Welcome to the Mendon Conservation League!

Proposed Change in Dues and Dues Structure for 2027

The combination of rising everyday operating costs; expensive infrastructure repairs; the
need to outsource work which in the past was done with club volunteers; and the fact that
there has not been an increase in dues in several years while cumulative rate of inflation in
the US since 2020 is over 30%, is why we need to change both the structure of the annual
dues and the annual dues themselves for 2027.

For 2027 we are proposing that we charge a flat rate of $146 per member for the renewal
and eliminate the $25 opt out of work category.

The impact on the almost 60% of the members who already pay the opt out fee of $25 will
be an increase of $11 over the $135 they paid for 2026. That is $1 and change a month.

The impact on the members who did not pay the opt out fee in 2026 will be an increase of
$36. YTD of the approximately 110 members who chose this category, 80% did not
respond or participate to the numerous requests for volunteer help at MCL due to age,
health, family demands, work, or other issues. The volunteer labor pool model no longer
works for MCL as the actual volunteer rate is significantly lower than what we have seen in
past decades. The result of this is MCL must now contract out more work than in the past
and this will only increase as we update and repair the infrastructure of the club.

In 2026 we will spend almost $15,000 in repair and infrastructure projects while at the same
time dealing with increased taxes, fuel, water, insurance and services costs.

In 2027 we already know that we will need to replace the HVAC system, rebuild the bottom
half of the skeet houses, fix the road from the parking lot to the club house and paint all the
buildings. In addition, we will continue grow our services with the ongoing upgrading to
the Club House so it is an attractive multi-use facility and gathering place for members as
well as upgrades to the Archery Field and the ranges. This is what we know we need to do.
In my experience at two other clubs there is always the “what you do not know”, which
inevitably happens and needs to be taken into account when you budget.

MCL provides a premium shooting facility with the broadest array of high-quality shooting
venues of any club in our league. I think you would agree that what amounts to $12.16 a
month is money well invested.

Thank you for your ongoing support of Mendon Conservation League. Let me know if you
have any questions. We will vote on this at the November meeting.

John J Conley
President
585-626-7944

Jeff Charles
Secretary

A lot of attention and time has been spent this year cleaning up the clubhouse and the ranges. I know that we have a very generous membership and things are often donated to the club. We do appreciate the gesture but when it goes in an unregulated fashion we end up with what we had to clean up in the club house and the ranges this spring. I have mentioned this before about the ranges but in the past week the club house has once again begun to fill up with "stuff" and it has no place to go.

It has been pretty quiet down at the Clubhouse as people are on vacation and the hot weather is keeping the activity light. Not to worry as Fall is around the corner and we drop down into the high 50’s for our evening temperatures at the end of this week. It is time to string those bows, check your waders for leaks, practice the right leads for those screaming teal, and get your deer hunting kit ready for your BP which might just come by your stand this year.

While you have been enjoying the summer there have been a number of projects which have continued to move forward. We were hoping to have more done but getting outside help has been a challenge so we have a few projects where we are waiting for attention or which we are going to delay until spring of 2027. The first and most immediate is the urinal which has been out of order for a week. We are still waiting to get a plumber in to fix the leaking flush valve. This process has been an adventure because the shut off valve for the bathrooms and the main gate valve to shut off all water to the clubhouse is behind a removal wall and counter area in the kitchen which is no longer easy to remove because of shelving that was added for coffee filters and other items. That will come down when the Plumber is finally able to come so that he can access the area where he needs to shut off the water.
The second project which has waited on a number of other factors is the Electrical line that runs behind the skeet field and then to a mast which holds the wiring harness that feeds the field lights electrical feeds. Right now we are looking at the end of August before the contractor can get to the club with his lift bucket and crew. This is a two day job which we are trying to schedule around a Tuesday so members will only lose one shooting day on the Trap and Skeet ranges while the repairs are being attended to. As soon as I get the dates you will get a separate notice.
We continue to make excellent progress on the clubhouse which now has a repaired ceiling and is getting a complete going over as there have been a number of maintenance items which were long over due and are now being addressed. One of the things we have learned is that our furnace which is over 30 years old is just about at its end of life. It will need replacing next year but should make the winter. We are looking for someone to inspect the fireplace and get it certified to run so we can use it this winter. We have other plans for the Clubhouse but we will talk about those once we have completed our outside work for the year. Tom Conroy and I did get the Skeet Houses and the Club House power washed but a lack of volunteers and the scope of work really required to bring these two buildings back up to par is going to have us push this rebuild project off till next spring.

