Houston Canoe Club

Draft Board Meeting Minutes

July 1, 2026

Officers in attendance: Natalie Wiest, Commodore; Christy Long, Vice Commodore and Website Master; Bruce Bodson, Fleet Captain; Tracy Caldwell Becker, Purser; Harmon Everett, Newsletter Editor; Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman; and Mike Grove, Recorder.

Officers absent: Tyrone White, Boatswain, had been online for 10 minutes or more, waiting to be admitted to the meeting based on the original Zoom meeting link that had been circulated. Problems developed with that original link, however, and no board members were able to join the meeting based on the original link. A new link was subsequently circulated by email, but Tyrone had become unavailable before receiving the new link and therefore was absent from the meeting. 

Commodore Natalie Wiest called the Zoom meeting to order at 7:25 pm. She noted that beginning on August 12, the monthly HCC General Membership meetings will be back in the Annex of the Bayland Community Center rather than the Art Room. Natalie then asked the other officers present to make their brief reports.

Mike Grove gave his Recorder’s report and offered the Minutes of the June 3 Board Meeting for approval. Upon motion for approval made and seconded, the Minutes were approved by all present.

Christy Long gave her Vice Commodore’s Report.

• Christy first reported that although she was unable to arrange a speaker for the July General Membership meeting, Natalie has gotten a speaker for that meeting. It will be Chris Arceneaux, who will speak about Fish and Fishing from Kayaks.
• She next noted that she and Natalie will be the speakers for the General Membership meetings in August and September. Christy will be the speaker in August, about "House Boating on Lake Powell," and Natalie will be the speaker in September, about "Big Ben Revisited. Remembering Trips on the Rio Grande."

Tracy Becker gave her Purser’s Report.

• Tracy shared her written Purser’s Report for the month of June on the Zoom screen and reviewed the revenues and expenses during June, all of which were routine. The written report showed the solid financial status of the Club, and Tracy reported that there are no unusual revenues or expenses that are anticipated for the remainder of the year.
• While the topic of finances was being discussed, Christy reported that she had purchased from her personal funds for approximately $26.00 a Club t-shirt to give to a meeting speaker, and she then gave it to Tom for speaking at the June monthly Membership Meeting. She asked whether the Board would approve the Club reimbursing her for that expenditure. Upon motion for such approval being made and seconded, all present approved of the Club’s reimbursement of Christy for that expenditure.  

Bruce Bodson gave his Fleet Captain’s Report:

• Bruce first addressed his upcoming July 4 Columbus Loop trip. Natalie questioned whether members could sign up online for that trip, and Bruce responded that the Event Calendar instructs people to just call him to be added to the list of participants. 
• Bruce continued to report that since the last general meeting date and the upcoming general meeting date, the Club has had just 5 trips scheduled, so this period has been a little less active and some of the trips were a little shorter than others have been. 
• Bruce reported a trip of 11 miles down in the San Bernard bottoms from FM 2929 down to the park.

Harmon Everett next gave his Newsletter Editor report:

• Harmon said among other troubles encountered with the Newsletter as a result of the recent, extensive service disruptions on the Club Express platform, the HCC’s WaterLine logo disappeared from not just the current Newsletter, but it is also gone from years of Newsletter pages. He said that he called Club Express to learn more about this problem, and they told him that several other clubs have reported to Club Express that their logos are also gone. Harmon said that he has been able to capture a screenshot of the Club’s logo, but that it is currently uncertain whether we are going to be able to get the logo back into the monthly Newsletter.
• Harmon continued to report that every day, as he is working on the upcoming Newsletter, new problems are encountered with loading documents, and with documents becoming garbled through the loading process. He has reported all of this to Club Express and that they are “working on it.”
• Harmon reported that he will continue to try to work with Club Express to attempt to resolve ongoing problems, but that in the next two days after the Board meeting he and Terry will be going to Georgia to hike the Appalachian Trail, and they will be gone until about August 10.
• Harmon said that he does expect to produce the August Newsletter.

Tom Douglas next gave his Conservation Report:

• Tom first reported that he has been contacted by Chuck Falk of HASK, who asked if HCC would want to coordinate with HASK to have our members reserve seats on the July 31^st Pontoon Boat cruise, sponsored by Buffalo Bayou Partnership, to travel from Allens’ Landing to the Waugh Bridge to watch the nightly departure of the bats that “hang out” under the Waugh Bridge. After discussion, all present agreed that HCC should publish this event to our membership with instructions that participants should go onto the Buffalo Bayou Partnership website to book their individual seats on the 26-passenger pontoon boat, and that HASK members would be doing the same. Tom agreed that he would confirm that plan with Chuck Falk of HASK, and that Tom would post something on the website to notify our membership of the procedures for joining in this event.
• Tom then reported that different agencies in Harris County are all getting together and working on a flood resilience plan, and they are asking for public input. There is going to be a workshop on July 16th at the Whites Park Community Building. It is going to cover the watershed protection plan for Double Bayou.
• Then July 18, the Bayou Preservation Association is having a free workshop on rainwater harvesting. It will be led by a master gardener, Terea See.
• Finally, on August 19 from 8 to 10:30 am at the new Gessner Center for the Galveston Bay Foundation, there will be a volunteer operation to plant cordgrass. It will be a good opportunity to meet and work with other volunteers and do something good for Galveston Bay.

