Godfrey's Pond

Photos submitted by Judy Schildwaster.

Bentley Fielding, left, 5 and from Batavia, watches his little sister, Paisley, 2, painting while her mother, Brittany looks on during the Kids Flag Day Craft Saturday at Godfrey's Pond in Bergen. 

Families work on their patriotic projects this weekend during the Kids Flag Day Craft at Godfrey's Pond in Bergen.

Photos by Nick Serrata.

Press release:

Are you up for the Companion Retriever Hunting Challenge? 

There will be one at 10:30 a.m. Saturday, June 26 at Godfrey’s Pond, located at 7925 Godfrey's Pond Road.

This is a fun event representing an actual duck hunt over water and a field goose hunt and is open to all sporting dog breeds that hunt waterfowl.

It is open to handlers age 12 and up.

All dogs should be familiar with multiple shots from a 12-gauge shotgun.

NO dogs that currently hold a hunt test or field trial title can enter.

NO professional trainers allowed to handle dogs; professionally trained dogs may participate.

Registration fee is $35 per dog. All fees for the event will be donated to the Godfrey’s Pond’s conservation programs.

Scoring will be done by Jim Beverly.

First-, second- and third-highest scores will receive plaques. All handlers (regardless of score) will be entered into a lottery for prizes.

The focus is on enjoying the experience with the dogs and networking with fellow waterfowl hunters. 

There is no pressure and plenty of help available -- Jim Beverly and Andy Merkel will assist each handler with any training or handling tips for those needing it.

Contact Jim Beverly or Andy Merkel via email to request a registration form and specific information on what the event consists of.

Jim:  jbeverly@retrievertrainer.com

Andy:  amerkel@retrievertrainer.com

Here's a video posted on The Batavian on May 25, 2019:

The folks at Godfrey's Pond hosted an open house today, called Hunting and Fishing Days.

Elaine Maria Beachy, 44, of Comet Road, Warsaw, is charged with confinement of companion animal in a vehicle in extreme temperature. Beachy was issued an appearance ticket for Oct. 1 in Town of Batavia Court after she allegedly left a cat in a vehicle Sept. 6 in a parking lot on Veterans Memorial Drive. Outside temperatures were estimated to be about 89 degrees while the interior temperature of the vehicle was estimated to be about 116 degrees. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Graff, assisted by Deputy Ann Brade.

Dennis Lee Majors, 62, of Clinton Street Road, Stafford, is charged with second-degree harassment. Majors was arrested Sept. 5 following a report of a domestic altercation wherein he allegedly grabbed and pushed another person. He was arraigned in Town of Stafford Court, released on his own recognizance, and is set to return to Stafford Court on Oct. 8. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Joseph Graff.

Eric Cosimo Pellegrino, 32, of Firestone Street, Lackawanna, is charged with driving while intoxicated, following too closely, and having a controlled substance outside its original container. Pellegrino was arrested at 11:09 p.m. on Aug. 2 on the charges following an investigation into a motor-vehicle accident on Route 77 in the Town of Pembroke. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Kevin McCarthy.

Robert T. Hanlin, 40, of Alexander, is charged with operating motor vehicle while impaired by drugs, 1st, and moving from lane unsafely. He was issued uniform traffic tickets returnable to the Town of Bergen Court on Oct. 7. On Sept. 6, Troopers responding to a 9-1-1 call of an erratic operator on State Route 33 in the Town of Bergen, were waived down by a concerned citizen who alerted them that the vehicle had driven on the opposite side of the roadway on several occasions and the operator, later identified as Hanlin was in the Bergen convenience store. Hanlin failed to properly perform field sobriety tests and was transported to SP Batavia where Genesee County Sheriff’s DRE Deputy completed a drug evaluation which indicated Hanlin was impaired by drugs and unable to operate a vehicle safely.

A 16-year-old who lives on Walnut Street in the City of Batavia was arrested Aug. 27 and charged with petit larceny. The teen allegedly stole a backpack, an iPad, and a Sumsung tablet from another person. The teen was issued an appearance ticket and is to appear in Batavia City Court on Sept. 15. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Malik I. Ayala, 23, of Lydun Drive, Albion, is charged with petit larceny. On Sept. 5, Ayala was arrested for allegedly stealing a bicycle on Aug. 27 from another person. Ayala was issued an appearance ticket and is scheduled to appear in Batavia City Court on Sept. 15. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Christopher Lindsay.

Todd M. Holly, 50, of Lincoln Avenue, Le Roy, is charged with first-degree criminal contempt. Holly was located on Gilbert Street in Le Roy and arrested for allegedly violating a full stay away order of protection. He was transported by Batavia PD headquarters by Officer Felicia DeGroot and arraigned in City Court and then jailed without bail.