In recognition of these delays I am going to suggest that we move the date of our 70th anniversary get together which was originally scheduled for Labor Day weekend . I am thinking about rescheduling for the weekend of October 10th and 11th. This will give us time to finish up the repairs mentioned above and a chance to complete the new 3-D Target Bow Shooting venue which Chris Gent and his team have been working on all summer. This will be an exciting new addition to our shooting venues and will be a great way to attract new members. We will discuss the final date at our September meeting on September 2nd. The extra time will also give us a chance to recruit volunteers to help cook and manage the October event.

If you have not been to the club in several weeks you will notice one distinct difference as soon as you turn into entrance. We have a new split rail fence thanks to the efforts of a number of volunteers whose dedication helped us save a few thousand dollars in installation cost. The entire project took 48 hours and went off without a problem or accident. My thanks to the crew of Ken Tomaszewski who drilled the fence posts with me on Friday morning and then to the crew on Saturday who put up the fence and cemented it in. Sam Menchel, Steve Burgart, Greg West, Eric Falkman and our Board of Directors Chairman Tom Conroy. My sincere thanks to this team of men who demonstrated what a few dedicated and focused individuals can accomplish in a very short period of time. We all owe them our thanks.

There are a lot of projects going on at the Club this summer which should lead to a great Fall for our members.

Bob Kiss and his team of dedicated volunteers along with the Wednesday morning and Saturday morning trap shooters have done a spectacular job of keeping the road to the club open as we have had a number of large trees and other debris fall into our driveway and block access as a result of the significant wind events we have experienced over the past few weeks. The timely work of these members has enabled the rest of our club to have unrestricted and uninterrupted access to all of our shooting venues. Great work gentleman and thank you.

August is going to be a month where we complete a large number of our projects for the year. I will need the membership to step up and volunteer to help us get the work done and I am confident that it will happen. Those members who listed on their renewal or new membership application that they would do work at the club and have not yet found the time this will be your opportunity to fulfill your commitment. As of this date we have close to 110 members who signed up to do work. As of today I have heard from 35 of these people as I have asked for assistance on numerous projects since January. You chance to step up is now.

1. Over the past two weeks Tom Conroy and I have been power washing the Skeet houses in preparation for repair and then painting. This is what we need over the next few weeks to compete this project. I will need 2 to 4 people with rough carpenter skills to evaluate the High and Low house and mark for repair the areas where material needs to be replaced. Once that assessment is complete and a bill of materials completed to execute the repairs I will need that group to make the repairs. Most of this work entails replacement for rotted sections of wood which need to be cut out and then replaced, primed and made ready for final paint. I need this done over the next two weekends. Please send your names directly to me so the work can get organized.
   
   
2. I would like to begin painting the repaired high and low house the weekend of August 15 and 16 . I will need 4 volunteers to do the work. Paint and equipment will be provided and all the work should be able to be completed in a morning.
   