Old and New Business.

• Natalie noted that she has not heard anything further from Lynn Andrus on the October Fest event that she had been planning. She noted that Lynn had initially described big plans, but as far as Natalie knows they are not yet going anywhere.
• Natalie reported that she is getting many ads for the International Canoe Federation World Championship races in Oklahoma City on July 20 to 25, and that she has reposted one of the ads to the Canoe Club website.
• There being no additional old or new business to address, Natalie adjourned the meeting at 7:51 pm.

Recorder,

Mike Grove

Houston Canoe Club

Draft Minutes of General Membership Meeting

July 8, 2026

Call to Order: The meeting was called to order at 7:01 pm by Commodore, Natalie Wiest.

Officers in attendance: Natalie Wiest, Commodore; Christy Long, Vice Commodore and Website Master; Tracy Caldwell Becker, Purser; Tyrone White, Boatswain; Bruce Bodson, Fleet Captain; and Mike Grove, Recorder.

Officers absent: Harmon Everett, Newsletter Editor; and Tom Douglas, Conservation Chairman.

Meeting attendance: 19 members were present in person. No members attended via Zoom.

Commodore’s Report:

• Natalie proposed the approval of the draft Minutes of the HCC’s June General Membership Meeting, as published in the July Newsletter. A motion for approval of the minutes was made, followed by a second to that motion. Upon affirmative vote of those present, the motions carried and the Minutes of the June General Membership Meeting were approved.
• Natalie then asked the HCC officers to make their respective reports, beginning with Fleet Captain, Bruce Bodson.

Fleet Captain’s Report: Bruce reported on the following paddling activities.

• The Club has had 5 paddling events since the June membership meeting. There was a total of 55.31 available paddling miles during June. There have been 32 club paddling events during 2026. During the last month there were 18 members and, year-to-date, 53 members who participated in club paddling events, along with 11 non-members. Available paddling miles year-to-date were 422.72, and total participant paddling miles were 2,117.93 miles.
• Trip leaders and number of trips led during this year have been Bruce Bodson – 14, Christy Long – 6, Kent Walters – 6, Natalie Wiest – 3, Joe Coker – 2, Tom Douglas -2, and Chris Arceneaux -1.
• Bruce, along with trip leader input, mentioned particulars with regard to: the 5 mile Champion Lake Recon on June 20 led by Natalie; the 10.4 mile Caddo River trip on June 26 led by Kent; the 11.17 mile San Bernard River trip on June 27 led by Bruce; and the 8.18 mile Colorado River, Columbus Loop trip on July 4 led by Bruce.
• Bruce then previewed the following upcoming trips: a 19 mile LaGrange Canoe Classica preview trip on July 11; the 19 mile, LaGrange Canoe Classica Race on July 18; a 26.2 mile Brazos River trip from US 79 to SH 21 on July 25; and the 62 mile, Colorado River 100K race on September 12.
• Christy also reported to Bruce that she intends to lead a club trip on August 1, possibly the Colorado River, Columbus Loop.

Boatswain’s Report: Tyrone reported that:

• During June the Club did not gain any new members but had 1 renewing member, resulting in a current total of 120 members. As of the end of June the Club had a total of 1079 Facebook followers, up from 1073 at the end of May.

Purser’s Report: Tracy reported that there was not much revenue or expense activity during June. She reported that the Club’s financial position is solid and future expenditures and revenue during the year are expected to be routine.

Natalie Gave a Conservation Report in Tom’s Absence: She reported that:

• HCC and HASK members are booking places on the Buffalo Bayou Partnership’s Bat Cruise on July 31, during which 26 people can ride the BBP’s pontoon boat from Allen’s Landing to the Waugh Bridge to watch the exodus of thousands of Mexican free-tailed bats emerge from underneath the Waugh Bridge to begin their nightly hunt for insects over Buffalo Bayou.
• Natalie then reviewed Tom’s July 8 Conservation Report prepared by Tom for the General Meeting, which included notice of the following events: Harris County Flood Resilience Plan-Open House Meetings on July 14, 20, 27, and 29 at 5:30-7:30 pm at 4 different locations around town, including Bayland Park on July 20; Free Workshop on Water Quality in Double Bayou on Thursday, July 16, from 1:00 to 5:00 pm at the Whites Park Community Building, at 222 White Park Memorial Road #220, Wallisville, TX; Rainwater Harvesting Workshop on July 18 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm in Third Ward Multi-Service Center at 3611 Ennis Street, Houston, to be led by Master Gardener Terea See; and Coastal Care Wednesday on August 19 from 8:00 to 10:30 am at Galveston Bay Foundation’s new Gesner Center at 1725 N. Hwy. 146, Kemah, TX, where volunteers will plant native species, remove overgrowth, and maintain habitat areas while learning from staff about coastal ecosystems and restoration.

