Onondaga County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney announced Tuesday that her proposed 2011 county budget this fall will include funding for the Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery. The announcement came at a press conference at the hatchery in Elbridge, during which Mark Hettler, president of the Friends of Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery, officially accepted a donation of $11,006.73 from Bass Pro...
Bass Pro Shops presented a check of more than $11,000 to the Friends of the Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery Tuesday. The money will be used to help with costs at the hatchery. Picture, from left, Mark Kratz (Bass Pro Shops), Karen Stevens (Bass Pro Shops), Rob Barber (Bass Pro Shops), Mark Hettler, Bill Lansley (Onondaga Parks Commissioner), Joanie Mahoney (Onondaga County Executive) Onondaga County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney announced Tuesday that her proposed 2011 county budget this fall will include funding for the Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery.
The announcement came at a press conference at the hatchery in Elbridge, during which Mark Hettler, president of the Friends of Carpenter’s Brook Fish Hatchery, officially accepted a donation of $11,006.73 from Bass Pro Shops Operations Manager, Rob Barber.
“I’ve heard loud and clear from the people who live in this community” that they want the hatchery open, she said. Mahoney said hatchery supporters have made a very compelling argument about the its contribution to the county’s quality of life and the local economy.
She said that the hatchery staff has over the years built up a tremendous reputation in Onondaga County for trout fishing — a reputation based on the level of trout stocking, which includes more and bigger fish than those streams stocked by the state Department of Environmental Conservation.
“The budget that we’re putting together that we will present to the legislature in September will fund the hatchery operation,” she said. “You’re going to have to now turn your fax machines on (to send letters supporting the hatchery) to the county Legislature, which has final approval.”
She said during the past year she’s received her share of “I fish and I vote” letters, faxes and emails.
The Bass Pro Shops check came from donations solicited from customers at Bass Pro’s Fingerlakes Mall store in recent months, along with from a series of hotdog sales at the store, Barber said. Team E Outdoors, a local outdoors show in its second season on the Time Warner Sports channel, also did a 5-minute promotional spot on the hatchery and its stocking efforts, highlighting Bass Pro’s fund-raising effort.
Mahoney thanked Bass Pro for the donation. Hettler said earlier this month the Bass Pro Shops check will be used to supplement the hatchery’s budget.
Last fall, Mahoney ran into a firestorm of criticism when she proposed closing the hatchery to help make up for a county budget shortfall. Lobbying efforts by sportsmen’s groups and others, though, turned the tide and the hatchery was put back in the spending plan by county lawmakers, thanks in part to due promises made of outside help.
In addition to a $10,000 commitment from the Friends Group, talks afterward between county officials and SUNY ESF resulted in a student internship program at the hatchery, which resulted in additional cost savings.
Mahoney said during the past year college interns contributed more than 800 hours of volunteer intern work at the hatchery – a situation expected to continue for the coming year.
The county executive noted that recent legislation put forth by local state lawmakers to have the state Department of Conservation return a portion of the fishing license fees bought by county residents to help run the hatchery went nowhere this year. She said due to the state budget crisis, the proposed legislation failed because Gov. Paterson “isn’t signing anything that costs the state money.”
“We’re going to be back again with it next year and I do believe eventually it will be successful,” she said.