Fred S. Burroughs North Jersey Chapter

NEXT CHAPTER MEETING

Jan 21, 2026---7:30PM

SPARTA VFW, 66 MAIN STREET, SPARTA NJ

The guest speaker will be Patrick Banes, Treasurer of the Skylands Preservation Alliance. The Alliance is a grassroots 501(c)3 nonprofit in New Jersey made up of community residents promoting the preservation of the agricultural, historical and ecological heritage of New Jersey's Skylands communities

Patrick will discuss warehouse development impacts on the environment.

Upcoming events :

To be posted soon.

Past events :

To purchase banquet tickets, place your cursor on the ACTIVITIES tab above and then click on 2025 BANQUET.

Past events :

2025

January 15 (Wednesday) - Chapter Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm) --Gently used Fly Fishing gear and Fly Tying materials for sale by chapter member Jan Beliveau. Jan can no longer wade into the river to fish and can no longer tie flies so he would like his excess gear and materials to go to other passionate fly fishers/tyers. Jan would also like to share a 6 minute video on fishing the Salmon River.

February 19 (Wednesday) - Chapter Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm)

March 5 (Wednesday) - Board Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm)

March 28 (Friday) - 6:00pm - 10:00pm. North Jersey TU Annual Fund Raising Banquet at Farmstead Golf & Country Club.

April 4--Flatbrook cleanup--We will be meeting at Shaeffer Bridge on Friday, 4/4/25 at 9:30 AM. I already got us a permit to clean up and to do a little trail maintenance (hand tools only). Last time we mostly cleaned up the parking areas, but at some spots, when you walk a little deeper, you'll find garbage sprinkled all-over. That said, there's a lot of thorn bushes. Bring loppers if you have them. If you have a small rake bring it. It's really effective for pulling bottles and cans out of thorn bushes.:

Getting back to the trail maintenance piece, while we're walking certain areas for the cleanup, this is just a good opportunity to open up some areas that are overgrown, so when we fish certain spots, we're not ripping apart our waders. If you know any spots that need a hand saw, then bring one!

This shouldn't take us very long with everyone's involvement. Probably 2 hours. Afterwards we can meet up, then have lunch at the Layton Tavern and fish afterwards.

April 12 AM--Musky Cleanup--similar to what we did last year.

Contact Hal

April 12 PM--Trout Fest, Califon. Tie flies at our table and / or promote our chapter.

Contact Tom to sign up--908-892-1804

May 2, 3, 4--Beaverkill and Willowemac fishing trip at Kinch Hill Hunting Club. Fee is $25 or $35 tbd. Only one spot left.

Contact George and leave a message to sign up--973-347-3524

May 10 (Saturday) - Hopatcong Charity Hike at Hudson Farms (enter trail any time from 7:00am-11:00am) - 270 Stanhope-Sparta Rd, Andover - Hike the 3.5 mile trail for free at Hudson Farms and Hudson Farms will make a donation to charity on your behalf based on your age. Free lunch served afterwards.

May 17 (Saturday) - Sparta Kids Fishing Derby (9am-noon) - Sparta - We will assist Sparta Recreation Dept. Contact: Tom Mount 908-892-1804 or tumount@comcast.net if you would like to help. Coffee and Donuts provided.

May 31 (Saturday) - Sparta Day - Time TBD Contact: George Demby 973-347-3524 or george.demby@gmail.com

July 16 (Wednesday) - Ramsey Outdoor Fluke fishing trip #1 aboard the MiJo - Atlantic Highlands - (7am-2pm) - $100 per person and receive $20 Ransey gift card. order tickets online at ramseyoutdoor.com

August 4 (Monday) Green Day at Sussex County Fairgrounds. More info to follow.

August 6 (Wednesday) - Board Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm)

August 4 (Monday) - Green Day at Sussex Count Fair; we will have a table there

August 20 (Wednesday) - Ramsey Outdoor Fluke fishing trip #2 aboard the MiJo - Atlantic Highlands - (7am-2pm) - $100 per person and receive $20 Ramsey gift card. order tickets online at ramseyoutdoor.com

August 23 (Saturday) - Chapter Picnic - 12:00 - 5:00 under Pavillion #2 at High Point State Park 1480 State Route 23 Wantage NJ 07461.

