DONOR PROFILE
Bob and Donna Oliver
Richard May Legacy Circle Members
"Cleaning up Hat Creek just
seemed like a fun thing to do
with the kids.”
And so, in 1971, Bob and Donna packed up two of their three boys Mark, age 8, and John, 10, and drove north to Burney at the suggestion of Richard May. In reminiscing about that weekend in the early 70’s: “They gave us a boat and told us to just go along the banks and pull out any squaw fish we saw or could feel in the banks. The trout had already been removed. The water was low so it was easy – although a slimy, muddy and slippery job that the kids eventually loved. Some of the squaw fish were so large they initially scared the kids. But we all had a great time and we were dead tired after a full day of ‘no-fly fishing’."
It was the first of many trips to Northern California. Bob and Donna eventually bought a cabin in McCloud and over the next several decades they, their boys and their friends fished Hat Creek, Fall River, Pit River and the Sac with the wild McCloud and its perfumed springtime azaleas being a favorite memory. During his college years, Mark was an intern at the Nature Conservancy under the mentorship of Tom Hesseldenz; although no longer in California the boys continue to fish and protect the waters they fish in.
Bob and Donna have been supporters ever since that first trip they learned about CalTrout. Bob notes: “These legacy waters are close to our heart. They are the source of water for all downstream uses, irrespective of whether you do or do not fish. We need to keep these waters clean and protect them at the source. Restoration and downstream clean up projects are pointless if the water is compromised at the source, not to mention the enormous use of energy and cost of restoring contaminated water to anything close to its original condition and quality. CalTrout does a magnificent job of keeping this larger picture in mind and deserves everyone’s attention.”
Photos: Left: Mark Oliver, sitting in the boat, holding the first turtle he ever saw; Right: Bob and Donna Oliver.