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Dennis Grimes understands it’s a challenge to get people to commit the time to join a club.
He was the same way, once.
But four years ago, Grimes decided to attend a meeting of the Luzerne County Federation of Sportsmen’s Clubs just to see what it was about.
Today, the Pittston resident is president of the federation. He liked the club enough to not only join but to take over the top post after past-president Jerry Schutz passed away. Now, Grimes is hoping other individuals and groups will see the benefit of having a unified voice for hunters and anglers and sign up as well.
“A lot of people aren’t joiners, I understand that,” Grimes said. “But once I got involved in the club and introduced to new things, I enjoyed it. You learn a lot more by being a part of this.”
The federation consists of six clubs in Luzerne County totalling 800 individual members. There used to be more, Grimes said, and with the strong base of hunters and anglers in the county there is plenty of room to grow.
And plenty of reasons to join.
With a consensus of its members, the federation takes positions on numerous issues facing hunting and fishing and lobbies legislators and the state Game Commission and Fish and Boat Commission to express their support or opposition on a matter.
Currently, the federation is tackling such issues as ATV use on public lands, firearms regulations, Sunday hunting, use of suppressors for hunting and allowing the PGC and PFBC to set their own license fees.
“We work with our member clubs to try to determine what is in their best interest. Education is the key element,” Grimes said. “We put together a position paper with pros and cons and then representatives go back to their member clubs and get a recommendation.”
Several of the current member clubs have been with the federation for decades. Phil Levandoski, who is 1st vice-president of the federation and a member of the Nanticoke Conservation Club, said his group has been involved for 30 years.
“It’s a benefit to be a part of this because the federation is a voice for all of us,” Levandoski said. “Our club can say something to the Game Commission or Fish and Boat Commission and they’ll listen. But when you have the federation — — that represents six clubs — doing the talking, they’ll really think about it.”
The federation dates back to 1960, according to Grimes, who has the minutes of a meeting that took place on Jan. 11 of that year at the Mountain Top Hotel. Clubs that attended that meeting 57 years ago included Flint Hill Conservation, Pioneer Rod and Gun Club, United Sportsmen Camp 271, Brookside Sportsmen and the Georgetown Conservation Club.
Other clubs came and went in the following years, such as Newtown Field and Stream, Campbell’s Ledge Camp 208 and the Mountain Top Rod and Gun Club.
Grimes said the number of sportsmen’s clubs in the county has declined because of a factor that plagues all organizations – time.
Still, Grimes is optimistic those numbers can rebound.
“I am encouraged by the youth programs and the greater number of women in leadership roles at our clubs,” he said. “We need new members with new ideas and energy. We want to expand and grow.”
The federation can help member clubs thrive and grow, and even operate more efficiently, in a number of ways. Local wildlife and waterways conservation officers use the federation as a conduit to communicate changes in the law and events to hunters and anglers in the county. The federation also saves clubs some time by handling the research, education and communication on issues impacting the outdoors.
“Our dues for a club is just $1 per member. If an individual club did the job that we do, it would cost them far more,” Grimes said. “Together, we are a stronger voice.”