Kathryn M. Yark, 18, of Roosevelt Avenue, Batavia, is charged with third-degree unauthorized use of a vehicle. On July 18, she was arrested for using a vehicle without permission. She was located at the GC Jail visiting her boyfriend. She was transported to Batavia police headquarters, then arraigned in City Court before being jailed with bail set at $1,000. She is to be in City Court at a later date. The case was investigated by Officer Marc Lawrence.

A 17 year old from Pavilion was arrested by the Le Roy Police Department on Sept. 6 and charged with: driving while intoxicated, a Class A misdemeanor; driving while intoxicated with a BAC of .08 percent or more, a Class A misdemeanor; inadequate exhaust; insufficient tail lamps; unsafe tires; and having more than one passenger under the age of 21 while holding a DJ license, all traffic violations. The teen was arrested following numerous traffic infractions by the Le Roy Police Department. After a brief investigation the subject was allegedly found to be intoxicated. The subject was issued appearance tickets for the charges and is to appear in the Le Roy Town Court on Sept. 28. At this time the name of the defendant is being withheld because of the possibility of a youthful offender status. 

Montel Lee Cunningham, 22, of Ellicott Street, Batavia, is charged with failure to obey a child support order. He was arrested on a warrant out of Niagara County Sept. 6 following an investigation into an underage drinking party. He was turned over to the Niagara County Sheriff's Office. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Chad Cummings, assisted by Deputy Andrew Hale.

Andrew Charles Webster, 22, no address provided, is charged with petit larceny. On Aug. 30, Webster was arrested for allegedly shoplifting at Walmart and he was put in GC Jail in lieu of $500 bail. He is to reappear in Town of Batavia Court on Sept. 28. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Christopher Parker.

Jacob Nicholas Oddo, 18, of Batavia Elba Townline Road, is charged with trespass. On Sept. 5, he was arrested for allegedly being on the premises of Godfrey's Pond after being told that he needed to leave and not return. He was issued an appearance ticket to appear in Town of Stafford Court on Sept. 24. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Chad Cummings, assisted by Deputy James Diehl.

Jordan Lee Miller, 16, of Batavia Elba Townline Road, is charged with trespass. On Sept. 5, he was arrested for allegedly being on the premises of Godfrey's Pond after being told that he needed to leave and not return. He was issued an appearance ticket to appear in Town of Stafford Court on Sept. 24. The case was investigated by Sheriff's Deputy Chad Cummings, assisted by Deputy James Diehl.

Jessica M. Pfenninger, 33, of Creek Road, Batavia, is charged with failure to appear on a charge of third degree aggravated unlicensed operation of a motor vehicle. On Sept. 2, she was arrested on a warrant for failure to appear by State Police in Chili and was taken into custody by Batavia Police Officer Jason Davis in Bergen. After being arraigned, she was released on her own recognizance and is to appear in City Court on Sept. 30.

Ryan J. Adkins, 21, of Main Road, East Pembroke, is charged with failure to appear. He was arrested on a warrant from Batavia City Court for failure to appear following a traffic stop on July 23. He was jailed and released after posting $500 bail. He is scheduled to appear in City Court on Sept. 16. The case was investigated by Batavia Police Officer Stephen Cronmiller.

More than 70 children with there families attended the fourth annual Easter Egg Hunt at Godfrey's Pond yesterday. The club put out a couple thousand Easter eggs early before the event which started at Noon and continued through 2 o'clock. Cookies, drinks were provided to all who attended. Mike Hammon, caretaker of Godfrey's Pond, said the free public event has grown consistantly over the years.

Other activities included a petting opportunity with six baby chicks.

Two contests were held; one for who collected the most eggs and a coloring contest.

Abby Lampke was the winner of the coloring contest.  

Egg hunt winners were:  

Gold -- Adrian Laird

Silver -- Connor Schrane

Bronze -- Trevor Pahl

Photo above is 7-year-old Eliana Stringham with the Easter Bunny. Craig Gillard submitted the photos from Godfrey's Pond.

Today, Arlene Leach checked an item off her bucket list. She took her first fly-fishing class.

"I love nature," the Rochester resident said. "I love water and I love fish and it just brings me closer to a peace I don't have in my professional life."

Leach was among 30 people who turned out at Godfrey's Pond this morning for a free fly-fishing class with instructors Ron Wickings (with Leach, top photo) and Jim Southall (with Leach, second photo).

While Leach had never held a fly rod before, some of the class members have been fly-fishing for years.

"The thing I try to teach is don't ever think you've arrived," said the 54-year-old Wickings, who started fly-fishing the Oatka Creek when he was 12. "Everybody can learn something. That's the fun part of fly-fishing."

The patience and knowledge of her teachers impressed Leach, who picked up the basics of a roll cast quickly.

Asked if she studied fly-fishing at all before coming out today, Leach (who is friends with the Southall family) said she felt intimidated, so she avoided it.

