining the trap shed, pulling invaisive plant species – nothing too complicated to handle. Contact Lee Hays, or Miles Greenbaum , to volunteer for the day. We need your leadership.

Want to Sell Your Items in the Chapter Newsletter?

To place a non-commercial ad, write to the Chapter’s PO Box, or call Jay Copsey, or email me Ads must be received before the Directors meeting - the third Friday of every month.

DNR Wildlife Field Day Was Great!

We had a great day with the DNR Wildlife Day at the Chapter. 54 young people showed up with their parents and participated in archery, trap shooting, building wood duck boxes, fishing, a white tail deer presentation and one on black bears.

Without exception, the kids and adults said they enjoyed the day and thanked the DNR and the Chapter members who helped make the day a success.

Many thanks to all of you who helped. – Lee Hays

From the Range Coordinator

There have been some dumb things happening at the pistol range. The first is that some people tear out pieces of the sign-in log book to exchange phone numbers or whatever. Don’t ever do this – the log book is a legal document and tearing out pages or pieces compromises it’s status if it is ever needed in a legal situation.

Boner #2 - An empty bottle of whiskey was found in the recycling bin at the pistol range. Shooting or no shooting, drinking is not allowed at any of our ranges.

If you observe any of these violations, or any other violation, contact Mark Bjishkian .

*ATTENTION ALL MEMBERS - IMPORTANT *

The July meeting will be held on the 11^th rather than the 4^th – for obvious reasons.

The Bat Lady is Coming!

On the May 2 meeting night, we will be honored to host speaker and DNR Biodiversity Analyst, Dana Limpert – the Bat Lady. She will regale us with her personal experiences and knowledge of Maryland bats and bat habitats. This has been a very popular presentation in previous years and we wouldn’t expect anything less interesting or entertaining this year. Maybe she will address the recent die-off of bats in New York State and how that might relate to our bats here in Maryland. Don’t miss it!

Roaring Rifles Do Well at NRA Air Rifle Sectional

Five of our juniors competed at this match on April 12. It should come as no surprise that Jean Compton has brought home another Silver Medal. We are very proud of all the young shooters on our "Roaring Rifles" team.

-- Paul Keats

Purchase a Fishing License and Help Fund MD DNR

In recent years, MD State government has shrunk the budget funding for the DNR. You can support the DNR, the Environment and Wildlife in Maryland by purchasing a fishing license. All the funds from licensing fees go into the coffers of the DNR. The same is true for funds spent on Hunting licenses.

Short Shots

Sunday May 11, a work party is scheduled at the pistol range from 9am to 1pm. The range chairman describes this as a general maintenance type of workday. Bring gloves.

More Short Shots…

Saturday May 10, a work party is scheduled to rehab the structures on our Archery range. Bring gloves and wood working tools if you’ve got them.

Member Gary Montgomery recently helped reassess the value of the buildings on chapter property – especially the repaired shed and rehabbed caretaker’s house. As a result, we needed to upgrade our insurance coverage on these structures. Thank you Gary.

A good-sized group of people turned out for the 3D Archery meeting on April 4. There will be two work parties for 3D in May – one on the 4^th and another on the 31^st. Both will run from 8am to 1pm.

In last few months, the chapter has received many generous donations in the name of Zan Donaldson. It is gratifying to see so many of our members show their love and appreciation for a member that was so special and will be sorely missed.

Now that the spillway leak has been plugged, we should expect to see a spring trout stocking. It will probably have already been done by the time you read this.

FYI – The lost and found area is located in the lower chapter house hallway in the area near the bathrooms. Lost items are either hung on the wall hooks or placed on the shelves below.

Ike’s Want Ads

FN Herstal Five-seven USG 5.7 x 28mm Pistol, Lightly used with original case, 3 - 20 round magazines and 5 – 50 round boxes of ammo. Asking: $850.00 (retail around $1,000, ammo @ $15 - $20+ per box). Call Dana Richey .