Oct 9 (Thursday)--Esopus Fishing Trip, Phoenicia NY

October (15) (Wednesday) Trout in the Classroom - Trout Egg Delivery to Schools

Nov 2 (Sunday)--Fly Fisherman of the Year competition at Shannon Private Waters, Califon NJ

November 16 (Sunday) - State Council TU Meeting at New Jersey School of Conservation Stokes State Forest in Sandyston NJ, at 1 Wapalanne Road.

November 14, 15, 16 (Friday, Saturday, Sunday) Steelhead Fishing on Salmon River in Altmar NY.

December 17 (Thurs)--Annual Christmas Party.

2024

July 24 (Wednesday) - Fluke Fishing on the MiJo Atlantic Highlands. 7:00 am - 2:00 pm. Cost is $100 plus fees but receive a $20 Ramsey Outdoor gift card. Book online at https://ramseyoutdoor.com/pages/mijo-fishing-trip

August 5 (Monday) - Green Day - Sussex County Fairgrounds - noon-4pm - we will have a table introducing our chapter to attendees. Contact George Demby (973) 347-3524

August 7 (Wednesday) - Board Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm).

August 10 (Saturday) - Chapter Picnic - 12:00 - 5:00? on the Delaware River - Milford Beach, Milford PA. Bring a side dish or dessert. RSVP to Tom Mount via email (tumount@comcast.net) or phone (908-892-1804) to let him know what you are bringing and how many attending. Chapter will provide Hoagies and Soda and Water. Nominal parking fee at the park. Rain date Sunday Aug 11.

August - NO Chapter meeting in August.

August 19, 20, 21, 22 (Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday) - New Jersey School of Conservation at Stokes State Forest - Fly Tying & Fly Casting training for School Teachers attending NJSOC. Late afternoon/Early Evening. Exact times TBD. Contact Hal Hartman

September 4 (Wednesday) - Board Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm).

October 16 (Wednesday morning) - Trout in the Classroom Egg Delivery - Contact Sue Reed 201-207-0928

October 16 (Wednesday evening) - Chapter Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm). Speaker - Marsha Benovengo - Chair - NJ State Council Trout Unlimited.

October 18 (Friday) - New Jersey Rivers Conference - Centenary University Hackettstown NJ. 8:30am - 4:30pm Contact George Demby (973) 347-3524

October 23 (Wednesday) - Striper Fishing on the MiJo Atlantic Highlands. 7:00 am - 2:00 pm. Cost is $100 plus fees but receive a $20 Ramsey Outdoor gift card. Book online at https://ramseyoutdoor.com/pages/mijo-fishing-trip

October 26 (Saturday) - Day trip to fly fish the Esopus in Phoenicia NY. Contact George Demby (973) 347-3524

November 6 (Wednesday) - Board Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm).

November 10 (Sunday) - Fly Fisherman of the Year Contest - Raritan Inn, Califon NJ. Come cheer on our chapter representative Glenn Hofmann. 7:30 sign in, 9am contest begins.

November 13 (Wednesday) - Fly Tying Round Table at Sparta VFW - Cancelled due to lack of interest.

November 15,16,17 (Friday,Saturday,Sunday) - Salmon River NY Fly Fishing Trip Contact Glen Zeeck 908-752-7065

November 16, 17 (Saturday, Sunday) - International Fly Tying Symposium - DoubleTree Hilton Hotel, Somerset NJ 9-5 Saturday, 9-4 Sunday.

November 20 (Wednesday) - Chapter Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm).

December 4 (Wednesday) - Board Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm).

December 18 (Wednesday) - Christmas Party & Chapter Meeting at Sparta VFW (7:30pm). Bring an appetizer, dessert, or main dish, and a $25 grab bag gift (optional).

