Project Healing Waters

Not to mention that Lefty Krey is called Lefty because he is left-handed. And we ALL want to cast just like Lefty, right?

I thought this was pretty clear: http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=7564 I am Ken Morrow. Many of you know me pretty well. This is my fly fishing blog: http://ozarksflyanglers.blogspot.com This is my Myspace Page: http://www.myspace.com/silvermallard This is another of my Myspace Pages: http://www.myspace.com/projecthealingwaters I am the Regional Coordinator for Project Healing Waters for the states of MO, AR, and OK. I am a member of SMFF and MTFA. I'm assisting in teaching the fly fishing class at MSU with MTFA. And I put together the CAMP game fundraiser for SMFF and arranged most of the donations for the SMFF Mini-Conclave at Jolly Mill with Dave and Emily Whitlock. I have taught seminars for Bass Pro Shops, appeared on Hunting Across America on the Outdoor Channel, and was a regular guest expert on Hunting the Midwest radio show for awhile. My articles have been published in a number of magazines, I was the Ozarks staff columnist for FAOL for a number of years, and they appear on a great many fishing and hunting websites and FFF newsletters across the country. I am a former member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America. Before I became permanently disabled, I was the National Ad Sales Agent for Outdoors Yellow Pages. I never charge for my writing. I am a disabled veteran and only do volunteer work. I have endorsement relationships with TFO, WilliamJoseph, Scientific Anglers, Okuma, and Elkhorn (on the fishing side of the house). My blog is globally syndicated with Google, Google News, Google Blogs, Yahoo! News, My Yahoo!, Bloglines, and a host of other news feeds and blog services. It is read by over 1,500 people each week from about 20 different countries and in an average of 8 languages, with an average of about 3,000 page views and an average time on site of 12 minutes. I accept no advertisements. I lived in Branson from 1998 to September of 2006 and have fished with many of the folks on this board more than once or twice, including Leonard. I have seen Leonard catch good numbers and sizes of fish away from the chutes and even away from Taneycomo. But deceptive marketing tactics and aggressive self-promotion have gotten Leonard cross-ways with a number of people. I do not night fish. I don't enjoy it. I used to fish quite regularly with Brad Wright, and Chuck Gries's son sold me my first fly rod when he was just a boy...in 1998. My opinions are my own. They are not the property of nor reviewed for approval by Project Healing Waters, Education Outdoors, TFO, WJ, SA, Okuma, Elkhorn, Bass Pro, Backcountry Outfitters, SMFF, MTFA, FFF, TU, the Southern Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers, or Lilley's Landing. I don't have to agree with you to like you. I don't have to like you to treat you fairly or do something nice for you. But I do have know you're capable of such things yourself if you want me to respect you. There has been a LOT of smoke blowing and beating around the bush here this Summer. Like me or hate me, I don't play games. I speak my mind, I do what I do because I want to, and I take responsibility for both the good and the bad. And it's not my fault if people don't read introduction posts or profiles before making assumptions about posters. But for a guy who has known me for quite some time to accuse me of "hiding" or being deceptive is a pretty cheap shot. And for anyone to try to insinuate that my stating my opinions and observations truthfully is a discredit to PHW...well, let me ask you this: WHAT HAVE YOU DONE FOR DISABLED VETS, WOUNDED WARRIORS, OR PROJECT HEALING WATERS LATELY? Because I'm a volunteer and have been putting in somewhere in the neighborhood of 50 hours per week on PHW all summer long and financing its introduction to the Ozarks mostly out of my own and my wife's very shallow pockets. We have received one donation to date from Capital City Fly Fishers, who run a PHW program at the VA hospital in Columbia, MO. And the national organization receives a LOT of support from TFO and Orvis. Just yesterday, Elkhorn agreed to a wholesale purchasing arrangement with PHW that will help us and our veterans and soldiers to acquire the gear we need at a price we need it at. To date, the fly anglers from around here who have been of assistance to PHW are: Larry Wegmann, Kim Shultz, Mike Davis, Wilma Morrow, Russ Doughty, Dennis Slane, Brian Ellis, Sharon Yoker, Capt. Paul Sodamann PhD, Darin Rohrer JD, Wayne Patton, Bruce Ritter, Larry Murphy, Jerry Kemple, Ralph Eichholz, and Paul Rone. We also got a helping hand from Holly Neill of the James River Basin Partnership. Oh...and I should mention Rocky Hollow Lodge down in Bull Shoals, Arkansas. They do some things for us I cannot mention publicly, but that are WAY above and beyond! How's that for "full disclosure?"

