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"The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will"
Theodore Roosevelt
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ITS HERE! OUR 2026 CONSERVATION FUND SWEEPSTAKES... see it in our "Work & Play" Menu selection
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~ MAY 2026 ~
East Quogue NY ~ April 28, 2026 / 23:09 hrs.
***It’s hard to believe it is May already. The snow has been melted for 2 months but the temperature remains unseasonably chilly. April was an eventful month for the Art Flick TU Chapter. On Thursday, April 9 we worked with Ward Melville HS for the day, fishing the Connetquot River State Park Preserve. What a great way to spend the day. There were 6 students and 2 teachers. All caught fish and appreciated the beauty of the park.
On April 18, 2026 Art Flick TU spent the day at the “Belmont Lake State Park Family Fishing Festival”. It was wonderful to chat with all who stopped by our table. We taught participants how to cast a fly line, spoke about what AFTU does for youth education, and cold water conservation. We were even able to get some donations to our Bamboo Rod Sweepstakes for our Cold Water Conservation fund raiser.
Speaking of our Bamboo Rod Sweepstakes… Did you know that the money we raise from this fund raiser supports our efforts to promote Cold Water Conservation, Youth Education, River Cleanups, Breast Cancer “Catch A Rainbow” Retreat, Trout In The Classroom, Repairs to our stream and Improve Fishing at Connetquot River State Park Preserve. If you have already contributed, thank you for your support. If you haven’t contributed, the last day you can make a donation and enter the Sweepstakes is on June 1, 2026. So please try to find it in your heart to contribute to support Art Flick’s vision for making our mark on our community.
The “Catch A Rainbow” retreat on April 25, 2026 was an amazing day for the participants. I believe that the volunteers also found the day rewarding. Even with dark clouds and rain there wasn’t a frown in the group. Proving that the glass was most certainly half full! Thank you to all who helped with this event. If you know someone who has Breast Cancer, in treatment or recovery, please tell them about our retreat. We hope to have another one in the Fall.
Clean up the Swan River was the cry we heard from a member. Well on Sunday, April 26, 2026 10 volunteers from AFTU and Idle Hour Fly Fishers led by John Vatalaro set out to do just that. Here are the before and after pictures.
Another cleanup benefiting our locality and well done by all who volunteered on the day! Thank you.
Art Flick TU will be working with Walt Whitman HS on May 3, 2026. This will be your last opportunity this Spring to assist with educating the students on how to cast a fly line and witness their excitement when they land their first fish. I will let you know how the day works out.
Our next Art Flick TU fishing Monday will be on May 25, 2026. The park will be open for Memorial Day Holiday, but the fishing will just be for AFTU only. There will be 2 sessions. If you would like to fish on this special day, please contact Paul Puma by email paulpuma50[at]yahoo.com at least one week prior to the fishing day. If you do not notify him in advanced then you will not be able to fish that day. You cannot just show up and expect to fish. You must send him a check made out to Art Flick TU for $30 for each session you wish to fish so he can pay the park in the morning. If you are not comfortable with mailing a check to him, you must meet him at 7:00 AM at the park to hand him the check in person regardless of which session you are fishing. Either way all monies are due to Paul Puma by 7:00AM the morning of AFTU fishing Mondays. Fishing on the Club Days is a privilege, so please respect the rules and show appreciation to all who run this great organization. Mail the check to Paul Puma at: 33 East View Rd., Ronkonkoma, NY 11779.
The Board of Directors would like to inform you that we need to develop a slate for our June elections. I have been President for two years so I need to step down and allow someone else to run the organization. We also need someone to become Vice President. John Vatalaro our Treasurer is willing to run for another one-year term as Treasurer. Christina Galicia will also run for another one-year term as Secretary. John Horner Sr and John Samonthrakis are also up for reelection. Their term is for 3 years. They both are seeking reelection. Ralph Wahlert’s term is up June 2027 but he needs to step down now. Ann Kaiser, an active involved member has volunteered to fill his position until his term of office is up June 2027. If anyone would like to join our board and take an elected position please let me know asap so that we can post our slate in a timely fashion for the June election.