Prior Meeting Speakers

2025

Nov 19--Our guest speaker was Maddie Feaster, Upper Delaware Watershed Project Manager (NJ/PA) for Trout Unlimited. Maddie is new to the position and discussed her current and future projects. Most of her work will be in Sussex County and particularly on the Flatbrook. She will work closely with our chapter on these projects.

Oct 15--Our guest speaker was Mat Claret, Marketing Director, SET Fly Fishing. SET manages 6 lodges for unique fly fishing experiences in Argentina. 3 Lodges for Trout in North Patagonia, and 3 for Golden Dorado in North East Argentina. Mat spoke about Trout Fishing in Patagonia.

The guest speaker at the Sept meeting was Kyle Simmen. Kyle is a research student at Sussex County Community College concentrating on foxes in our local area. So come to the meeting and learn everything you would want to know about foxes.

Our guest speakers at the June meeting were David de Wit, Paulins KIll Watershed Program Assistant and affiliated with Foodshed Alliance, and Brian Sayre of these organizations and also a chapter member. The Paulins Kill Watershed Community was formed by the New Jersey Highlands Focus area’s cluster of conservation organizations who are members of the Delaware River Watershed Initiative. Its members are working together to protect the watershed environment which supplies drinking water for an estimated 5.4 million people. The Foodshed Alliance is a nonprofit organization in New Jersey dedicated to helping farmers, feeding people, and protecting the environment. Their mission is to strengthen sustainable and regenerative farming, increase access to local, healthy food, and safeguard the environment for all members of our communities.

Our guest speaker at the May meeting was Christopher C. Obropta, Phd., P.E., Extension Specialist and Professor of Environmental Sciences at Rutgers. He discussed stormwater management and the impact on bays, rivers, and streams. A complete explanation of Rain Gardens was provided to us.

Our guest speaker at the April meeting was John D. Kluthe from Kluthe Environmental Services.

KES is dedicated to optimizing productivity for farmers through a private conservation planning process. Their mission is to empower farmers with the tools and knowledge to achieve legacy success by harmonizing conservation and productivity.

Our guest speaker at the March meeting was Dylan Medici, Manager of Outreach and Education with New Jersey Highlands Coalition. Dylan showed a short video on the Highlands--its history and its ecology--and then spoke about the coalition and their activities in our area.

Our guest speaker at the Feb meeting was Harvey Klein from Garden State Laboratories, Inc. The lab is a certified independent water and environmental testing laboratory. Mr. Klein discussed harmful algae blooms and PFAS / PFOA which seriously affect water quality.You probably knew that H2O is water; and you may have known that H2O2 is hydrogen peroxide. But unless you attended the meeting you don't know what is H2O4.

Our guest speaker at the Jan meeting was Benjamin Harris, Watershed Scientist with Raritan Headwaters. Benjamin discussed various stream monitoring metrics and the results of various areas in Northwest NJ. He concluded with a discussion of eels and many members shared their personal knowledge / experience with that species.

2024

Our guest speaker at the Nov meeting was Paul Weiss. Paul is the new Program Lead for the North West New Jersey Chapter of Project Healing Waters.Project Healing Waters began in 2005 serving wounded military service members at Walter Reed Army Medical Center returning from combat in Iraq and Afghanistan. Since then, PHW has expanded nationwide, establishing its highly successful program in Department of Defense hospitals, Warrior Transition Units, and Veterans Affairs Medical Centers and Clinics, serving all eras of U.S. Veterans. See their wesite for more info--projecthealingwaters.org We gave a heads up to Stan Tryba so that he can alert VFW members as they may want to attend our meeting.

Our guest speaker at the October meeting was Marsha Benovengo, Chair of NJ State Council of TU.

Marsha discussed the make-up of the council and how the council works with local chapters and with TU National. She addressed specific projects they are working on and answered any questions we may have. She is brought coffee and pastries for us.

The guest speaker at the June meeting was Cali Alexander M.A., H.O.

Cali recently transitioned after completing a 35 year career in environmental science and law as a Public Health Administrator. Along with other activities, her experience includes extensive on-site soil evaluations and land use review, and oversight of licensing and operations of the wholesale seafood and shellfish industries. Further, her work was instrumental in establishing fish consumption advisories.

