January 2022 Newsletter
Member Photo Appeal
We would love to display your artistic expressions of the Madison River! The Foundation is compiling a gallery of images to use in our newsletters, on the website, and for general marketing purposes. We call upon our members to share any of your favorite images of the Madison River and the valley area with us if you desire. When utilizing your images, we will give visible recognition to the photographer. Pictures cannot physically identify anyone (show faces) without written consent, therefore we do request primarily images of local scenery and landscapes. We will not send your photos to any other persons or organizations. If you are interested in submitting images for us to share, please send the photos to membership@madisonriverfoundation.org. We appreciate your involvement!
New MRF Gear
This year the Foundation is going to have new logo gear available. We currently have our new stickers in, pictured above! They are available to mail to members. They come in two sizes – 3.5 inches or 5.5 inches wide. If you would like us to mail you a sticker, please complete the form below to have one sent to you in February. We will also have branded hats and shirts available to members at a future point this year and will communicate when they are ready.
2022 Foundation Updates
Our members are the fundamental core of the Foundation, facilitating the ability to monitor the health of the Madison, collect data for science-based projects, determine available water resources, and enable conservation education in the community. We value your participation, input, and support. This year we have moved to new membership levels: Junior, Annual, and Lifetime. All non-lifetime memberships will now be active on a calendar year basis. If your membership expired before September 1, 2021, we invite you to renew your membership for 2022 by February 15, 2022. Annual memberships will have access to member swag and voting rights through December 31st each year.
For all levels of membership and general donors, we have dedicated funds available for donations and will be introducing donor recognition levels this year.
Restricted fund accounts include river science, water resources, riparian projects, and conservation education. When making donations you can add a note to allocate your contribution to specific fund accounts. We will be publishing annual and cumulative donor recognition levels on our website and in marketing materials. If you wish for your donation(s) to be anonymous, please be sure to notify us.
In addition to individual updates in 2022, we will also have new business sponsorship opportunities. Business sponsors can support the Foundation at three levels: Tributary, Confluence, and Mainstream. Our business supporters will be displayed on the website, in marketing materials, and at events. We will also have window posters available for your display. More details to come!
New Event Calendar
We are happy to announce that our event calendar is live on the website! We have posted our annual member meeting date, with a time to be determined. Your input as to what time works best for you is welcomed. Email membership@madisonriverfoundation.org to provide your feedback. The 2022 annual Ennis Fly Fishing and Outdoor Festival is also posted. There are more exciting events to come this year, and we will publish them as soon as details have been finalized. We hope to see you this year!
Hebgen Dam Malfunction Recap
On November 30, 2021, the Northwestern Energy (NWE) Hebgen Dam had a gate malfunction, which resulted in a drop in water levels in the upper Madison River. The gate was repaired on December 1, 2021. We are sending regular emails when new information becomes available, which are also being added to our website under "News" to keep members up-to-date.