Art Flick has become a very involved influential environmental organization. If you want to make a difference in the way our Chapter runs then step up and run for the Board. Please contact me or any Board member to express your interest in joining our Board. You can contact me through email ACosgrove2017[at]gmail.com. I look forward to hearing from those who are interested in joining our Board.
Our next Chapter meeting will be on May 12, 2026. Doors open at 7:00PM, meeting begins at 7:30PM. After a brief business meeting and break, our guest speaker will be Bill Smith.
He will give a presentation on Wet Flies including among other things a brief history of wet flies, the different types and categories of wet flies, suggestions for tying them, wet flies in the UK and different methods of fishing wet flies. So show up for an interesting discussion and be sure to get his recipes for the perfect wet flies that will catch the big fish.
Hope to see you all at our May 12, 2026 meeting.
Warm regards,
email: acosgrove2017[at]gmail.com*
IPOSTED: 04-28-2026
*** Swan River Cleanup Crew... a busy morning's work!
POSTED: 04-28-2026
*** "Catch A Rainbow" Breast Cancer Retreat ~ Connetquot River State Park Preserve
POSTED: 04-17-2026
***DONATING TO COLDWATER CONSERVATION AND BEING A WINNER!
AFTU President Annmarie Cosgrove with Andrew Clark, a Lucky Winner of one of the year's Conservation Fund Raiser rods...
Everyone enjoying BIG SMILES! Thankyou for your Donations... Still time to enter the Bamboo Fly Rod Sweepstakes draw.
Posted: 04/20/2026
***"Family Fishing Day" Belmont Lake State Park ~ Hosted by NYS Department of Environmental Conservation & NYS Office of Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation ~ AFTU Volunteers at work...
Posted 04-17-2026
***April Chapter Meeting Guest Speaker Mark Romaine with a program on "Long Island's Aquifer System"
POSTED: 04-07-2026
*** ENGAGEMENT: SPRING RESUMES WITH "OUTDOORS YOUTH EDUCATION"...
Copaigue HS Introduction to Fly-Fishing & River Ecology Program
POSTED: 03-30-2026
*** "SPRING" MISSION ACCOMPLISHED... YOU HELP MAKE A DIFFERENCE!
*** EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS... DO YOUR PART TO SAVE OUR PLANET!
"Every Little Bit Helps"... the "Monofilament Recycling Collection Stations" along the Carmans River in Southaven County Park are proving their worth in helping to keep the surrounding environment void of old fishing lines.
DO YOU KNOW THAT...
Plastic isn't a material that decomposes, but must be recycled. Instead, plastic tends to break down into smaller particles until they are too small to be seen. This means that every molecule of plastic produced since 1907 is still present in the environment.
POSTED: 03-08-2026
*OUR IMPACT ON OUR ENVIR0NMENT... how easy it happens!
***PROTECTING & CONSERVING***
~ BE EVER VIGILANT... OUR HOME WATERS OF THE CARMANS RIVER REQUIRES YOUR CONTINUOUS SUPPORT ~ PUBLISHED BELOW A REMINDER OF WHAT CAN HAPPEN...IT NEVER GETS OLD!
WE DON'T WANT HISTORY TO REPEAT ITSELF
Posting: 1/19/2020
Lily Lake Dredging Update: Exciting news of Dredging Permit withdrawal ...
Postings: 11/2018
*NEWS12 Long Island TV : "Environmentalists: Lake project has 'significant impact' on LI's native trout"...>>>CLICK TO VIEW<<<
BE A CARMANS RIVER GUARDIAN...
~ YOU ARE THE EYES, EARS & VOICE FOR THE CARMANS RIVER... IF YOU SEE IT BEING ABUSED... SAY SOMETHING... BE THE RIVER'S VOICE! CONTACT YOUR LOCAL NYS DEC LAW ENFORCEMENT OR CONTACT THE REGION 1 NYS DEC FISHERIES GROUP IN STONYBROOK HDQ ~
"An Ounce Of Prevention Is Worth A Pound Of Cure"... Benjamin Franklin
SOME THINGS WE DO...
CLICK A BUTTON TO VIEW
IT'S JUST WHAT WE DO...
Art Work Donated by James Prosek
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