A cruise liner trip for two to Alaska being offered on April 9

By Don Quilici

If you are someone interested in hunting mule deer or mule deer habitat, then I would suggest that you set aside the evening of Saturday, April 9.

On that special evening, you will be able to join about 200 other people with like interests at the Carson Valley Inn (CVI) in Minden.

That occasion will be the first-ever, fund-raiser for the newly-formed Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation (MDF).

MDF Projects:

The Mule Deer Foundation is a national, non-profit, conservation organization, which is dedicated to ensuring the future of mule deer, blacktail deer and their habitats throughout the West.

The money raised at this banquet and others like it around the United States benefit many MDF mule deer and blacktail deer projects and education efforts.

One of the projects in Nevada is an effort to rehabilitate a Quaking Aspen tree grove in Surprise Valley.

Another Nevada effort is a habitat improvement project on the Rosachi Ranch on the East Walker River.

Fund-Raiser Info:

Tickets to attend are:

Single (one year-membership in MDF plus one meal): $60.

Couple (One membership plus two meals): $85.

Meal only (membership paid or minor child): $35.

Life member (Meal only): $35.

The evening will begin with no-host cocktails at 5:00 p.m., various games of chance, viewing of auction and raffle items and visiting with friends, sit-down dinner of Prime Rib with all the trimmings at 7:00 p.m., and the live auction and raffle drawings starting at 8 p.m.

Cruise liner trip to Alaska:

The fund-raiser will be highlighted by one, special, live auction item: A 7-day cruise liner trip for two persons to Alaska donated by the Norwegian Cruise Lines.

If you have the winning bid for that cruise, you can choose to travel on either the cruise liner "Dream," "Spirit," "Star" or "Sun."

You will be able to choose to sail from Seattle or Vancouver, visiting Glacier Bay or Sawyer Bay. That 7-day trip will include an oceanview stateroom with two berths and all meals and entertainment on board. The trip is exclusive of airfare, port charges, bar charges, gratuities and other personal expenditures. The cruise trip certificate expires June 2006, if not used.

Other live auction, silent auction and raffle items:

There is an impressive array of items that you can win in the raffles or have the winning bid in either the live or silent auctions including such things as:

A collector's one-of-a-kind, specially-engraved, 2005 Mule Deer Foundation, Ruger Model 77 rifle in .300 WSM caliber.

A large number of rifles and shotguns, including a Remington ADL .300 Win rifle donated by the Carson Valley Chukar Club.

A one-day, three pheasant hunt at Yankee Slough in California.

Custom-made, Obsidian arrowheads and spear points in glass-covered display boxes, created by Norm Budden of Carson City.

Dinner show/overnight stay for two at either Harrah's Hotel/Casino or Harveys Hotel/Casino at South Lake Tahoe, Calif.

Framed wildlife prints from Carson Valley Ducks Unlimited.

Framed outdoor print from Ormsby Sportsmen's Association.

Gift certificates for Sportsman's Warehouse in Reno.

Gift certificate from Wal-Mart.

One year's subscription to Eastman's Hunting Journal Magazine.

Personal computer scanner.

Rounds of golf at Dayton Valley and Empire Ranch Golf Courses.

Finally:

If you are interested in attending this fund-raiser, you had better hustle and purchase a ticket.

There are only 180 tickets, and to date, about 140 tickets have already been sold.

So, don't delay, do it today!

If you don't go, you could be missing out on a fun-filled evening.

For your April 9 fund-raiser tickets or information, call MDF Sierra Nevada Chapter President Dave Beronio at 265-2972 or 781-1514 or Jerry Miller at 720-6201 or Ernie McKenzie at 720-7071 or George Rainey at 884-4745.

• Bet Your Favorite Pigeon

Bet your favorite pigeon that he can't tell you where I plan to be on the evening of April 9.

If he grins and says, "Don is a brand-new member of the Sierra Nevada Chapter of the Mule Deer Foundation and he will be at CVI to see if he can finally win a raffle prize as a member of a local outdoor organization," he, too, could be a new member of the MDF.