Groundbreaking a tribute to hatchery work of the past

About 27 years ago, Norm Hines was manager of the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, and, on a sad day in the history of that place, he received a  notice that his job would be eliminated in 30 days. He had one month to close up and lock the doors on the local hatchery.

Snoopy, the cartoon dog, would call that a dark and stormy time. And, indeed, it was.

But as the hatchery teetered on the brink of death, a few dedicated people took charge and stood up to that notice of closure.

Local people, working with the local congressman and with other interested groups, fought back.
They fought back and they won.

That was not the only “dark and stormy” night ever to fall on the local hatchery, but it may well have been the most serious threat ever. But that time passed. Norm Hines kept his job and Neosho kept its hatchery.

Advance the clock 27 years and we come to July 1, 2009. Dark and stormy it was not. The day could not have been more opposite in nature or in atmosphere. A large crowd turned out for the groundbreaking ceremony which will lead to one of the most beautiful and modern visitors centers in the nation.

Led by current hatchery manager Dave Hendrix and his staff, Congressman Roy Blunt, Stacy Burk of Senator Kit Bond’s office, fisheries professionals from Washington D.C. and Minneapolis, local elected officials and many private citizens, the project got a rousing kickoff.

A short list of speakers commended the efforts of those who made this possible, but one of the finest talks came from Rowan Gould, acting director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

This was the first visit to Neosho for  Gould, who rose from the lower ranks to the top spot in the U. S. Fish and Wildlife Service. He was enjoying his visit and extremely impressed with what he saw and heard.

Before he spoke at the ceremony, we had introduced ourselves and he told me what a pleasure it was to be in Neosho. As we stood together, he pointed out places around the hatchery and talked about the history of it all. Then he said to me, “Kay, this is not only the history of Neosho and the history of the Neosho National Fish Hatchery, this place, more than any other, is the history of  U. S. fisheries.”

I was strongly touched by that comment.

In his talk, Mr. Gould repeated those thoughts, saying, “What you see around you is the history of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.”

Gould noted that throughout the history of the hatchery, work has always bent on making the future better. In the days when bass, goldfish and even carp were in the ponds, the workers were thinking of tomorrow. The staff today still looks to tomorrow, but their view is special. They see the future through the lens of the oldest and most well-known federal hatchery in America. They stand on all the broad shoulders that have labored here before them.

I look into the future as well, and I see good things. The future is bright for the hatchery. The new visitors center, because of its uniqueness, will itself be an attraction. The attention it brings will be good for the hatchery, for our town, for our county and region, and for our nation.

As I stood with a shovel in my hand, ready to turn dirt at the groundbreaking, I thought back to that dark and stormy day when Norm Hines held a pink slip in his hand.

I felt honored to stand next to Norm as we worked our shovels.

Now, as time goes by, our job is to stand next to Dave Hendrix and man the shovel for him as we start a fresh new chapter to a wonderful old story.

I hope I see you at the hatchery very soon, and, maybe early next fall, I’ll see you at the visitors center.