All about The RCRGWD&OTTBA

Tuesday. It was an off-Reecer Creek meeting of the Reecer Creek Rod, Gun, Working Dog & Outdoor Think Tank Benevolent Association (a.k.a. RCRGWD&OTTBA). On the floor were several items of outdoor and community interest, including, but not limited to, current eastern Washington fire danger and related camp use restrictions, the proposed – and likely upcoming – WDFW fishing and/or hunting license fee increases, the relatively quiet status of wolves across the state lately, proposed and pending road closures on the public ground around Paradise, and a question about how soon members would see Kevin Clements’ report on our recent trip to South Africa. Then there was New Guy and all his questions about what it would take to become a fully-vetted member of our little think tank.

We pretty quickly moved through the road access questions, encouraging members to spend some time with the online materials for both the Okanogan-Wenatchee National Forest road planning efforts and the Naneum Ridge to Columbia Recreation and Access Plan, and respond as needed. The license fee increases are being pretty widely discussed across the state, with our next public opportunity to hear about them coming next Wednesday (5:30 to 7:30) at the Selah Civic Center. Several members committed to attend. Somewhere in there, someone moved that RCRGWD&OTTBA publicly thank all involved in fire safety across the West, and acknowledge the kindness, courage and hard work of the hundreds of local and regional firefighters helping bring our wild land fires under control, and reach out in all ways possible to help those suffering from wildfires. In the middle of debate over wording, New Guy’s questions derailed that conversation.

Given that his questions were the same ones we get regularly get when the subject of our little think tank comes up, members all piled on with answers. Allow me to summarize members’ responses here.

Our name? Well, it reflects the geographic location of the inspiration that led to creation of our think tank. Our founders (we mostly agree there were three of us) sat on the east (or maybe west) bank of Reecer Creek, cooling down with iced malt beverages on a hot July evening late last century.

Our purpose? We organized around a commitment to solve most of the problems facing the World, America, Washington State and Paradise at that time. Our goals included: peace and understanding among all the world’s religions and ethnic groups by 2014 (now extended to 2020); ending world hunger by 2012 (reset to 2021); developing SUVs which last for twenty years, operate pollution-free for pennies a mile and will not allow themselves to be driven across a fragile environment (currently under development); increasing local hay production for export, while returning salmon and steelhead to full runs by 2015 (this is looking more and more like a climate-control issue); and lifting the quality of local outdoor discourse – at which we are having some success.

Habitat? We work for habitat so that our children’s great-grandchildren will know fish and wildlife. We recognize that all living creatures share this planet and this life together, and we want young people to see that they don’t own land as much as it owns them, so that future generations might have less to fight over. (Honestly, we still are not sure just what that means, but it was brought up and approved during an early meeting at the Tav, so…)  We support the breeding of hunting dogs as loving and strong and smart as my Lab Freebe the WonderDog (but not as gassy in a duck blind or car).

Bylaws? Sure.

• Meetings automatically call to order whenever two or more gather to talk about the outdoors or wildlife or hunting or fishing or whatever – it depends on attitude, time of day, and who’s paying. When you agree to support our purpose and goals you become a life member.
• We have standing subcommittees for kids’ education, publicity, accuracy in media, science education and poker. Ad hoc subcommittees may form at any moment to handle suddenly urgent issues. I am hesitant to name any of these (or the men and women serving on them), for a variety of reasons, but all members expect to serve on one or another.
• All members are required to obtain at least one free meal a month. Additionally, board members, to retain their positions, must score two free malt beverages per fortnight.

Funding? We don’t have a funding source or plan. Nobody in the state seems to have one. We do, occasionally, have a successful poker game or pass the hat if our checks haven’t arrived.

Agenda? We haven’t figured out who handles the agenda. Any member may handle it, and put any pet issue before any meeting he or she calls. Sometimes, someone takes notes.

We informed New Guy that he is now a member. “But next time,” we suggested, “please bring refreshments.”

We then finally returned to our motion – made and seconded – to acknowledge and thank firefighters and encourage outreach from all members. Motion carried on a unanimous vote.

After a brief explanation of Kevin’s determination to properly and accurately reflect our African adventure, members were prepared to wait for another week of so for his report.

Meeting adjourned.