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JAMESTOWN RESERVOIR HOST FIRST EVENT
On September 3rd, the Bureau of Reclamation hosted its first C.A.S.T. for Kids event on Jamestown Reservoir in North Dakota. The event was held at Stutsman County Park. Over 100 special needs children were given the opportunity to enjoy a fun filled day of fishing and spending time in the outdoors.
It takes a lot of hard work by a lot of dedicated people to put on an event like this. I'd like to recognize those that have been so instrumental in organizing this event here today.
- Laurie Padoll, Associate Director of Day Programming at Alpha Opportunities - one of the primary coordinators
- Denny Lorenz & staff, Stutsman County Park Board - Site preparation and overall management of Jamestown Reservoir recreation facilities
- Gene VanEckout & staff, North Dakota Game and Fish Department - stocked the fish pond
- Zachmier Manufacturing Inc. of Mandan - contractor that fabricated and installed the fishing pier
- C&J Contracting of Minot - construction contractor for the parking pad and sidewalks
- Reclamation staff, particularly Larry Kuntz
- Thank you to the Boy Scouts Venture Group 175 for providing the color guard and leading us in the Pledge of Allegiance.
Last, but certainly not least, we want to thank Mr. Bill Moffett. Bill has been the primary organizer of this event. Without Bill's efforts, this event would not be taking place today. Bill is one of those special people who give so freely of their time and talents to make the lives of others special. To quote Dave Jensen, who is the Volunteer Coordinator for the ND Game & Fish Department, "Bill is one of the greatest volunteers in the Jamestown area." Bill started as a volunteer instructor for the NDGFD in 2000, and has coordinated more than 70 events and has volunteered nearly 600 hours. Every week, Bill takes handicapped individuals from the Anne Carlson Center and area nursing homes fishing here at Jamestown Reservoir. A year ago, Bill enlisted the help of Congressman Pomeroy and Reclamation's Area Manager, Dennis Breitzman to address the need for a larger, handicapped accessible fishing pier so that more could participate. The Congressman and Mr. Breitzman recognized the importance of that need. In a letter to Congressman Pomeroy, Mr. Breitzman said that "Reclamation strives to make public lands accessible to all members of the general public … and we plan to purchase and install the new dock in time for the summer 2003 recreation season. Thanks to Bill's efforts and Reclamations commitment to provide accessible recreation experiences at its reservoirs, today, we have a new fishing pier for this event.
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