"But I listened and watched and people's love for it was a bit infectious, and people are encouraging me through the learning curve," she said.

Wickings said he was living his dream today -- teaching fly-fishing. He wishes he could find a job where all he did was teach people how to fly-fish.

"I've always enjoyed teaching the most," Wickings said. "I think it's because you get to see someone discover something for the first time and it almost rubs off on you. You can live a little bit vicariously through them."

Jeff Southall, with his sons Harrison and Dominic, hauls in a trout. Southall, son of Tim, learned to fly-fish at Godfrey's 30 years ago.

Jeff Southall

Ed Burton, from Gates, hooks a trout.

Burton with his catch.

Catch and release.

Harrison and Dominic

Below, the slideshow is all the same photos used in the post, but you can view the photos at full screen. Participants can purchase prints by clicking here.

Volunteers with Godfrey's Pond stocked the conservation group's spring-fed pond today with 10- to 14-inch rainbow and golden trout.

Fishing season opens Saturday and members and guests will be able to angle for these beauties throughout the summer.

The pond is stocked twice a year -- in the spring and in the fall -- from fish that are hatched and raised at Godfrey's own facility in a DEC-approved program.

Ron Wickings, above, will help conduct a fly-fishing seminar starting at 9 a.m., Saturday, March 30, that is open to the public. The course is free.

Godfrey's Pond will hold open houses on May 19 and June 16.

A security person at Godfrey's Pond is reporting a group of people on the CSX railroad bed shooting something. There is a pickup truck parked near the railroad bed.

The security person is not going to get any closer to the subjects.

UPDATE 3:45 p.m.: Genesee County Sheriff's deputies have spotted the pickup truck on Route 19 at a residence. Asking to speak with them unarmed.

There are no known plans to open a hydrofracked gas well within the town limits of Stafford, but Jim Southall thought it a good idea to purchase an "insurance policy" so to speak.

At his suggest, the town board has passed a one-year moratorium on hydrofracking within Stafford.

A committee has been appointed to study the issue, according to Supervisor Robert Clement and that report will help the town determine what, if anything, it might do next related to hydrofracking.

The moritorium is part of a statewide trend over the summer of local officials throughout New York rising up against hydrofracking, even though the state already has a four-year moratorium against new wells in place now.

Fracking involves injecting water, saline and other chemicals into shale to break loose natural gas deposits that can then be extracted from the ground.

It's controversial because opponents believe the chemicals used can be carcinogenic and toxic.

Southall said he's read of cows in West Virginia being born with deformities and a whole town in Wyoming had to be closed because of hydrofracking pollutants ruining the groundwater.

As a representative of the Genesee County Fish and Game Association, owners and operators of Godfrey's Pond in Stafford, Southall thought it important to get out in front of the issue, before hydrofracking came to the area.

"With the kind of chemicals they're using, once the water is polluted, it's gone, and being a conservation club, we want to be sure that doesn't happen," Southall said.

At a public hearing on the topic a month or so ago, Clement said, there were no speakers in favor or against the moratorium.

He's not aware of any fracked wells in Stafford or any requests to open up such a well.

"For most people, I think it's a non-issue," Clement said. "I think the state will step in before anybody else does. But it's a conservation issue and I think most of them (Genesee County Fish and Game) are against it."

A beautiful fall afternoon, I thought I would stop by Godfrey's Pond and see what picture-making opportunities I might find. Mother Nature still has some work to do with her fall palette, but things are coming along nicely.

A former captain in the Batavia Fire Department who has worked the past four years as fire chief in Auburn is retiring and returning to Batavia.

Mike Hammon is returning to run Godfrey's Pond, according to the Post-Standard in Syracuse.

A one-time Auburn firefighter before moving to Batavia to become an officer, the 55-year-old Hammon told the newspaper: “This is the end of my fire career. I’m getting out of the politics (of the chief’s job) and this is good for me.’’ 

When Hammon was named chief in Auburn four years ago, it was a controversial appointment, according to the Post-Standard. He was the first chief in the 113-year history of the department not promoted from within.

The article includes praise from officials in Auburn for Hammon's work.

Godfrey's Pond celebrated its 100th anniversary Sunday and more than 200 people showed up to celebrate during the open house and BBQ.

Assemblyman Steve Hawley presented a state Assembly proclamation commemorating the event.

"For the past 100 years, Godfrey's Pond has expanded to become one of the leading sports clubs in Western New York, if not our entire state," Hawley said.  "I am very proud to join my fellow outdoors sports enthusiasts here for this wonderful occasion and would like to thank the members of Godfrey's Pond for their dedication and leadership in responsible environmental stewardship."

Pictured with Hawley is SCOPE representative Jack Taylor.

I took a tour of Godfrey's Pond on Thursday. I shot this video while I was there. I also applied for membership.