It is not often enough that I’ve taken the time to recognize and appreciate the important contributions made by the Anglers for Conservation’s staff. A little more than three years ago, Mrs. Heather Askew Sears recognized she could combine her passions for recreational fishing and conservation with her operations and fundraising skills
and put them to work for an upstart non-profit organization. Thankfully that organization was Anglers for Conservation.
Heather’s heart-filled work has helped the AFC grow both in its financial security and outreach. Besides working closely with the AFC’s executive board and chapter leaders; she has played a major role in increasing fundraising efforts; and also methodically improved many of the AFC’s procedures while streamlining the overall efforts needed to organize and conduct numerous AFC events and Hook Kids on Fishing programs.
“Working with the AFC has been a rewarding and challenging experience. We have been strategically taking steps to organize this dynamic group into a sustainable organization that will lead the way in responsible angling education throughout Florida. As AFC’s Development Director, I will continue to help grow the organization’s capital in a responsible and respectful way. We will continue to reach out to local businesses and to partner with other like-minded organizations and use our resources wisely to the benefit of our programs.”
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| Development Director, Heather Askew Sears |
Mr. Mike Conneen comes to the AFC with more than ten years experience with non-profit organizations and hundreds of hours of volunteering with the AFC. Earlier this year, Mike resigned from the AFC Board to become AFC’s new Executive Director.
The passion, vision and skills Mr. Conneen carries with him are significantly enhanced by his ability to understand the perceived divide between recreational fishing and conservation advocacies. He also grasps the reality that both groups agree there’s a need to better protect our marine resources and the habitats and water quality these resources depend on to survive.
“Our waterways need our help more than ever now and with the proper education and awareness, tomorrow’s generations can enjoy clean water like I once did in the IRL as a child.” Mike Conneen.
It is exciting to see what a positive-guiding influence both Mrs. Askew Sears and Mr. Mike Conneen will have on the future of this organization.
President – Anglers for Conservation
DAD
Written By TJ Stallings
If you grew up in Central Florida, you grew up near a lake. You were blessed. I too was a very fortunate young boy. This story begins on one of those many lakes, Lake Estelle. You may have driven over this lake on your way to Winter Park. Yes that lake. A causeway known as Mill’s Avenue splits the waters.
Dad parked on a side street early that morning. Walking through the wet grass, we quickly made our way towards the bridge. Though our feet were soaked, our minds were on the first cast.
We cast our jigs with ultra-light rods. Our quarry was the Coppernose bluegill. These are Florida native panfish. They fight hard and taste so good. Dad quickly bagged seven before I landed my first one. He was a great angler.
I added another fish to the stringer. Then it happened. I dropped the stringer and it quickly began to sink. The fish began to swim in all directions, tethered to that yellow cord. I shouted to dad to come quick.
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March Events
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Connect to Help Protect – A 3Rs and Beyond Program Series
3Rs and Beyond, Inc., a 501 (c)3 organization, is dedicated to promoting sustainable living and the 3Rs in the community through educational programs that focus on young children and their families. We want to empower people to help preserve the environment and build, together, a healthy, harmonious, and sustainable community where there is no room for waste.
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AFC Smiles on Amazon!!! Do you like shopping? Do you like raising funds for Anglers For Conservation? Well it’s your lucky day because you can now do both simply by shopping on AmazonSmile. Click on the link below and 0.5% of your purchase will be donated directly to the AFC. Thank you for your support. |
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Five Easy Ways for You to Improve Fishing in Your Backyard In today’s media-driven world catch words like conservation and environmentalist often turn the hairs up on the back of mainstream anglers’ necks. The thought of more regulations coming down the throats of those everyday fishing folks is both frustrating and discouraging. We all want to improve the fishing in our communities, but the idea of more bureaucracy is not one the majority of anglers welcome with open arms. One easy way to improve fishing in your backyard is to become more proactive in your community. Take full responsibility for your actions, instead of looking for someone else to blame. If you can succeed, things will only become easier. |
