To the editor:

We as members of the Suffolk-Nansemond Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America belong to what has become one of the nation’s most well respected environmental/conservation organizations since it was started in 1922.

There are more than 8,000 members of the organization in Virginia, and the Suffolk-Nansemond Chapter has been here since 1954. We are always looking for new members and for ways to make a difference in our environment.

“Ikes” make a difference in road placement and construction, toxic waste dumping, river and stream erosion and pollution, agricultural runoff, acid rain and in national and local land acquisition programs that work to place environmentally sensitive land into public trusts.

We encourage hunting with bag limits and fishing with creel limits to ensure the health of herds, flocks and schools of game species. This is so we can guarantee a national sport heritage and recommend ways that man can live with nature, doing no harm in order to pass a healthy environment along as a legacy to our children’s children.

The Suffolk-Nansemond Chapter of the Izaak Walton League of America, functioning as an arm of a national nonprofit organization, relies on donations and revenue from pancake suppers, wildlife calendar sales and other fundraisers to implement all of the environmental and conservation projects we take on each year.

We also offer scholarships to graduating high school seniors and to college students who plan to make conservation or environmental work a lifetime profession.

For more information, visit our national website, IWLA.org, or the Suffolk chapter’s site.

Rickey George

President