On July 10, 2021, we held the official grand opening of the Co-op Community Dock at the Jim Nelson Memorial Trout Pond. The trout pond is the Club's flagship resource and it's something that we are extremely proud of.
More than a couple of decades ago the Club saw an opportunity to utilize a borrow pit left behind following the construction of Highway 60. The Club jumped at the chance to turn the pit into a certified trout pond for the community. The required funds were raised, and leasing requirements put into place to make way for the construction of the pond. This was a large undertaking and included the development of a number of infrastructure projects. The Club installed a parking lot for public use, picnic tables, an outhouse, a wheelchair accessible dock, and solar and wind power to support an aerator for the fish.
The pond was named after Jim Nelson, who was a long-time member and avid angler of the club. Upon his passing, Jim left the club a generous donation which the club utilized to develop the infrastructure for the pond, and it seemed very fitting to establish the pond in his name.
Over the years, the Club has continued to stock it twice a year with rainbow trout from a local hatchery and maintain the day use area and then aeration project to ensure the fish survive the winter. On top of this, the pond has become a favorite site to hold events and educational programs for our members and the community at large. Annually, we hold a Youth Fishing Derby to coincide with the Devon Days Celebrations. We also utilize the pond for conservation projects, such as the Duck Tube Program where we installed nesting tubes on the pond to keep nesting ducks safe from predators.
After we sent out our grant applications, we received some very welcome responses from Zone 4 of the Alberta Fish & Game Association, as well as the Co-op Community Spaces program. They jumped at the chance to support the project and after some great discussions we became partners. The Club takes pride in working alongside members of our community to make it better and provide opportunity and education to its members, and these partnerships serve as a symbol of that pride.
The pond has become a staple in the community, a place where members of the community come to teach their children and grandchildren how to fish, a place where I plan on teaching my own children how to fish. A resource like this can't be understated and the Club is very excited about the new installation and know that the new dock will continue to provide angling opportunities and access to the community truly for generations to come.