She is currently working with local farmers regarding riparian stream boundaries, is on the board of the Northeast Organic Farming Assoc--NJ, and is raising goats and farming organically.

Regarding the May meeting, this meeting was held in the small room because the VFW needed to use the large room for a special meeting.

Glen Zeeck and Sue Reed lead a hands on workshop demonstrating the many various knots that are useful when fly fishing. So if you only used one or two knots you benefited greatly from this session.

Our guest speakers at the April 17 meeting were Lauren Cosgrove and Timothy Leonard from the National Parks Conservation Association—NPCA.org

With more than 1.6 million members and supporters, NPCA is the voice of America’s national parks, working to protect and preserve our nation’s most iconic and inspirational places for present and future generations. NPCA celebrates the parks — and works tirelessly to defend them — whether on the ground, in the courtroom or on Capitol Hill.

Lauren and Tim will discuss the NPCA in general and some of their current initiatives. They have been involved in recent Wild & Scenic Rivers designations, which we plan on pursuing on the Flatbrook; so their info will be helpful.

NPCA is neutral with respect to the proposal to establish a national park in the Delaware Water Gap. They will tell us what they know about the plan, and will be looking for us to give them info and / or feedback from our perspective.

The guest speaker at our February meeting was Geoffrey M. Goll, P.E., president of Princeton Hydro. Princeton Hydro specializes in water resources engineering, including the design of innovative stormwater management systems, wetland & stream restorations, dam removals, sediment dredging, coastal protection structures, and floodplain reconnections. He discussed dam removal and its impact on fish and other wildlife. Everyone found his presentation interesting and informative.

2023

November 2023 Chapter Meeting

Craig Fleming has offered to be the guest speaker for our November Chapter Meeting. Craig will discuss "Effects of Soil Erosion and Storm Runoff on Water Quality and Fish Health".

This topic is of interest to all of us and we expect to learn a lot from his talk. Hope to see you at the meeting.

Craig Fleming

Water Quality Field Specialist

Musconetcong Watershed Association

As the Water Quality Field Specialist, Craig works closely with others on his team to monitor the various components of water quality within the Musconetcong River as well as managing the dynamic group of volunteers known as the River Watchers with tasks ranging from macroinvertebrate collections and IDs to road salt monitoring programs.

Craig was born and raised in Oxford, NJ and is a graduate of Centenary University, where he gained his Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Science with a minor in Chemistry. While at Centenary Craig became aware of the River Watcher program, and that sparked his career at the MWA. When he isn’t playing in the river for work, Craig can be found working out, hiking or kayaking.

The Musconetcong Watershed Association (MWA) is an independent, non-profit organization dedicated to protecting and improving the quality of the Musconetcong Watershed and its waters for people and nature.

_______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Fred S. Burroughs North Jersey Chapter Trout Unlimited

Annual Picnic

Milford Beach, Pa.

August 26, 2023

It was a great day.

Blue skies, sunshine, moderate temperatures, and a nice breeze. The location is right on the Delaware River just north of the Route 206 bridge.

Hot dogs and hamburgers supplied by TU. Green salad, macaroni salad, potato salad, corn bread nachos, shrimp, and more supplied by the members.

Hal brought the grill and did most of the cooking, and Tom brought almost everything else that we needed. They then successfully challenged the river with their kayaks.

Everyone had a good time, especially Luna.

Take a look at the pictures that follow and if you weren’t there, hope you can make it next year.

At the 06.21.23 Chapter Meeting…..

Committee Reports

Membership—we have 10 new members as per TU National. He will try to reach out to them through US Mail and / or email depending on what info is available to him.

Finance— current balances and spending reviewed.

Conservation—we now have a new committee chairman and he had a lot to report :

1. Paulins Kill Cleanup; since we did not do a Flat Brook cleanup this year we may want to participate in this event. It will be scheduled in November and when the date is picked everyone will be advised.

