Dear Editor,
The Chester Rod and Gun Club would like to thank the residents of Chester for voting to maintain tax exemption for our club so that we can continue to provide services to our community members.
The Chester Rod and Gun Club is a nonprofit organization, run by a board of volunteers. We have spent over a century teaching generations of Vermonters to enjoy the outdoors while hunting and fishing safely and respectfully. There are so many things that make Vermont and this community special, including our commitment to keeping the land open and productive, making sure streams and rivers are kept clean, and preserving our traditions of respecting and enjoying where we live.
Each year, the Chester Rod and Gun Club provides two or more scholarships to the Green Mountain Conservation Camp. For over 50 years, this program has been teaching our youth about forestry, ecology, botany, wildlife management, and outdoor skills. We also sponsor an annual youth fishing derby at the Chester Reservoir that introduces and rewards our children to the virtues of patience and perseverance while enjoying a day outside.
In addition, the Chester Rod and Gun Club holds one of the longest standing safety records while teaching youth programs, classes for women, maintaining rifle and pistol ranges, and holding weekly skeet and trap sessions. The ranges are provided free of charge for training of law enforcement officers, and for our women and men in the military. In addition, we open the use of the ranges free to the residents of Chester from the third Saturday in October to the end of the calendar year.
We want to express our gratitude to our community for continuing to help us make these services possible.
Sincerely,
Troy Rietta
Chester Rod and Gun Club president