THE BOYERS SPORTSMEN'S ASSOCIATION

The Boyers Sportsmen's Association was founded on June 20th, 1947 when a group of local men adopted the by-laws and constitution of the present day organization. They decided among the other things that the mission of the BSA should be to "promote the conservation and propagation of wild life, of our woods and streams and to protect at all times in a legal and just manner the interest of all true sportsmen".

Sixty years later the spirit and wishes of our founders continue in the present membership. SInce 1947 the BSA has been an affiliate of the PA Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs and the National Wildlife Federation. The BSA plays an active role in the local community with; Adopt a Highway, Collection Cans at trout streams like North Branch Slippery Rock Creek, sponsoring Scouts, County Conservation School, Youth Field Days, Hunters' Training Education, and family social functions.

The Boyers Sportsmen's Association was revitalized after a brief period of inactivity in the late 80's. It started with a handful of past members calling on old and new members to do a clean up of the "Sportsmen's Park" or the Sportsmen's Dam as it is now known. Brush was cut, grass mowed, trash removed, a bridge repaired and a new pavillion built. A rebirth of the BSA was taking place! The first meetings were held at local halls until the S.O.I. Lodge in Boyers was provided. In a gracious gesture, the S.O.I. members joined with the BSA and transferred the lodge to the BSA. The S.O.I members became life members of the BSA.

The annual trout stocking by the BSA has become a major local event. Families and children bring their buckets as thousands of trout have been placed in the BSA lake. In the beginning, Black's Run was the waterway chosen for the project. Members cleared debris and made stream improvements in preparation for the stocking of trout. Mother Nature had different ideas and after a 2 year experiment, flood waters made the BSA discontinue the project. It has been said that failure breeds opportunity and the delivery of trout during the flooding caused the BSA to consider using the Sportsmen's Dam. After a small conference, the shipment of Rainbow, Brown, and Brook Trout were stocked. The rest is history as the annual stocking has been taking place every April since.

Another mission of the founders of the BSA was to have "created and fostered a fraternal spirit among Sportsmen of our district, coordinating their interest and unifying their actions." In addition, they wanted "to enlighten our members and the general public as to the condition of wild-life and fish-life and their habitat." Even fifty years ago the founders knew problems were inevitable and that a fraternity of like minded people was essential. In the past 19 years we have reinforced these ideals with a traditional family game supper. This festive gathering of people is a major event for the BSA. In years since, we have also produced cookbooks in order to reflect our ideals and to remind every household of our mission, and recently celebrated our 60th Anniversary as a Sportsmen's Club.

 

The BSA Lodge