   
3. The new split rail fence which will go into the front of the property should be delivered to the club in the next 10 days from Home Depot. I would like to install the fence the weekend of August 8th or August 15. We will have a power post hole digger so this work will evolve setting the posts, pouring the Quickkrete and setting the rails. We will be running 110 feet of fence which is 11 sections and one extension section on the east side of the electronics gate. I have a few volunteers from my original note but I would like to have at least 3 or 4 more people as there are multiple tasks which need to be performed in tandem to make this go smoothly. If you have already signed up to the this duty please confirm to me that these dates will work for you. I then need 3 to 4 more volunteers
   
   
4. We are going to build an archery course down the west trail which starts behind the High House. Cris Gent and his team are leading this project. We will have 8 - 10 full body targets set in the woods for this course. More details are to come but we will need volunteers to help clear the trail and woods and help Chris set up the course which would stay in place throughout the Bow season. This will be a pay for use shooting venue similar to skeet or trap. The club will make the initial investment in the targets to seed the venue. Chris will need volunteers to help get the course set up. If you are a bow hunter this will be a spectacular way to get ready for the bow season but it does not happen if members do not step up and give some time to Chris to create the course. You can send your availability to work on this project to me or directly to Chris. (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)
   
   
5. Our new Officer of the house, Paul Downs, has done a great job of cleaning up the Club House. The Club House ceiling has been repaired and we are now ready to begin reimagining what we can do with all of the cleaned out space . We want this to be a year round facility where members can come in both good weather to shoot or to just gather for coffee and play cards. We are looking at adding a TV for both the expanded classroom work which is being done and for entertainment as well as tables and chairs more appropriate for cribbage, card games or just relaxing. We will have the fireplace checked out so we can once again use it during cold winter days and we might even have internet. Share your ideas with Paul who can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. (We could use a real good WiFi person here who can define for us what we need to bring full communications capability to the Clubhouse.)

There is a great deal going on this month as we get the club ready for the Fall. These are not the only projects which are taking our time but these are the one which require focus now. Mendon Conservation League is a wonderful place to shoot and is perhaps the best value in the area. We are having to make a lot of infrastructure investments this year to bring the whole platform back up to grade. More investment is needed. The work of our members is the only way we can continue to maintain and grow our facility and shooting venues without large increases in dues. Raise a hand and volunteer. No matter your level of skill from pushing a broom to being a digital communications savant we have work for you.

Enjoy the last full month of the summer.

John J Conley President Mendon Conservation League

• On August 22nd Jim Spawton and the Education Team will be holding a day long NYS DEC Bow Hunter Education course.  This course will entail both classroom and Field sessions. Here is the link to the course registration site.
  
  If you have any questions you can reach out to Jim at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
  https://decals.events.east.licensing.app/em/events/327

Now that the 4th of July is behind us we can focus on the various summer projects we need to complete at the club. The Board as agreed to Fund a number of projects so there are lots of opportunities for all of us.

A quick reminder that we WILL NOT have our monthly meeting in April, May, July or August. We passed this change this to our constitution this past October. We will have a meeting on Wednesday June 3rd and then be on a summer hiatus till our meeting in September. If there are any issues or questions associated with the club, including bringing in new members, please contact me and they will be addressed.

Enjoy the spring as we approach peak T&T time……… Trout and Turkey.

Stay safe out there,

John J Conley President Mendon Conservation League 585-626-7944

Hello everyone! The holidays also bring us around to the annual renewal process.

Members who joined MCL late in 2025 still need to send in a renewal form even though they are paid through 2026.

Dues are due in January.  Dues not paid by the February meeting will have a $10.00 penalty added.

Please download and print this years renewal form. After filling it out, please mail it in or drop it off at a monthly meeting.

For readability, we prefer you use the fillable form. If you use IPAD or IPhone, you can fill it out and hit the books option to move it to your books file then print it. If it does not open the fillable form with text fields you can fill in, you should try saving/opening it with Acrobat.

Fillable form (preferred):
MCL 2026 Renewal Form (fillable)

Traditional form (write-in):
MCL 2026 Renewal Form (write-in)

These forms are also on our website under the membership section.

The membership fee was increased at the October 24, 2023 Board of Directors meeting to $110 ($120 After Feb. 2nd Meeting).
The current $25 "no work" exemption will remain in effect.

