Ambitious agenda laid out for new "Reel Recreation"

A recently formed non-profit group threw an introductory event Friday night to introduce its vision and hopes, which started with friends putting on a fishing tournament but now embraces much more.

Nic Alexander told a group gathered at Voltage Coffee House after hours that the new "Reel Recreation" non-profit aims to encourage kids to get outside. The group sponsored the informal event.

The group of friends originally got together to take over the management of the Grand Coulee Dam Area Chamber of Commerce's annual Triple Fish Challenge fishing tournament. Lou and Peggy Nevsimal started it and ran it for about seven years but needed to hand it off.

All avid outdoors enthusiasts, the group often got together on Friday nights. But for the last three years, they've been working at growing Triple Fish, putting more emphasis on including kids.

Eventually, opportunity, inspiration - and probably beer, Alexander admitted - got them to see more possibilities.

"We were discussing the opportunity to do more than just that one flagship event," Alexander said. "And I don't really know when it got to a relatively formal discussion, but we decided that that's what we wanted to do: We wanted to take the triple fish event on ourselves, independent from the chamber, and then grow the theme of trying to get kids and outdoor events into this community."

Alexander is the president. Rich Coffey is vice president; Alex Velazquez is treasurer; Rachelle Baughman, secretary; Alex Velazquez, treasurer; and Brian Walters, Adam Florenzen, Nikki Tonasket, and Ian Turner all serve on the board.

Importantly, they've gotten a 501c3 non-profit status under the Internal Revenue Service code, which allows for tax deductible donations.

They're all young "relatively outdoor related families," Alexander said, and they asked, "what's something that we all do that we want to make sure our kids get into?"

Hunter education came up as a need. They contacted the state Dept. of Fish and Wildlife, met with Eastern Washington officials who agreed to get them certified for teaching classes.

Working with the Grant County Sheriff's Office and Paddle Safe Washington, they'll be bringing in paddle board instructors and boards. Kids who participate in four hours of instruction will get a free life jacket, Alexander said.

"These are kind of the directions we're heading," he said, "and the theme of what we're trying to do."

But that's not all. The group is hoping to bring back the net pens to raise trout in Banks Lake again after that effort folded a few years ago.

And for the first time, kids won't necessarily have to be in a boat to experience catching fish at Triple Fish. Pacific Aquaculture, where Florenzen's wife Danielle works, will supply 100 trout kids can catch for free right off the dock at Coulee Playland in a pen.

The group's website at reelrecreation.com is currently offering registration for the Triple Fish tournament and has more information, such as a quick form to help you get involved.