The Earlville Conservation Club hosted its Annual Big Buck Contest and Chicken-n-Biscuit Dinner earlier in January and recognized hunters: Art Fleming, Billy Orth, Ricardo Grisolini, Buzz Slentz, Bob Smith [holding Luis DeSousa’s rack] and Lance Bridge. (Submitted photo)

EARLVILLE - The Earlville Conservation Club hosted its Annual Big Buck Contest and Chicken-n-Biscuit Dinner on January 18 at the Sherburne Legion. The event featured a catered chicken and biscuits meal, followed by a presentation by DEC Aquatics Biologist Scott Prindle. Prindle discussed the shift in DEC’s aquatic programs from maintaining waterways to enhancing them, with a focus on improving fish populations.

Current projects in Tioga, Chenango, and at SUNY Oswego aim to address dams and culverts, creating better environments for native fish. Efforts such as installing stainless-steel lipped culverts and building new rock structures and creek beds allow species like lamprey, trout, and salmon to thrive. Prindle noted the success of stair-step culverts, highlighting the return of Chinook salmon to areas where they had not been seen in 150 years.

The club also elected officers for the year. Sam Walrod will serve as president, Art Fleming as vice president, Dave Whorrall as treasurer, and Betsy Campbell as secretary. The meeting included a review of annual events, such as the Youth Turkey Hunt, Member Turkey Hunt, and Labor Day Youth Fishing Derby, which broke three previous records. Other activities included the Youth Deer Hunt during Columbus Day weekend and the annual gun raffle. The club also inducted new lifetime members, including Andy Migonis, Dick Lee, Tim Evans, Sydney Evans, Harold Coleman, Skip Deiss, James Shimer, and Pete Walrod.

Winners of the Big Buck Contest were announced, and special thanks were extended to Andy Migonis and Jim Dowd for scoring the racks, as well as to Many Maples for hosting the scoring location.

The next meeting of the Earlville Conservation Club is scheduled for Wednesday, March 6, at Many Maples Sugar House, located at 697 Route 26 in Georgetown, NY. Membership costs $10 per year for adults and $5 for youth under 16. To become a lifetime member, individuals must be 70 years or older and maintain membership for three consecutive years. For more information, contact the club through their Facebook page or Betsy Campbell at 607-226-1673.

- Information from the Earlville Conservation Club