The Northern California Fly Fishing Board

Dawn Speaking at the Awards Ceremony 

22 Years of Higher Education Scholarship by Mary Hazlewood (GWWF Scholarship Chair)
I don't think we could begin to imagine, 22 years ago, how our higher education scholarship effort would look today. If you were to peer at me sideways as I report our scholarship history I wouldn't blame you in the slightest. We have an impressive record.

Between 1985 and 2007, our 25th anniversary, we've awarded 34 women studying at eight Northern California colleges and universities a total of $39,200.00. Our recipients have been pursuing education in fisheries, ecology, fish microbiology, aquatic ecology, marine ecology, fish and conservation biology, conservation genetics, estuarine processes, and more. Over the years we've encouraged 10 women
working on PhDs, 1 DVM, 17 MS, 3 BS, and we have funded 3 interns.

When we began 22 years ago, we sought to encourage women who were studying fisheries because there weren't very many of them. We wanted to help get them in the field. Over the years we have seen the number of applicants for our scholarship increase, watched GPA's climb higher and professional
goals become loftier. Our conservation chair, Cindy Charles, tells me she encounters GWWF scholarship awardees in the field while pursuing her projects. One recipient, from 2003, and who keeps in touch, Dr.
Amber Mace, is currently executive director of the California Ocean Science Trust and the science adviser to California Ocean Protection Council.

I'm delighted that GWWF has maintained the scholarship program for 22 years. I appreciate the commitment and effort from each of you to keep it alive and growing

To fund these scholarships, GWWF holds fundraisers every 3 or 4 years . Fabulous gifts for donated to raise money for the scholarships. Just ask Fly Away Frank about the deal on the Alaskan Lodge he got. I am sure that he and Carol will have a great time in Alaska. Of course, the last item auctioned, was a donation from the Merced Fly Fishing Club that Frank had a hand in building. Yes, it was a gorgeous 4pc 9’6wt fly rod.

Of course, there was a gorgeous flyfishing theme quilt (I even made a quilt block) for this quilt. There were lots of great donations for this event such as, 3 day lodging for 2 at Henry’s Fork, lodging on the eel river with private riverfront, Echo spey rod, guided trips, great photographs and watercolors, etc. It was a wonderful event.

Besides the annual scholarships, GWWF also funds a special project called “ Rearing Aquatics in the Classroom”.

A Brief History of Rearing Aquatics in the Classroom By Annette Thompson and Pat Magnuson
The Golden West Women Flyfishers In-School Aquatics Project has been responsible for 10 years of in-school aquatics programs in the heavily urbanized, eastern section of the San Francisco Bay urban area.

The purpose of the In-School Aquatics project is to bring an awareness of the importance of clean, healthy local creeks, streams, and ultimately all of our waterways for us and for the critters that depend on them. The Aquatics program initially focused on rearing hatchery trout in the classroom environment and releasing the alevins into local, stocked lakes.

Our last release of hatchery trout was in 1993. In the fall of 1998, 5 years later, it appears the trout have established themselves well up stream of the lake area where they were released. This is the first re-introduction of (what are now) wild trout into an urban stream in the east bay. In 1993 the children started rearing native Pacific Chorus Frogs in the same urban classrooms for release into suitable, local streams.


One of the positive results of the frog rearing, aside from the children falling in love with their amphibian babies, was the beginning of citizen participation in storm drain stenciling as a part of a growing awareness of urban runoff. The children were adamant that their frogs were only going into clean creeks!

1994 initiated the native rainbow trout rearing program in selected schools. The eggs are collected in the late winter, from redds (nests) in Redwood Creek, Oakland, reared in a tightly monitored aquarium set-up, and released into a sister stream, Wildcat Creek, in Alvarado Park, Richmond. Wildcat Creek is open from the bay to its headwaters, with only a few small barriers to slow returning steelhead.

It was in the headwaters of Redwood Creek that Rainbow trout were first identified in the 1850's. The resident trout are genetically pure descendants of those first fish. In March 1998, at the request of the Alameda County Flood Control District, 273 wild steelhead eggs were removed from Alameda Creek as they had been spawned in an unsuitable section of the creek (below the BART train tracks) where they would not survive. 240 eggs were viable and were released as alevins in upper Alameda Creek in a wilderness regional park.

Due to increased rainfall and the marked improvement in the quality of local streams, we are expecting an increase in the number of (now) federally protected wild steelhead to return and spawn. Grant monies have been awarded to purchase specially designed chiller units and larger tanks. The units are also set up in local schools and children will rear all "rescued eggs" and release them into upstream watersheds. Because of our reputation, experience, and all necessary government permits, GWWF has been asked to partner with other organizations to establish additional aquatic programs.

For the spring of 2000 we had 7 chiller units set up to receive native trout and/or steelhead eggs and over 30 frog tanks ready for spawn. The GWWF In-School Aquatics Project is funded by the non-profit Golden West Women Flyfishers Foundation. All participating teachers must complete an appropriate watershed/quality awareness in-service program. Additional funding has been provided through county Fish and Wildlife grants and the Clean Water Program. We are permitted by the California Department of Fish & Game, approved by the National Marine Fisheries Service to rescue wild steelhead eggs, and work in conjunction with local and county authorities.