NEW MEMBER DUES EXEMPTION - We still need you to fill out a renewal
form, but if you were introduced to be a member at the October,
November or December meeting and voted‐in as a member at the
following meeting there is not a fee for 2026.

As we process the renewals, we will send out the normal renewal material with a new card which will allow you to enter at the gate.

Your individual card will be unique, assigned to you in our data base. Eventually your gate card will be the only way you can gain entry at the gate. There will be no code entry available. So if you lose your card you will need to wait until we deactivate your card and make a replacement card. That will not be a quick process particularly this first year of card access.

At the beginning of the new year we will identify a date when the current code entry will no longer work. At a minimum you will have code access until the February 2025 Mendon meeting.

When you receive your renewal material your paper membership card will have a new code printed on it. That code will open the club house, 65 yard and 100 yard range doors.

This is also going out in an eblast.

Following your submission of an MCL 2025 Renewal form and payment for dues you will
receive your new credentials. Your credentials will consist of:

• A membership ID card which will include a new four digit code which will open the
  club house door, the 65 yard range door and the 100 yard range door. That code will
  not open the gate.
  
  
• A 2025 badge you are required to wear any time you are using our MCL shooting
  ranges.
  
  
• A card which will open the MCL gate. The gate card will have a number on it which
  identifies to MCL who the card was assigned to. That gate card will open the gate.
  Swipe the card over the top of the key pad to open the gate. The number on that gate
  card will not work to open the gate via the keypad. You must retain this gate card
  because it will be your access through the gate once you renew for each future year.
  Swipe the card over the top of the key pad to open the gate.

The current four digit gate code used during 2024 will be removed after the March 2025 MCL
meeting. From then on you will need to use your gate card to open the gate. You will also
need the 2025 four digit code to open the club house and shooting ranges.

For the 2026 club membership year you will need to renew by February 15, 2026 to continue to
enter through the gate and to enter the club house and ranges. After February 15, 2026 gate
card access as well as club house and range access will not work until you renew.

You are responsible for the gate card issued to you. You are not allowed to give it to another
individual for use to enter MCL facilities. MCL rules state that you must be present while your
significant other or children or a guest are using MCL facilities.

If you lose your gate card there will be a $10.00 fee to replace it with a new card. You original
card will have its gate access shut off when a new card is provided. You will need to notify the
MCL Vice President John Conley to arrange for a new card.

Ron Stappenbeck, President, Mendon Conservation League

This is a short list of Mendon Conservation(MCL) League rules related to hunting on MCL property:

Your first responsibility is safety, make sure you practice it all all times.

You are required to sign in and out each time you hunt on MCL property. A sign up sheet is posted on the outside of the porch entry door so you will not need to enter the clubhouse. Next to the sign up sheet is a metal topographic map of MCL’s property. When you sign up for that days hunting place a metal magnet on the spot where you plan to hunt. This will help others know where you are and where to avoid.

Only MCL members, their spouses, and member’s children age 12-21 are allowed to hunt on MCL property. The MCL member must be with family members when they are hunting on MCL property.

Follow hunting dates and hours defined by NYS DEC. You are not limited to only hunting during MCL shooting hours.

Any tree stand. climbing device, or ground blind must be carried in and out on the day you are hunting. You are not allowed to leave them overnight. We expect you to stay on MCL property. There is a property map posted inside the clubhouse. Take the time to learn the property boundaries in the day time, so you do not make a mistake in early morning darkness.

We have posted most of the MCL property. MCL posted signs along with posted signs from other property owners will help keep you on MCL property.

NYS law does not allow you to trespass on private property. For example, you are not allowed to follow a wounded deer onto property where you do not have permission to hunt. You must first get permission from the property owner.

