Issue 1•August 2004
If you live on or vacation at Claytor Lake, you know first hand the unique beauty of this body of water
cradled in the mountains of Southwest Virginia. Claytor Lake is a special place, but only through caring
stewardship will it remain that way. Help us maintain and preserve this beautiful place for generations to
come. This monthly e-newsletter serves that purpose. Keeping you informed about the land and water
we care so much about.
________________________________________________________________ ______

This issue’s content:
1. Some FOCL FAQ’s.  Friends of Claytor Lake Frequently Asked Questions
2. Email Drive.
3. FOCL Membership Drive.
___________________________________________________________________ ___

1. Some FOCL FAQ’s

Just what is FOCL? FOCL (pronounced “focal”), short for the Friends of Claytor
Lake, is a non-profit organization that exists for you and by you (and hopefully of
you) to care for Claytor Lake and the surrounding area.

Does FOCL have a mission? Yep. You’ll find our mission statement here:
<http://www.focl.org/page2.html>

But what does FOCL do? Our most visible work is lake debris clean up. Being
a river-lake, driftwood and debris are constantly flowing into Claytor Lake.
It takes a coordinated and constant effort to keep this debris in check and
our lake beautiful.

So FOCL picks up trash? Yes. But FOCL does so many other things too! Behind
the scenes we are monitoring water quality, watching out for the long term
health of Claytor Lake through studying siltation, monitoring invasive aquatic
plant life, promoting boating safety, and helping to promote community
involvement in this special part of Southwest Virginia.

Does FOCL go about its mission alone? By all means, no! You would be
surprised at the number of governmental, academic, and ecological
organizations with which we work. These include Pulaski County, the Corps of
Engineers, Virginia Tech, Ferrum College and many more.

Who can be a member of FOCL? Anyone who cares about Claytor Lake can be
a member of FOCL. You don’t have to live here.

How do you become a member of FOCL? What makes you a member of FOCL
is your on-going, annual participation in the caring of Claytor Lake through FOCL
either with your time, financial support, or both.

Are there different levels of membership in FOCL? The more participation we
have, the better job we can do together. Toward that end, FOCL promotes
greater participation in the organization through membership giving levels.

How is FOCL run? FOCL is managed by the organization’s officers and board of
directors headed up by FOCL President Ron Powers.
_________________________________________________________________ ______

2. Email Drive
Beginning with this e-newsletter, we are striving to communicate electronically
important issues to FOCL members and anyone who cares about Claytor Lake.
We have 134 active members in FOCL, but only 59 member email addresses. So
if you have a neighbor, friend, family member--any acquaintance--who has not
received this FOCL e-news but should, please forward it to them. Also, please
mention to them that if they would like to receive it on a continuous basis to
forward us their email address.
_____________________________________________________________________ __

3. FOCL Membership Drive
You might find this interesting: there are 1,930 neighbors who live on or near
Claytor lake, with many many others who spend time here. Yet we have only 134
active members in the Friends of Claytor Lake. You cannot live or play here and
not love this land and water. Our ability to take good care of Claytor Lake comes
only with your help as a fellow steward of this beautiful area. If you have yet to
join FOCL this year, consider it now! Go to http://www.focl.org/page12.html for
details.

Join FOCL today! You can make a difference.

______________________________________________________________

Thanks for your support of FOCL and Claytor Lake. http://www.focl.org


To send comments about this publication, reply to this email.
To unsubscribe, reply to this email and put "unsubscribe" in the subject line.