Photo: Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association
A crowdfunding campaign has raised some $5,875 towards a $10,000 goal to aid the Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association after excessive snow caused a roof cave-in at its Owen Sound-area fish hatchery number three on Feb. 25.
The community response to help the Ontario Federation of Anglers and Hunters-member club has been overwhelming, vice-president Chris Geberdt said. The cost of the damage will only be partially covered by insurance.
“I can’t thank folks enough, and it’s not just from Owen Sound. It’s from all over,” he said. “We are getting donations from people I don’t even know. There’s nothing being diverted for wages. Nobody gets paid. We’re all volunteers. So, it will go 100% back into the fish hatchery.”
Volunteers spring into action
Glen Worsley, who runs a charter that takes advantage of the fish the association releases, started the GoFundMe campaign.
“It is difficult to imagine, in hindsight, the tremendous amount of effort and dedication put forth by the volunteer members of the Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association during this period of development and operation of their fish hatcheries,” he said.
Once the 100 by 50-foot building was deemed safe, some 17 volunteers transferred 60,000 four- to six-inch steelhead fingerlings to tanks at another club hatchery within approximately 90 minutes, Geberdt said.
The Owen Sound area has already received 70 cm more than the 330 cm average of snow this winter. Concerned about the snow load, the club contacted local roof-clearing companies but faced a two- to three-week wait.
“Our membership is aging, so we didn’t want to get a bunch of guys on the roof,” Geberdt said, pointing out that A&M Roofing Solutions, which responded within 15 minutes of the emergency, “really saved 60,000 fish.”
Photo: Sydenham Sportsmen’s Association
Millions of fish raised
The association’s hatcheries operate year-round with eggs taken from rainbow trout in spring and chinook salmon in fall. Its fundraising efforts — including the Owen Sound Salmon Spectacular — offset the costs of raising an average of 50,000 steelhead and 120,000 chinook annually. They are released into the Sydenham and Pottawatomi rivers and Georgian Bay tributaries.
An association shooting range has also been damaged this winter, Geberdt said. “After we stabilized it, I went up onto it, and the snow was over my head … and I’m six-two.”
Worsley thanked everyone who has come to the group’s aid. The original fundraising goal, $5,000, was quickly exceeded.
“Many people have reach offering their services when it comes time to repair/rebuild,” he said. “This just shows what an amazing impact the organization has made throughout Ontario, helping make Lake Huron/Georgian Bay a sustainable resource for future generations to enjoy.”
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