Natalie next Gave a Newsletter Report, in Harmon’s Absence: She reported that Harmon was away hiking the Appalachian Trail, and although he said that he might be a little slow in getting out the August Newsletter, everyone who has a submittal to include in the newsletter should send it to Harmon and he will include it. He will have some limited, ongoing ability to work on the Newsletter during his absence.

Susan Eda next reported on a Safety Minute: She began by noting that World Drowning Prevention Day is July 25. She said that Jim Coffey, a well-known floodwater rescue person, is encouraging people all over the world to sponsor drowning prevention events. Susan said that she, herself, is providing training at 3 such events, two of which are on September 12 and 26 at Buffalo Run Park, and the third is on September 19 at an as-yet-to-be-determined river. Susan said that anyone interested in any of those presentations can contact her for more information. She also directed attention to a Facebook group, called World Drowning Prevention, that people can join for free where they can get more information about Drowning Prevention activities. She made specific reference to a presentation on that Facebook page by Dr. Stephanie LaRue, who is a number one swift water rescue technician, emergency medical person, and a swift water rescue ACA instructor. Also on that Facebook page, she mentioned that there are numerous interviews and talks regarding drowning prevention and treatment of near-drowning victims.

Susan also spent some time addressing the website, rivers.run, which is a web and mobile platform for paddlers and whitewater enthusiasts that provides real-time river levels, water temperatures, and crowdsourced paddling data. The site is designed, among other things, to help users determine exactly what river flow levels mean for skill levels and safety.  

Natalie then introduced the evening’s Principal Speaker, Chris Arceneau.

Chris gave his presentation: Fish and Fishing from Kayaks.

• Chris began his presentation by talking a little bit about the evolution over the last 40,000 years of catching fish to eat. He also incorporated some Safety Minute alerts regarding the importance of avoiding getting a fishing hook stuck in your body, getting entangled in fishing line, and capsizing your boat, with you ending up in the water in the midst of all of your fishing gear and tangled in fishing line. He also talked about avoiding being stuck by the spines on the side lateral and dorsal fins of certain kinds of catfish like Hardheads and Gafttops, because those spines are covered with toxic slime that can make you seriously sick. He advised that you should be sure to dress properly, including wearing, in addition to your PFD, a wide brimmed hat, long sleeved shirts, and gloves.
• Chris next talked a little bit about the equipment, including spin-cast reels (the most beginner-friendly option), spinning reels (the most popular and versatile choice), and baitcasting reels (preferred by experienced anglers for superior accuracy, power, and distance). He also described the fishing rod types associated with the various reels. He passed around for the group to handle several rods with each type of reel. He also talked about the basic bamboo fishing pole, with fishing line tied to the tip and a hook tied to the other end of the line, which he described as a great way to get youngsters introduced to fishing, by catching the various, plentiful types of bream, aka sunfish or panfish.
• Chris then talked some about outfitting a kayak (or canoe) for fishing, beginning with having adequate rod holders to secure several fishing rods and possibly including a kayak tackle crate. He talked about the different types of freshwater, brackish water, and saltwater fish that are popular to fish for and catch, including those that are best to eat. He showed posters that had examples of the various species of fish that he was talking about, and he tested the audience on how well they could identify the various fish, giving prizes to those who first answered correctly! He gave some examples of the various types of lures that might be used for various species of fish. He spent a little time on the various types of catfish, along with setting everyone straight on the fact that catfish, and not feline cats, are the origin of the old saying, “There’s more than one way to skin a cat!” He next talked about specifics of catching certain other kinds of fish, like Largemouth Bass, Flounder, Speckled Trout, and Redfish.
• Chris next talked about various specific fishing trips he has taken, one of the most noteworthy being to the First Chain of Islands in Espiritu Santu Bay. Chris spoke in detail about getting there, camping there, and fishing there, and he suggested that after the summer months are over, he would be happy to organize a fishing trip to that area.
• Chris also spoke about a few nearby day trips, such as East Matagorda Bay, Tompson’s Bay Camp from Trinity Bay, and Fort  Anahuac.
• When Chris’ talk ended, everyone present applauded and voiced their approval of a great presentation. Natalie and Christy both mentioned that the Club wanted to give Chris a memento to thank him for his time, effort, and delivery of a great presentation. But Chris declined, saying that he is making it a practice now to minimize the things that he collects over the years, which he no longer has any more room for.

Old and New Business.

• After thanking Chris, Natalie then noted that beginning with the upcoming August meeting, the monthly membership meetings of the Club will be back in the Annex of Bayland Community Center until further notice. There was then no additional old or new business to address, and Natalie adjourned the meeting at 8:45 pm.

Recorder,

Mike Grove