May 2025, Volume 80 No. 5
Club Website- www.richlandrodandgun.org
Club Facebook- www.Facebook.com/RichlandRodandGunClub
2025/2026 Officers
President
Evan Kirkpatrick
(414) 534-2817
Secretary
Mike Estes
(509) 551-9066
Treasurer
Ron Moore
(509) 521-4528
I GIVE MY PLEDGE AS AN AMERICAN TO SAVE AND FAITHFULLY DEFEND FROM WASTE,
THE NATURAL RESOURCES OF MY COUNTRY; ITS AIR, SOILS, AND MINERALS.
ITS FORESTS, WATERS, AND WILDLIFE. I WILL HELP EDUCATE FUTURE GENERATIONS
TO BE RESPONSIBLE CARETAKERS OF THE RESOURCES OF AMERICA.
Introduction to Firearms Class
Ron Ruth just announced that an Introduction to Firearms class will be held on June 21, 2025. The class will be co-hosted by the Richland Rod and Gun Club and the Tri-Cities Metallic Silhouette Association. Attendees must be at least 18 years old or accompanied by an adult to take the class. There will be a limit of 30 registrants for the class. The class will be comprised of two parts. The first part will include an introduction to the safe handling of firearms, the different parts of a firearm and sights, the different types of firearms (pistols, rifles, and shotguns), and actual handling of firearms by participants. The second part of the class will include a demonstration of shooting of different calibers of firearms and actual shooting of firearms by the students. For further information and registration call Ron at 509-737-7350.
Thank You Received
A thank you card was received this month from the Tri-Cities Chapter of Coastal Conservation Association (CCA) for the RRGC Use of Funds donation given to CCA. CCA’s primary focus is on conservation and restoration of coastal marine resources, including the salmon returning to the Columbia River from the Pacific Ocean. CCA advocates for the interests of recreational fishermen in discussions with state and federal agencies.
Guzzler Maintenance
Rex Sherburn of Pheasants Forever, Harlin Bryson & Larry Martin assembled catchment apron frames for Guzzler 220 on March 28. Relocation and repair of the guzzler in the Pepiot and Blanton roads area in Franklin County is planned for Saturday, May 10th. Please call Larry Martin 509-521-2554 if you are available to help on May 10..
On April 10 Larry Martin used his electric bike to ride the edges of winter wheat fields to inspect and clean four guzzlers southwest of Prosser in the Lincoln and Sellards roads area. Larry strapped a shovel, rake, and nylon trimmer to the front bike rack; carried additional tools in his backpack; attached a GPS unit to the bike handlebars; and rode a bit over eight miles to complete the inspections. Larry said the bike ride was fun and was far easier than walking. A photo of Larry’s bike is shown below.
Vice President
Adrian Quinones
(619) 861-9204
Photo of the Month Contest Guidelines
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Must be taken in current license year.
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May include hunting, fishing, habitat, camping.
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Must include a critter (human or wild).
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Harvested game must include the hunter or angler.
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Winners will be selected by the Board of Directors.
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All photos become property of the Club.
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Note: The Board may use discretion in applying the guidelines when selecting the winning photo.
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Please include name of photographer and date taken.
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To submit entry, email it to rrgcsecretary@gmail.com at least 6 hours before the monthly board meeting which occurs at 7:00pm on the third Thursday of each month.
MEETINGS AND DEADLINES
Next General Meeting – May 6, 7:00 PM at Richland Public Library
Next Board Meeting- May 20, 7:00 PM at Griggs Pasco Hunter Ed room
June Newsletter Contribution Deadline is May 22.
Email: admin@richlandrodandgun.org
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May 6 General Membership Meeting
7:00pm at the Richland Public Library
Katie Maikis, USFWS Deputy Project Leader of the Mid-Columbia National Wildlife Refuge Complex, will present on current habitat management at McNary and Umatilla National Wildlife refuges, focusing on the farming and waterfowl hunting programs. She will highlight projects to improve waterfowl habitat and the history of and potential changes to the farming program. Katie spoke to the RRGC Board of Directors on October 17 and highlights of her presentation were included in our November newsletter. She has been looking forward to speaking to and with the RRGC general membership and answering any questions you might have.
