Using a Unique Sport to Connect Others to the Wonder of Restored Ecosystems – Fly Links
David Bidelspach
5 Smooth Stones Restoration and RiverSHARED
Livermore, CO
Authors: Maxwell Linder, Jack Abbott and David Bidelspach
What do you do with a restoration project or mitigation bank when it is deemed successful, and the monitoring period is complete? This question was proposed to RiverSHARED over the past ten years. How do we get the younger generations and other people outside of the industry excited about being in nature and ecosystem restoration? This is another question that the industry has been asking for decades. RiverSHARED has been given an idea by friends that hypothesizes a unique sport that could address both of these questions in some applications.
Fly Links is a new experience and sport unlike anything else. Combining the characteristics that make fishing and golfing fun while connecting to your inner outdoorsman. An event that is goal oriented with a track and structure to follow but also allows you to wonder and be in awe of nature. A structure that puts “players” on a fishing “track”. Fly Links layout keeps people and “play”/movement going forward using its fishing stations(strokes) on every hole. This allows players the experience of natural fishing adventure like trying to find the hole that holds unique sport and native fish without as much need to think/trial and error. With anywhere from 3-5 stations(strokes) per hole over 9 holes there is no doubt in player/designers head that trophy fish can be landed, the odds are in anyone’s favor.
Our team is excited to promote native historically non-game species as well as well-established game species. The fishing experience will require innovative and new approaches to catch and release of species that have not previously been promoted in this way. We are excited about the opportunity to connect people to the wonderment and awe of restored and natural reference ecosystems through this new sport called Fly Links.
5SSR and RiverSHARED are currently working on developing masterplans for multiple fly links courses in 4 difference states and unique ecosystems. This talk will simply be to introduce the concept of Fly Links for discussion and discuss ideas, dreams and hopes with the participants in the session.
About David Bidelspach
David has been “Beloved” since 1977 and desires on the good days to share this love with others. He has worked and played in streams since before 2002, when he was drafted by Greg Jennings at NCSU. Nomadically, his family has lived from bags, while traveling to distant lands to work with streams, rivers and mud puddles. David’s community desire is to train others, to share the gift of ecosystem restoration and to stay in wonderment and awe of nature. Mr. Bidelspach wants to encourage others to spring up among the ordinary green grass, like willows by flowing streams.
