Help our wounded warriors and disabled vets

[9ft4wt]

The Fly Fishers of Virginia and Project Healing Waters need the help of all fly fishermen and women in Virginia.

For those of you not familiar with Project Healing Waters, it is a program started three years ago at Walter Reed Hospital. The concept is to provide physical and mental therapy to wounded service members or disabled veterans who are patients at military hospitals by teaching them to tie flies, cast and fly fish. The program has been extremely successful and is expanding to other locations.

The Richmond-based Fly Fishers of Virginia has started a PHW program at Hunter McGuire Veterans Hospital. As part of FFV's support for the program, we have worked with Delegate Kirk Cox of Chesterfield and the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries to draft an amendment to a state law that will make it easier for these wounded warriors to go fishing in Virginia.

While Virginia has a terrific program for allowing disabled veterans who are Virginia residents to obtain a lifetime license, many of the patients with whom we and other PHW groups work are not Virginia residents.   Another Virginia law allows veterans who are patients at military hospitals to receive a waiver on the license if they go on organized group fishing trips.

Unfortunately, the law currently prohibits them from fishing stocked trout waters.

The legislation, Delegate Cox is championing will correct these problems by rewriting the law. The bill is HB319.

So far we have 35 co-patrons, but we would like to have even more and we would like to encourage Senators and Delegates to vote in favor of the bill when it comes up.

Please help us by contacting your delegate or senator and urging them to send a co-patron form to Delegate Cox for HB319.

You can find out who your representatives are by visiting: http://conview.state.va.us/whosmy.nsf/main?openform

Once you have entered your address and found out who your legislators are, you have the option of sending them an email.

Here is a message you can use or you can draft your own:

Wounded members of our armed forces and our disabled veterans have sacrificed to protect our country and we owe them a debt of gratitude.

That's why I am asking you to support Delegate Kirkland Cox's legislation HB319. This bill amends an existing law and will make it easier for patients at military and veteran's hospitals to go fishing for trout.
The bill will be a tremendous help to a program called Project Healing Waters. Project Healing Waters works through military and veteran's hospitals to teach our wounded warriors to fly fish. Fly fishing has been found to be a terrific physical and mental therapy for these men and women who have given so much for our country. In addition to improving motor skills, increasing concentration and helping to learn to use prostheses, fly fishing boosts their confidence and their spirits.

Please sign on as a co-patron to HB319.



thanks

9ft4wt

[FT]

Done

[Al]

I'm not a VA resident so can't contact a legislator but for what it is worth and you can pass it on - Down here in NC the NCWRC has embraced the Wounded Warrior Program. As you have seen by my previous posts the NCWRC has invited them to use the newly built JEPFEC facility to include the stocked ponds and loaner fishing equipment. I see it as a win -win for everyone.

Not sure what would happen if an organized group wanted to take them fishing in the mountains but expect for that particular trip the license requirement would be waiver or overlooked - I don't think a NC Game Warden or any of the folks in NCWRC would want to see their photo in the paper as they write a ticket for such a violation. (Understand now - this is just my opinion but for sure I will look into it and post more later)