Joe Dyke

Ottawa Sportsmen's Club News

January 2nd, 2004

Joe Dyke, OSC President

Dues and News Letter 2004

Time has come again to pay your dues to maintain your membership in the Ottawa Sportsmens'Club. Dues remain at $25 per year and must be paid by April 1 for uninterrupted membership.

NEWS OF EVENTS IN 2003
The past year has been another active one at your Ottawa Sportsmens Club. All of the traditional activities and events took place along with a number of new happenings. Due to space limitations, we will simply say that all of the traditional events were very successful as usual and bring you up to date on the new events and happenings:

Junior Pistol Team:
In July the Ottawa Sportsmens Club Junior Pistol Team won the National Junior Championship at Camp Perry. In addition the team placed first in Marksmanship Class against all ages. Team members are Ben Granroth, Ben Seppala, Kurt Szwszkoski, Mark Saari, Jeff Tuomi and Sam Gardner. Managers were Peter Granroth and Patrick Miller. The team was coached by Ron Granroth and Bob Gardner. In addition to team honors; Jeff, Kurt and Sam placed in the top 10 in their class and in doing so earned a place on the NRA/USA National Civilian Pistol Team. Coach Granroth also noted that Mark Saari shot a personal best score in the competition. This team of teenagers and their coaches deserve a great deal of credit for their efforts and the OSC is very proud of their achievements.

Pre-1840 Rendezvous:
In June, OSC member Jon Henkel in cooperation with the Keweenaw Bay Indian Community organized a Rendezvous for youth aged 14 to 17 at the Club grounds. In this five day event a mixed group of youngsters learned to shoot muzzleloaders, cook over an open campfire, throw tomahawks, and build fires with flint and steel. Demonstrations of moccasin making, blacksmithing and Native American traditions were also presented. This event was a resounding success and Jon is making plans now for June, 2004.

Fund Raising Plate:
At the 4th annual venison booyaw held on December 4, Walt Lukkarila of Mass City was the lucky winner of the wooden plate which had been engraved with a sketch of the old Clubhouse which burned in 1981. The wood for the plate was from the property of Bob Hietikko, and was turned by Ron Haka. Engraving and finishing was done by Joe Dyke. Tickets were sold for one-dollar each, to OSC members only and turned out to be an excellent fund raiser for the OSC.

Partnership with U.P. Muzzle Loaders Assn.:
Last Spring, the OSC entered into a formal partnership with the U.P. M. L. A. A number of members of the Muzzle Loaders group had been participating in the first Saturday shoots at the Club range through the winter and became interested in partnering with us to host their annual UP shoots. In addition the OSC will be the site of the State muzzle loader shoot at least every other year and perhaps more often. The OSC is delighted to form a relationship with this group of enthusiastic shooters and outdoor sportsmen (and women).

Hunter Safety Program:
Starting in 2004 the OSC will be providing the leadership for the annual Hunter Safety Program rather than depending on the Michigan Dept. of Natural Resources to do this as in the past. With ever increasing responsibilities and continually decreasing funds and personnel this has been difficult to schedule and conduct in recent years. Eight members have volunteered to take the necessary training from the MDNR to organize and instruct in this event. Members feel this will bring more flexibility as to timing of the event and in general will improve efficiency . MDNR will continue to be involved in the conservation law aspects of the training. Class size has been in the range of 100 to 140 over the past several years.

New Trap Range and Storage Building:
In September a new building was constructed in place of the old building at the trap range which many of you probably remember. Clays can now be stored at the range rather than in Ron Haka's garage. This was a much needed range improvement and has been on the drawing boards for some time. It is a metal pole barn type building measuring 20 feet by 24 feet. It was completed just in time for the annual Turkey Shoot.

New Roof on the Indoor Range:
Over the summer, a dedicated group of members completed the re-roofing of the indoor range. This was a much needed project to prevent damage to the interior improvements.

Courtney Lake Improvements:
Ron Mitchell and other members of the Courtney Lake committee continue to improve the camping facilities at our property there. A couple of years ago the timber was selectively harvested and the monies from this venture were dedicated to a fund for Courtney Lake improvements. There has been a spirited debate over whether or not to run electricity to the campsites. Also the ladies of the Club have been suggesting that some better toilet facilities would be a proper spending priority.

Archers Become Active:
A group of archery enthusiasts have become active within the OSC. Many of the archers from the old Baraga County Archers group have become members of the Club. They have a good deal of targets and equipment from the old archers group and have started to develop a facility to practice this sport on Club property across the highway from the Clubhouse. They also manned a archery event at the Turkey Shoot this past September which was very well received in its first year. The membership is hopeful the enthusiasm of this group continues as they develop the range and facilities for this sport.

New Leadership:
Earlier this month we elected Joe Dyke to the honor of President of the OSC. Joe has been a member for five years and has been a real spark plug from early on. Joe has outlined his program plans and goals for his presidency to the Club members. High on his list is formatting the framework to manage the Club resources in a more formal and "business-like" fashion. With the growth of the Club and its assets over the past 10 years this is certainly a worthy and timely goal.

Joe credits much of what he has accomplished for the Club to his wife Sue. Sue has been the Rental Agent for the OSC for the past two years and is very involved in many of the improvements in the facilities as well as heading up the kitchen crew for numerous meals for work bees and special events.

Elected as Vice-President was Jack Lehto, a long-time member. Jack has served on the Board of Directors and also has been Sgt.-at-Arms for the past 4 years. He has served very ably as our representative to MUCC for the past two years.

HAPPY NEW YEAR
In closing, please remember the importance of supporting your interest in outdoor sports and in the protection of our natural resources by continuing your membership and support of the Ottawa Sportsmens Club. Our by-laws charge us with the responsibility to work for conservation and the betterment of our natural resources and the environment.

2004 Officers & Dates To Remember:

Officers:

Board of Directors:

Dates To Remember:

The Membership meets at 7:30 p.m. the 1st Monday of each month except August. The Board of Directors meets the last Monday of each month at 7:30 p.m. There is a steak cookout before each membership meeting from May through September. Steaks can be purchased at the Club and all other meal items are furnished. Also starting in 2004 a meal will be prepared prior to each membership meeting and all members are welcome. A small donation may be asked.

CLUB EVENTS FOR 2004:


Weekly, May - Sept:

Club Dues 2004:

                                   2004 DUES NOTICE
                  Complete, Clip, & Return To The Membership Secretary

Dues in the amount of $25.00 for the year 2004 are being paid by:

Name____________________________ Address_____________________________________________________

Phone___________________________ E-Mail___________________________ Birthdate_________________

Occupation___________________________________ Spouse's First Name:___________________________

Comments or Suggestions: ____________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Please make your check payable to the Ottawa Sportsmen's Club and send it along with this 
form to:  Tom Hiltunen, Membership Secretary, P.O. Box 475, Baraga, MI 49908.
If you have questions concerning your membership status, Tom can be reached at 906-483-4024, 
916-452-5864 (after 1-10-04) or email at tom_hiltunen@yahoo.com. 
Dues may also be dropped off at the club house.

Each member will receive this newsletter and if your dues have already been remitted, the above 
form will be marked as paid.  However, please use it as a change of address form if necessary.

___Yes, please contact me to help with one of our events or activities.

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