Dear Friends of the Jackson Hole One Fly:
Well, another year has come and gone, and the excitement of an approaching One Fly is starting to build. Along with looking forward to this year’s event, the rekindling of friendships built on the water, and the opportunity to once again raise money in support of the Snake and the South Fork rivers, I also find myself looking back to better reflect on where and how I’ve spent time in the past year and what I’ve learned that is relevant to our mission with the JHOF.
This year I’ve had the good fortune to read a few books that left me with a profound feeling of gratitude and appreciation for how one person (and all of us) can make a difference on an ever-more-crowded planet. The first book was Stronghold, the story of regular One Fly participant Guido Rahr’s efforts on behalf of Pacific salmon and steelhead. This mission has taken him all around the Pacific Rim, from the Pacific Northwest to Canada, Alaska, Asia, and, most impressively, the Kamchatka Peninsula where he somehow helped a Russian oligarch to see the value of conserving a key and still-pristine stronghold for giant Taimen – all part of an effort to identify, protect and preserve key habitat for that ancient species and other Pacific salmonids.Guido’s knowledge, patience, bravery, and indomitable spirit in continued pursuit of his goal should be an inspiration to all who fish, hike, camp or otherwise take advantage of our dwindling supply of intact ecosystems. The second book was Mountains Beyond Mountains, the incredible story of Dr. Paul Farmer who over many decades and through great personal sacrifice and incredible leadership made Herculean efforts to solve grinding health crises in some of the most impoverished places in the world, including Haiti.
Having recently returned from a much-anticipated salt water flats fishing trip to the north coast of Cuba, a place marked by both pristine fisheries and extreme poverty, I caught a glimpse of the challenge and opportunity faced in different but related ways by Guido Rahr and Dr. Paul Farmer – the challenge to improve the human condition while also preserving our natural world and to do the first while paying keen attention to the second. It can often be overwhelming to think of the state of the world today with the never-ending challenges we face, and yet, as noted by famous anthropologist Margaret Mead and as exemplified by the two individuals cited above, “never underestimate the ability of a small group of committed individuals to change the world, indeed, they are the only ones who ever have.” With the Jackson Hole One Fly and through the One Fly Foundation, we all have the opportunity to act as “committed individuals” and positively impact the great fisheries on which our annual event relies, all to the benefit of the ecosystem, the fish that call it home, and those of us who love to ply the waters. Thanks for your continued participation in and support of the One Fly. We look forward to seeing you soon.
Best wishes and tight lines…
Greg Case