Sportsman club folds but kids fishing pond carries on

NEWS RELEASE
SAULT AREA FOUNDATION FOR EDUCATION
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SAULT STE. MARIE, MICH. - Ask the young anglers who are pulling in some nice rainbow trout at Rotary Park right now if anything has changed with the Sault Ste. Marie Kids Fishing Pond, and they’ll probably tell you “no.”

The fish are there and the kids are still having fun catching them.

But with the Soo Area Sportsmen’s Club no longer in existence, having dissolved earlier this year, the community was needed to keep the pond stocked and open for area youth, and the Sault Ste. Marie Convention and Visitors Bureau, with several partners, stepped in to do it.

The pond, opened a dozen years ago, was spearheaded by the Soo Sportsmen who were assisted by the City of Sault Ste. Marie, Cloverland Electrical Cooperative and Lake Superior State University. It is now operated under the direction of a committee through the CVB’s Sault Area Foundation for Education with the help of all of those partners, and more.

“We started the foundation a few years ago to handle projects such as this one,” said Linda Hoath, executive director of the Sault CVB. “We’re not in it to make money. We just want to be able to help the community. Anything to do with kids is so important. There’s nothing better than the outdoors, and we have a lot of that to offer here. Getting kids outdoors is important in making Sault Ste. Marie and the region a better community for families, and we’re honoured to be a part of that.”

Hoath said its foundation is governed by the same board of directors as the CVB, and it is audited annually as required by law. The foundation will hold funds that are donated and raised for the pond and the annual Connor Gorsuch Kids Fishing Day, while a committee will decide how and where to use the funds, and how it might best raise additional funds, just as it has done in the past.

“To insure the upkeep of the pond, later this fall we will set up a meeting of interested people to make fundraising plans to keep the pond stocked,” said Roger Greil, past Soo Sportsmen president and pond coordinator. “In the past, we paid close to $4 per fish, and that is just for stocking; it’s not including upkeep of the pond. So, it is costly.”

Greil said others have already joined the cause to keep the pond open.

“Thanks to the CVB, Pendill’s Creek National Fish Hatchery and the Michigan DNR, the pond was able to continue this year. I don’t know if it would have without their help,” said Greil. “And with Linda, the CVB and SAFE so willingly taking over the financial management, we should be in good shape.

“The assistance from community members and local businesses continues to be strong,” he added. “We couldn’t do it without everyone who donates or volunteers. Thanks to everyone involved, the pond will still be a part of the city. Sponsors will still maintain it and make sure there are fish for kids to catch.”

Over the years, the Soo Sportsmen and others spent thousands to stock fish monthly and upgrade pond equipment. Volunteers from a variety of corners, including LSSU, Cloverland and the city, to provide the labour.

“I think you would be hard pressed to go by the pond and not see a young angler fishing or someone on their way to the pond, either walking or on their bikes,” Greil said. “It has been a great asset for our youth.”

The Sault Ste. Marie Kids Fishing Pond is open to all kids aged 16 and under from 6 a.m.-10 p.m. every day from when it is stocked in June until the net is lifted at the end of September. A net keeps fish in the pond, which is essentially a blocked-off oxbow in the St. Marys River behind Rotary Park. Every entity that has jurisdiction over the river – tribal, federal, state and local – has agreed that the pond is important and needs to be maintained.

One of the more popular events surrounding the pond is the annual Connor Gorsuch Kids Fishing Day, which is always scheduled for the last Saturday in July. This year, the 13th annual event is set for July 28, and the pond will be stocked again the night before the event. It will be closed to fishing that evening in order to increase the odds of kids catching fish the next day. Dozens of sponsors donate to provide prizes, bait, tackle, drinks and food. Everything is free.

“Gary and I are so proud to be a part of this day,” said Angela Gorsuch, who volunteers with her family every year. “With the help of the Soo Area Sportsmen’s Club, we became a part of it after the loss of our first son, Connor. The support we receive from the community is nothing less than amazing and we couldn’t be more proud to be a part of it. Seeing all of the kids have a great time, with smiles and excitement, is exactly what we wanted for this day.”

You and the kids you know can be a part of it, too. For more information about the pond or the Connor Gorsuch Kids Fishing Day, or to find out more about donations needed, call Greil at 906-635-1949, Gary or Angela Gorsuch at 440-2203, Tom Pink at 440-5797, or the Sault CVB at 632-3366. Donations may be made to the Sault Area Foundation for Education, P.O. Box 1000, 225 E. Portage Ave., Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 49783, or by calling 632-3366 or 800-647-2858.

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