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Meeting Minutes – March 12, 2025

Meeting Attendees

     Tom Vanderputten    Ted Larrison    Jim Mauck      Mike Beachy    Mark Holcomb   Ridge Holcomb

Meeting Minutes

  • The meeting minutes for February 20, 2025 were approved.

Fishing Reports

  • The Little Elkhart is very low, and fishing is difficult. We are in near drought conditions.

 Treasurer’s Report

  • The account balances at the end February were $ 24,001.14
  • The Interest Income (1099) needs to be filed with TU National.

Middlebury Old Mill Park 

  • No new report (see below)
  • Mike will call Tom Enright to get an update and report.

Reel Recovery 2025 

  • The Reel Recovery Retreat is scheduled for June 2,3,4 2025 (Monday-Wednesday).
  • The Budget will be approximately $8,500 – $9,000
  • LECTU will donate funds raised from the Annual Outing (May 3rd) to Reel Recovery.
  • Ted ordered and received the Special Reel Recovery Indiana (Fishing Buddy) Retreat Hats.
  • David Lasser of Merrillville has offered to volunteer at the retreat.

The following three sections will continue to be Reprinted so Members Stay Aware of LECTU Status

LECTU (IRS Filing Status) (reprinted from August)

  • LECTU received an email from Quentin Collins at National Trout Unlimited.
  • Due to a bookkeeping error LECTU was inadvertently reclassified from a Public Charity to a Private Foundation. This caused a major issue with the IRS and TU National.
  • REVISED: Keith and his nephew an accountant have filed the necessary paperwork required for a Private Foundation 501 (c) (3) in order to prevent our loosing Not for Profit status. The next steps are to remedy the situation altogether by getting back to a Public Charity 501.

Quentin Collins TU National (reprinted from August)

  • Mike spoke with Quentin and LECTU is still a nonprofit, however a “private foundation”.
  • To return to a Public Charity we need to shut down the chapter and restart with a new Chapter Number.
  • Since LECTU lacks the necessary volunteers to staff all positions (Officers, Board Members, Etc.), the possibility is the dissolution of the LECTU Chapter.
  • Quentin counseled Mike that this situation is not unusual and offered TU assistance.
  • When a chapter is dissolved all assets are transferred to TU National as well as liabilities. Therefore all obligated funds or future event funds would be utilized for those earmarked obligated projects. LECTU needs to start fundraising (Raffle Season) soon, and can legally do so (filing as 990PF). 
  • OPTIONS: New and Old guys step up and fill recovered positions and actually participate in volunteer activities or the Chapter shuts down and use our funds for Reel Recovery.

Quentin Collins TU Update(reprinted from September)

  • Mike sent email to Quentin to implement the Chapter Leadership revitalization process.
  • LECTU needs to fill (3) Board Members and (4) Officers.  In addition more volunteers are needed to handle various annual activities.
  • The next TU Financial Report is due Spring 2025. 
  • There will be a new LECTU Chapter number, and new Tax ID number.

Mark Sedotti 

  • The event will be held October 11, 2025 at The Elkhart Conversation Club.
  • The $2,000 cost will be split between LECTU, Kalamazoo TU, and SJVFF.
  • The participant cost will be $ 25 per person. Eric Graham requested that LECTU collects the fee from LECTU members who plan on attending. 
  • Mike will send a TU News Blast about Mark Sedotti.
  • Jim Mauck will collect the $25 fees.

CITU Film Tour

  • The annual film tour will be March 15th at the Vogue Theatre in Broad Ripple. Opens at 11:00am
  • Mark, Mike, Kris, and Chase Spaw will attend.

Winter Fly Tying

  • The winter fly tying will be held at The Middlebury Library
  • The last session will be held Saturday April 5th.
  • The new vises are working well.

Riverfest

  • Riverfest will be Saturday August 23, 11:00am to 3:00pm
  • Theme: Water Quality with focus on Trees, Wetlands, and Buffer Zones

Fundraising

  • A-A-T Mailbacks + Lebanon + St. Joe + sales to date = $ 1,870
  • E-Mails sent pertaining to Sponsorships (Replies to Jim Mauck).
  • Sponsorship Levels: Brown Trout $1,000 Rainbow Trout $ 750 Cutthroat Trout $500

 Brook Trout $250

Outing

  • Outing Date will be Saturday May 3, 2025 at Riverbend Park. The park is reserved.
  • Mike received the raffle license from the State of Indiana.
  • The Grand Prize an Orvis H-4 9ft 5wt Rod with a Mirage Reel has arrived and was displayed at the meeting. The expense was $785 and LECTU will hopefully sell $ 3,000 of tickets.
  • In addition LECTU will have a Silent Auction and a Garage Sale Table. LECTU has several items now ready (brown trout print, custom rod from Mike B., fish art map, two nets, one custom net, L.L. Bean Rod Outfit
  • LECTU Logo fly boxes for the garage sale table.
  • Chase will solicit the Indianapolis area for donations, Mike will solicit the Chicago area.
  • The Guest Speaker will be Mark Luttenton of Grand Valley State Unversity.
  • Need Van for stream access tour (Wayne Andrews?) Need Driver (Nick Christofeno?)
  • Need suggestions for activity during the river bus tour.

Chapter Status Update

  • Mike is still in touch with Quentin Collins for the TU chapter revitalization efforts.
  • Mike sent an email asking for volunteer leaders to step up.
  • Mike received several responses. Unfortunately many were too far to be effective
  • Since Mike is resigning as Chapter President when LECTU is restarted, this position needs to be filled.
  • Mike would continue at LECTU and coordinate the river work projects.

Library Key Pickup

Wayne, and Mike have been listed by the Library being able to secure a building key for our monthly LECTU meetings. One of them will pick up the key prior to Wednesday of the meeting.

LECTU Meeting Place and Date

  • Middlebury Library in downtown Middlebury IN.

Next Meeting – Wednesday –  April 9, 2025

Tom Vanderputten – LECTU Secretary