ARTICLE 1 – PREAMBLE Sec. 1 This organization shall be known as the Clay Sportsmen Club, herein referred to as the, “Club.” Sec. 2 The purpose of the Club is to bring together sportsmen of the community in order that we may participate collectively in any activities relating to conservation, wildlife, recreation, community service and:
A. To help conserve our fish, game and natural resources.
B. To maintain an active interest in our conservation laws and to participate in their enactment and enforcement.
C. To promote good fellowship and good sportsmanship in the community and wherever we may travel.
D. To instruct and train the youth of the community in the healthy outdoor sports and activities.
E. To work with other groups on projects for the betterment of mankind.
F. To uphold the national welfare and security of our country to the best of our ability.
Our history is a proud one and we consistently work to uphold our purpose as described in our Constitution. The following is a list of just some of the activities we have undertaken over the past few years, many of which are ongoing today:
1. We are dues paying members of the New York State Conservation Council and the Onondaga County Sportsmen’s Federation. Our members serve on their boards, and we are active in supporting their agendas.
2. We provide meeting space and shooting facilities to the Onondaga County Sportsmen’s Federation, the Clay PBA, the Friends of NRA, Scope, Inc., a Cub Scout Troop, the NYS Bowhunters, and the New Your State Hunter Education Committee.
3. We sponsor a booth at the annual Onondaga Sportsman’s Days at Carpenters Brook Fish Hatchery and help kid’s tie buck tail jigs to take home. We’ve also repaired dozens of the fishing rods and reel’s Carpenter Brook provides to the youth to fish their pond.
4. We sponsor and pay a full scholarship for a week at one of the New York State Youth Conservation Camps for one youth.
5. We have 7 certified N.Y.S. Hunter Safety Instructors for both gun and bow and qualify 100’s of new hunters each year, most being youth.
6. We run a youth archery league, teaching archery skills to dozens of youth each year.
7. We run a Home Schooled Youth Archery League, teaching archery skills to dozens of youth from the home schooled community.
8. We hold seasonal monthly 3-D archery shoots that affords shooting opportunities to 80 to 100 shooters from the community per shoot.
9. We hold seasonal weekly Trap Shoots also open to the public.
10. We sponsored a tree planting day for a local Cub Scout Troop, providing 300 seedlings and a number of members to help with their plantings.
To all our members who participate in these activities and many others, we thank you. This spirit of giving has definitely contributed to not only our community, but to the quality of our club as well. Anyone that has not been involved in one of these activities is certainly encouraged and welcome to join in. A complete list of committee chairmen and their contact info is available from any board member if you wish to get involved, or can help in any way. If any member has any other community or club activity you would like us to consider, please let anyone on the board know, or better yet, join us for our monthly board meeting at 7 PM any first Thursday of the month.