CAST Event at Elephant Butte Reservoir
By: Kim Greenwood
This year was different.
Elephant Butte Reservoir contained only 10 percent of storage. The Marina Del Sur had moved due to low water levels. New, unmarked dirt roads led to the Marina. And, the morning was downright cold.
Even then, twice the number of kids as usual, their parents, boat captains and a host of volunteers showed up at the right place on time for the 2004 C.A.S.T. for Kids event.
"Forty kids! We doubled the number from last year," Brent Tanzy said enthusiastically.
Tanzy, a Resource Management Specialist for the Bureau of Reclamation's Elephant Butte Field Division, is a co-coordinator for the event with Chris Bolen, Park Ranger, New Mexico State Parks.
The event may be all fun, but it is not all fishing. Before boarding the boats, Casey Harthorn, New Mexico Game and Fish, regaled the youth with stuffed fish pillows, explaining some fish anatomy.
"Okay, fourth graders and above, raise your hands!" said Harthorn. "If you are in the fourth grade or above, this is an operculum. For the rest of you, it's a gill cover. Now, fourth graders, what is it?"
"Operculum," they shout.
Again he says, "Fourth graders and above, these are called barbels. For the rest of you, they are whiskers. Okay fourth graders, what are they?"
"Barbels!" they reply.
So much for the anatomy lesson . . . the youth line up with their boat captains, grab their tackle and away they go. And, the dock is quiet . . . just the lapping of waves.
Jim Owens, Executive Director of C.A.S.T., shares with those left on the dock information about himself and the program. A bass fisherman and cancer survivor living in Seattle, Washington, Owens loves to talk about youth, fishing and the effervescence of C.A.S.T.
In 1991, Owens attended an event at which Wayne Deason, who was Reclamation's Assistant Director for the Office of Policy, spoke about Reclamation's re-invention, its need to build partnerships. Owens got to thinking. He loved fishing. Reclamation had reservoirs. Wouldn't it be nice to spread his love for fishing with others? Who would most benefit from the experience? Youth . . . disabled and disadvantaged youth who don't get the opportunity to fish. Yes!
Owens' idea gelled. The Washington Bass Federation could partner with Reclamation's Pacific Northwest Region for a one-time fishing event for primarily disabled and disadvantaged youth. He met former Pacific Northwest Regional Director John Keys, and a professional and personal friendship developed.
"From day one, John has been a great supporter of C.A.S.T.," said Owens.
The first event was held at Banks Lake in central Washington, and it was so much fun for everyone involved that they couldn't just stop at one.
"Originally, I thought it would be a Washington-only thing, and it just grew primarily through the Bureau of Reclamation at first," Owens said.
He soon quit his job to establish C.A.S.T. for Kids as a nonprofit entity and become its Executive Director. Owens travels around the country, attending as many of the events as possible, thanking the sponsors and watching the kids catch a special thrill. Often during the summer, some of the events occur simultaneously, limiting the number he can attend.
In 2004, 34 C.A.S.T. events were held, 19 of which were with Reclamation. Other events are held with Bureau of Land Management, Army Corps of Engineers and private entities. He hopes the Fish and Wildlife Service and other Department of the Interior agencies will soon hold events on their lands.
"Without Reclamation as the backbone of the thing, it just wouldn't happen," Owens said.
Funding for C.A.S.T. comes from Reclamation, local partners in the area of the event, and Combined Federal Campaign contributions. Some of the items funded by C.A.S.T. for the events include: fishing rods, tackle boxes, hats, shirts, trophies and plaques.
Local sponsors solicit youth from Make a Wish Foundation, Ronald McDonald Houses, Shriners Hospitals and local schools.
Ah, the first boat slowly motors past the dock. Others will soon to follow, so the discussion with Owens ends. Organizers hail volunteers to cook hamburgers and serve food. Others help the youth out of the boats, fish and all. Those knowledgeable about fish congregate around the catch to admire, identify, weigh and measure the fish to determine the winners.
Craig Weisner the unofficial, official photographer for the Elephant Butte C.A.S.T. events quietly weaves in and out of the excited mass of youth capturing the thrill of success, the joy of the moment.
The boat captains, all of them men, most of them managing three or four youths each and their boats, breathe sighs of relief as their duties are done.
All flow through the food line, devouring it quickly, chili chips depleted first. Each youth leaves with something . . . a trophy, a plaque . . . and all sport smiles.
As the day is done, Tanzy concludes with his philosophy for all such events, "You learn to deal with what happens. Success is barely contained chaos."
And so, volunteers leave, holding onto the memories of today, hoping that for some a desire to fish is sparked, and anticipating the chaos of next year.
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(Click on a picture to enlarge)
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