Become a member today!
Download the May 2025 newsletter
Photo of the Month
There was only one contest entry this month. Winner by default was a photo taken and submitted by Evan Kirkpatrick of Richard Sharp with what Evan describes as “the elusive size 8 Columbia River sandal”. The photo was taken March 28 on the Columbia River while the guys were searching for some early season walleyes.
Don Hand
Larry and Jean Martin and Mike Estes represented RRGC at a retirement party for Don Hand in Prosser on April 5. Don worked for the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife for 37 years and has been an RRGC member since 1993. Don received letters of appreciation from WDFW Director Kelly Susewind and Governor Bob Ferguson and several attendees told stories spanning from his high school days up to his retirement. Scott Rasley, one of Don’s retired co-workers, told about the excitement of using explosives to blast holes to create drinking ponds for deer and elk on Robinette Mountain in the Blues back in the 1990’s. RRGC contributed funds to that project and later to the Upland Wildlife Restoration project that Don has involved with. The photo below shows a group of WDFW employees who were at the party who worked together on a turkey relocation project. Some of you will recognize Jason Fidorra, Scott Rasley, Don Hand, Mike Livingston, and Pat Kaelber in the front row. Pat has been selected to fill Don’s Region 3 Conflict Specialist position.
See below for contest rules and please keep those photos coming! All contest submittals will appear on the big screen at the Wild Game Dinner in March.
Membership Renewals
Annual memberships expired on March 31. If you haven’t renewed your membership for the current year, please do so soon because we don’t want to lose you as a member. If you need assistance or have questions about your membership, please send an email to our Membership Committee chair, Karen McNiven, at richlandrodandgunmembership@gmail.com
Life Member Award Presented
Richard Libby was presented a Life Member Award by Past President Richard Sharp at the April 15 Board of Directors meeting. Rick would have received the award at the Wild Game Dinner in March but he was unable to attend. Rick has been a member since 2005, received the Distinguished Service Award in 2010, received the Gardner-Cranston Award in 2019, and was Treasurer from 2012 to 2024 when he resigned to move to California. Rick has provided exemplary service to our organization and we thank him profusely for his contributions.
KOE 2025 Fishing Events
Thanks to the many volunteers who helped make this year’s KOE Special Needs Fishing and Kids Fishing events held at Columbia Park Pond on April 11 and 12 a huge success. Lots of large hungry fish made for quick three fish limits for many happy anglers. A group of twenty-six volunteers assembled fishing rods at Grigg’s on March 29 and others each picked up 50 to 100 rods to assemble at home. 1,040 fish were tagged for prizes at the Ringold Hatchery by volunteers and over 7,000 Rainbow trout were delivered by WDFW to the pond a few days before the fishing events. 171 tags were recovered for prizes donated by Dairy Queen, Amazon, Ranch & Home, Grigg’s, Texas Roadhouse, Dead Worm Fishing, and RRGC. Special thanks to Marilyn Steele for leading the overall effort, sleeping at the park to provide security, and for feeding the volunteers well (as always!); to John Prather for coordinating delivery and removal of trailers and equipment; and to Dale Schielke for soliciting tagged fish prizes, leading the fish tagging activities, and keeping book on prizes awarded. More fish cleaning stations added this year plus more fish cleaners helped speed the process for cleaning the catch of more than 1,000 anglers.
