Take a kid fishing. Your time and your expertise mean everything to kids who don't have a knowledgable family member to show them the basics. They will remember it forever, and you have a chance to teach the next generation about fishing, sportsmanship, ethics, and respect for nature.

Federation of Fly Fishers, Twin Tiers Five Rivers Chapter. Meets first Monday of the month (except holidays) at 7:00 pm in the Village of Big Flats in the new Community Center across the street from the fire house. Members teach introductory fly tying and fly fishing sessions, assist in SAREP programs, and help with trout stocking. Trips to local waters also take place on a planned and ad hoc basis. For more info, contact club president John Lively (607-739-8791)

The Chemung Basin River Trail Partnership.  A voluntary organization of agencies and residents working together to make the Chemung River system accessible to all. Monthly meetings are open to the public and membership is free.

Chemung River Watch.  A volunteer citizens group dedicated to preventing Chemung River pollution and dumping and getting existing dumpsites cleaned up. Meets in Elmira at 7 PM, the first Thursday of each month, at the Westside Chemung Canal Bank building. For more info email Linda Couchon or Dave Grier, or call Dave at 733-6293.

LOSA - The Lake Ontario Steelhead Association. Working to improve steelhead (and salmon) angler ethics through hands-on education and demonstrations of various legal and effective tributary fishing techniques.

Trout Unlimited, Conhocton Valley Chapter . Members from Elmira, Corning, Bath, and Hornell meet monthly at the Bath VA Hospital. Contact chapter president Greg Hefner for more information.

Trout Unlimited, Catherine's Creek Chapter. Meets 3rd Monday of the month at 7 PM at Mimi's Lounge, Sullivan Street, Elmira. In the past, this group spent its own time and money to prove that stocked trout will overwinter in Park Station and Eldridge Lake, paving the way for ongoing stocking by the DEC. They were instrumental in winning an allocation of nearly $300,000 of Environmental Bond Act money to restore rip-raps and hole-diggers to Catherine's Creek which were destroyed by flooding and subsequent flood-control work. They have sponsored a fishing derby for kids at Eldridge Lake. New members, especially those willing to participate in conservation and other chapter projects, are welcome. Contact Tim Blank, Chapter President @ 607-733-5309.

Trout Unlimited, Canandaigua Lake Chapter . Check out their website for details on their meeting schedule, events, and some useful info on trout streams west of Corning and south of Rochester.

Southern Tier Bassmasters . Local chapter of the national Bass Anglers Sporting Society, sponsors bass fishing tournaments. Club meetings are every second Wednesday, of every month, at 7:00 p.m. at the Bolivar Country Club, Little Genesee, New York. Also sponsors a Junior Bassmasters club for kids.

Eagle Scouts Here are some ideas to consider for your community service project:

• Develop a proposal for the DEC to buy public fishing access rights to Sing Sing Creek in the new housing developments there.
• Organize a clean-up of the boat launches along the Chemung River - they are litter magnets.
• Work with the DEC and Trout Unlimited on stream stabilization or habitat improvement projects.
• Have your troop adopt a section of a local river or stream and clean up the parking access areas once a month.
• Float down a section of river or stream and do a water quality survey, looking for point sources of pollution & erosion, dumping, and illegal gravel mining. Take temperature, dissolved oxygen, and other measurements.

Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association This grass roots organization is focused on preserving and improving the water quality of Seneca Lake. They have been very effective in getting all the various municipalities, towns, and counties around the lake to take a holistic watershed-wide approach to developing plans to address water quality issues such as agricultural pollution, zebra mussel control, and water level management. They have a variety of things for volunteers to do. SLPWA, 435 Exchange Street, Suite 20, Box 247, Geneva, NY 14456-0247. (315) 789-3052

PA Rails to Trails.  This organization has been active in the northern tier of PA. They develop plans for using abandoned railbeds for recreational purposes -- biking and hiking. The 23 mile-long Pine Creek Gorge trail is one stunning example of their success.

Carantouan Greenways.  This organization is based in the Waverly-Sayre-Athens area ("the valley") and has been instrumental in the development of public-use access facilities such as boat launches and bike paths on both the Chemung and Susquehanna Rivers.

PA Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources - Conservation Volunteer Program  Trail and wildlife habitat maintenance, research, environmental education, and forest fire prevention.

Duck's Unlimited.  I believe there is a local chapter. Good way to get involved in wetlands preservation & conservation.