Starting at outlet 1 back in those days was pretty typical for Brad. But, standing at outlet 1 one day the following year, he pointed across the lake to a large rock right under the cable on the opposite shore and told me THAT was where he caught the record fish. I thought most people who have been fishing Taney seriously for awhile knew that. I've talked to many who do. Also, in my years of knowing Chuck Gries, he takes beginners to outlet 1 quite frequently during generation. And that looks like 2 young boys wearing rented waders to me. And I have never seen another guide in chutes 1 or 2 except for Leonard. And if he's fishing while the sun's up, you will find him at #1 or #2...or somewhere in between. Sight-fishing, huh? Is THAT what they're calling big fuzzy hooks dragged through the chutes on 8 lb test monofilament these days?

Not according to Brad it wasn't.

China averages 12 dead coal miners PER DAY. But they seem to be of the opinion that they have plenty to spare. There are more "rollbacks" in environmental regulation/restrictions coming out of the Admin right now than we could hope to keep track of and combat. That's the PLAN...flood the system and more will get through.

A heartfelt thanks to all the volunteers who came out for the orientation.

Yeah. But you caught 85 bass in one day! Just don't let small children swim there and don't eat the fish. LOL

Ethanol plants use UNGODLY amounts of ground water. The one in Rogersville is meeting stiff opposition, and it is the one that threatens the James River watershed. Guess whose money is behind that project? Congressman and Jr (the Governor) Blunt. Don't count on it being tied up too awfully long! The EIS from that one says the water table in the area would be severely depleted within 8 years of commencement of operations. When asked about this at a recent town hall meeting, Congressman Blunt said that we shouldn't worry about problems we don't have yet. Build the plant, deplete the ground water, and we'll worry about the ground water depletion once it's a reality. This was reported in the media. I forget where. If that's his concept of good public planning and natural resource management, we need to run this guy out of Congress.

Yes, it is. And there was a HUGE fight about this earlier this year. DNR can issue whatever permit they want to, but the county gov't said they were going to pass ordinances to prevent it. We'll see...

I wonder how many of us would consider it "humane" to be bludgeoned about the head until dead with a small club? But I worry far more about being humane towards humans than I do towards fish. And I have never had a fish complain about how I was treating him, either. FYI, they call it a priest because it's sole purpose is to administer piscatorial "last rites."

Project Healing Waters of the Ozarks needs YOU! We will be hosting a volunteer orientation at the Springfield Nature Center from Noon until 5pm on August 25, 2007. Support the Troops? Here's something very REAL that you can do. If you plan to attend or for more information, please email projecthealingwaters@mchsi.com ASAP.

Project Healing Waters is a 501©(3) program of the Federation of Fly Fishers and Trout Unlimited that works through the Veterans Administration and military medical facilities to teach disabled veterans and those wounded in combat to tie flies and fly fish as part of their rehabilitation therapy. Project Healing Waters of the Ozarks currently works with military personnel and veterans at Fort Leonard Wood, the Mount Vernon VA clinic, the Fayetteville VA Medical Center, and the Truman VA Medical Center at Columbia, Missouri. We are also authorized to begin a program at the VA clinic in Branson when they open in March 2008. Project Healing Waters volunteers teach fly tying and fly casting on an ongoing basis through these facilities and host periodic fly fishing outings for the patients. Project Healing Waters of the Ozarks is headquartered in Springfield, Missouri, and serves Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Missouri. Our Advisory Committee consists of: Captain Paul Sodamann PhD (MCCI), Kim Schultz (CCI), Constance Whiston (CCI), and Darin S. Rohrer JD. The Regional Coordinator for Project Healing Waters of the Ozarks is Ken Morrow.