Welcome to Our New Members
The Board approved not five, not ten, but sixteen new memberships this month! Many of them joined at the Wild Game Dinner. We are happy that they celebrated that evening with us and are also happy that they decided to join RRGC. Please extend a warm welcome to Silas Clayton of Kennewick, Scott and Linda Hawley of Benton City, Howard Kallio of Richland, Owen Matson of Richland, Elijah Woollum of Pasco, Lyle Hobartmineer of Kennewick, John Crosby of Kennewick, Lynn Sprague of Kennewick, Zane Lane of Richland, Ray Cohoon of Walla Walla, John Propson of Richland, Johnathan Cook of Richland, Shannon Nichols of Pasco, Brian Skeels of Kennewick, Garrett Gray and Family of Kennewick, and Ryan Kelsey and Family of Richland.One of our newest members, Owen Matson, won a fishing trip at the Wild Game Dinner that was donated by Blair’s Sport Fishing. Owen and his guest have already collected on the trip and must have enjoyed the day based on the photo below. Thanks to Ache’n Arms Guide Service, Afloat ‘N Afield Adventures, Blair’s Sport Fishing, Captain Jack’s Guide Service, Casting for Memories Guide Service, Flatout Fishing, and Williams Guide Service for donating hunting and fishing trips for the Wild Game Dinner raffles and auction.
Hunter Education Class Schedule
Twelve students passed the Hunter Education class that concluded with Range Day on April 5. Silas Clayton provided the photos shown below. The next classes will be evening classes starting July 11 and September 8. The September class will be the last class this year. Registration will open on line at https://wdfw.wa.gov/hunting/requirements/education/basic about 30 days prior to the start of the classes.
Submit photos of some of your spring excursions so we can share the fun with everyone. All contest submittals will appear on the big screen at the 2026 Wild Game Dinner.
Submit entries to rrgcsecretary@gmail.com
Click this PDF icon to download the April 2025 newsletter
Update your contact information!
If you have changed your address, your phone number, or your email address please use this link and scroll to the bottom of the page where it says
“Update My Contact Information”.
Richland volunteer opportunities for members (richlandrodandgun.org)
Get involved in one of our Committees:
Salmon in the Classroom: Mike Estes estesm34@gmail.com or
Gene Van Liew – e.van-liew@hotmail.com
Wild Game Dinner 2025: Marilyn Steele – momhoops46@gmail.com
Wood Ducks: Dale Schielke – dahlialou@gmail.com
KOE Kids Fishing Day: Marilyn Steele – momhoops46@gmail.com
Hunter Ed: Ron Ruth – RonRuth.HunterEd@gmail.com
Guzzlers: Larry Martin - larry49martin@gmail.com
Youth Conservation Camp: Larry Martin - larry49martin@gmail.com
Membership: Karen McNiven – richlandrodandgunmembership@gmail.com
Scholarship: Mike Estes - estesm34@gmail.com
Website: Braydon Wodtli and Micah Little – admin@richlandrodandgun.org
RRGC Club Upcoming Activities
Salmon Summit Fish Release – April 29 and 30, 8:00 to 10:30am, Col. Park East Boat Ramp
Next General Membership Meeting – May 6 at 7:00pm, Richland Public Library
Introduction to Firearms Class – June 21, 2025
About
Richland Rod & Gun Club is an organized group of hunters, fishermen, and conservationists who share a common interest in the outdoors. Each year the Club members volunteer in a number of work projects that improve wildlife habitat, educate young potential hunters / fisherman, and raise funds for Club projects.
Meetings
The RICHLAND ROD & GUN CLUB meets the first non holiday Tuesday of each month except July and August at 7:00
The meetings are open to the public and consist of a short business meeting followed by a program of current interest.
Board meetings are held on the third Tuesday at 7:00 at Griggs Pasco meeting facility.
The Richland Rod and Gun Club offers opportunities to work in activities associated with wildlife, the outdoors and youth education. We would appreciate your involvement with one of our projects or programs that include, Fishing, Dog Training, Scholarship, Public Lands, Youth Activities, Migratory Waterfowl, Habitat, Game Birds, Big Game , Landowner Relations.
Content contributions, suggestions, or criticism to the RRGC website should be emailed to, admin@richlandrodandgun.org