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Dan Blanton Bulletin Board Striperfest annual 2009 Delta Conservation Fund Raising Raffle asks for raffle donations

September 28, 2009 -- Since its beginning a little more than a decade ago, Striperfest has raised $94,600 and has granted $84,300.  The Bay-Delta Committee of the Northern California Council of the Federation of Fly Fishers has been the tax-exempt recipient and holder of the funds generated. The NCCFFF has dispersed funds/grants at the direction of the Striperfest committee.  The NCCFFF has provided the tax deductible vessel for Striperfest and has not charged any administrative fees - 100% of the donations have been dispersed for conservation projects or youth-group grants
 
Conservation donations have been used to focus on the lawsuit filed in January 2008 by the Coalition for a Sustainable Delta (a mis-named organization), its purpose to remove gamefish status for striped bass. 
 
Striperfest has so far donated $40,200 to the California Sportfishing Protection Alliance to fight this lawsuit.  CSPA has provided legal services.  Since inception of Striperfest, CSPA has been our primary charity, receiving donations of $46,200.  The striped bass trial has become very expensive and Striperfest now needs even more funds than ever to help preserve gamefish status for this great fish, something that has existed in California since the mid 1900's.
 
Striperfest has also donated $6,200 over the past decade to youth fly fishing - the donations have emphasized getting youth on the water, actually fishing, as opposed to classroom activities.
 
One of our more effective donations has been to Earthjustice in their lawsuit against the National Marine Fisheries Service for failing to protect salmon and steelhead from the Delta water pumps.  Striperfest donated $7,300 to Earthjustice for this effort.  Since inception of Striperfest, Earthjustice has received $11,800 in donations.  As a result of the lawsuit, the NMFS was directed to revise its salmon and steelhead protections, resulting in a new plan, presented in June 2009 that caused a decrease of about 25% in water exports.
 
Striperfest donations have been a powerful force for the preservation and restoration of Bay-Delta fish, particularly striped bass.  The fundraising and donations have been recognized in the local and national media, including all the national fly fishing magazines.  The Striperfest raffle is renowned for its cache of quality gear.  The fly fishers of the Dan Blanton Bulletin Board who attend Striperfest (and others) who make the original contributions and the vendors who donate the raffle prizes make this possible.  Now more than ever, we need your generosity.  We must save our California Striped Bass!
 
So please, even in this time of time of economic stress on the fly-fishing industry, I am asking for your help in making this year’s Striperfest Delta conservation fund raiser the most prosperous ever. 
 
Thank you all so much for all your previous and continued support of this profoundly important even.
 
Sincerely,
 
Dan Blanton
Chairman – Striperfest
 
Please send raffle donations to:
 
Dan Blanton
 
14720 Amberwood Lane
Morgan Hill, CA 95037
 
408-398-6143 - cell