2. NJ School of Conservation; this entity is active again after being dormant for a number of years. In the past, the chapter had participated in some their events. They are currently doing a water quality study of the Flat Brook. We have made a contact there and we will try to schedule them to speak at a future chapter meeting.

3. TU / Fred S Burroughs Flat Brook Study; you may remember that TU was coordinating a project to have culverts replaced to expand Brook Trout habitat in tributaries. When our key person there left TU the study was suspended. We will contact TU and see if this can be revived and / or modified; maybe coordinate it with the School of Conservation work.

4. Stream Habitat and MacroInvertebrate Bioassessment; we now have a certified member under this program; for a lot of very interesting info about bugs see web page Macroinverebrates.org and click on a bug for more details.

5. Penn State Study; we are involved in obtaining data for this study. If you will be fishing in the northeast counties of Pa please contact us and we’ll send you a short questionnaire that you could complete to help.

Recent Events

Sparta Trout Derby—held at Station Park where Sparta arranged to stock the pond, and they announced that TU was on site that morning. We had approx. half dozen members turn out to answer questions and help the fishers, and we were identified by our guide shirts and our blue vests. Many fish were caught and although most were sunnies there were trout being caught on a regular basis throughout the morning. We’ll try to post pictures of the event.

MiJoe trip—salt water trip was a success with over 20 people on board. (I know we have at least 1 picture showing fish caught).

Hudson Farms Anniversary—for three days we manned a table with Fred S Burroughs banner held high and keychains available for attendees. Also, we did casting instruction and fly tying seminars.

We offered a mug to anyone who signed up for TU membership and we received 3 completed membership applications which we mailed on to TU; one attendee who appreciates the work that TU does made an unsolicited $100 contribution to the chapter.

Hudson Farms advises they were happy with our participation, and it is possible they will make a donation to the chapter

Future Events

Green Day at the Sussex County Fair—this will take place on August 7 and TU will be there; the hours for our table will be 12:00 noon to 4:00 PM. Six members signed up at the chapter meeting and an email blast should go out soon for additional members to volunteer.

Chapter Picnic—still discussing the viability to have a picnic this year.

Most likely dates are Aug 5 or Aug 26.

With some concern over the Mohican Camp site, we are considering having the picnic at Milford Beach. This location is in Pa on Rt 206 just over the bridge and right on the Delaware River.

Will keep everyone posted on this.

Charity Hike at Hudson Farm—this is not a TU activity, but fyi it is a 5 mile hike to be held on Oct 7. If you complete the 5 miles you will be given the equivalent of 1 dollar per year of your age which you then donate to the various charities that are on site. Refreshments are provided.

Last But Not Least

Communication Strategy and Initiative

Recognizing that we need to communicate better, we will try to clean-up and bring the website up to date, use Facebook more effectively, and also use email blasts more effectively. When we want to get info out, it should go out using all three methods.

We have started to make this happen. A new member has experience with websites and he will join the Initiative. So look for better communications going forward.

Sparta Glen

As you know, the chapter spent considerable time and money to rehabilitate the brook that runs through the glen. We thought it would be a good idea if signs were posted on Glen Rd to identify this area. So we have contacted the town to get feedback as to whether or not this would be a viable project. Our thought is we would pay to fabricate the signs and the town would do the installation.

…and if you had attended this meeting, you would have learned :

>>when and where a private group stocked several hundred trout (including golden trout) on the Flat Brook.

>>where to catch wild brown trout up to 18” on the Musky.

Hope to see you at future meetings—next one is Sept 20. In the meantime, check out the website and Facebook page as they get upgraded and info is added, and watch out for email blasts. Have a good summer

06.30.23

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY

Green Day at the Sussex County Fair –

Monday August 7, 2023 from 12:00 pm Noon to 4:00 pm. Help man a table on Green Day for environmental and educational outreach to children and adults. Come join us and promote Trout Unlimited, tie flies, and play fishing games with the kids for prizes! Call George Demby to volunteer and get more details about admission and parking! 973-347-3542. See you there!

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