You are responsible for following NYS hunting laws. There are houses on all sides of MCL’s property. You need to insure that your are far enough from those houses and that shots you take terminate on MCL property. Shooting at anything where you are not absolutely sure your projectile will land on MCL property is not acceptable.

MCL property is in Monroe County! That limits the firearms that it is legal for you to use for deer hunting. You may use a shotgun with slugs, a muzzle loader with a single projectile, and a hand gun. You may not use center fire or rim fire rifles for deer hunting. Check the DEC Web site for details.

Be considerate of other hunters. Maintain adequate distance from other hunters, practice good hunter etiquette. Make sure of your background before you shoot. MCL only owns about 50 acres, that amount of space can only support a small number of hunters at any given time. Check the sign up sheet before you start to hunt! If several others are already hunting then come back another time.

The following was copied from the NYS DEC website:

“It is illegal to discharge a firearm, bow or crossbow: within 500 feet (for a firearm), 250 feet (for a crossbow) or 150 feet (for a bow) of a dwelling, farm building or structure in occupation or use unless you own it, lease it, are an immediate member of the family, an employee, or have the owner's consent.” You do not need to meet these distance requirements from the MCL club house and shooting buildings.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

New metal targets have been installed on the 65 yard range by Steve Sloan and Ken Tomaszewski.

Thanks Steve and Tom for another great job

Ron

The gate should now be working. Use the door code followed by a # symbol.

The earlier gate issue was the result of a lose wire and has been fixed.

If you are inside the gate it does open to let you out.

Ron

We have had at least two recent occasions of people hunting on MCL property who did not sign in our sign out. That is a good way to lose your club privileges. All those hunting on MCL property must sign in and sign out. They must also indicate where on the property they are hunting.!

Also, only club members, their spouses and children under 21 may hunt on MCL property! Spouses and children of members must be accompanied by the MCL members when hunting on MCL property. No guests may hunt on MCL property.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

We have installed locks on the 65 and 100 yard range buildings. The code is the same as the MCL club house door. Do not share the code with anyone who is not an active member! Do not enter the buildings by going around the sides!

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

Mendon Conservation League

Acceptable use of the 65 and 100 yard ranges

4/19/2023

You are responsible for obeying the MCL General rules, 65 yard range rules, 100 yard range rules, MCL Code of Conduct and the 65 and 100 yard range shooting rules stated below. These rules are posted in the club house, on our web site and in the range buildings. You are also responsible for insuring your guests obey all MCL rules.

Shooting on the 65 yard range.

You may shoot at:

1. Paper targets that you mount using the wood holders and 1” x 2” boards with cardboard stapled across them or home made holders. You must put the targets high enough so your bullets hit the back bank, not the ground. You may place clay pigeons on such a target. These targets may be any distance from the shooting bench to the 65 yard bank.

2. Steel plates, which should be 500 grade steel. They should be mounted in a safe manner so when bullets hit them they help drive the bullet toward the ground. They should be placed at a safe distance from the shooter based upon the cartridge being fired.

3. Targets mounted on the wood backer that has been permanently placed at the back left side of the range. This backer may also hold a hanging steel target that you may shoot at.

4. You may shoot at clay pigeons placed on the back bank of the 65 yard range.

When you finish shooting return all target holders back to the shooting building and clean up any targets. Place trash in the trash container.

Clean up your brass and place it in the white brass bucket or take it with you.

Do not put live rounds in the brass bucket or leave live rounds anywhere at MCL.

Shooting on the 100 yard range.

You may shoot at:

1. Paper targets placed on the wood backers positioned only at 100 yards. No other distances are acceptable.

2. You may temporarily place a steel or home made target at 100 yards positioned to the left or right of the existing 100 yard targets.

Do not shoot at the Timbers at the base of the target stands or the 2” x 4” uprights that hold the target backers.

Cleanup your targets, put trash in the trash container, pick up your brass and place it in the brass bucket or take it with you.

Do not put live rounds in the brass bucket or leave live rounds anywhere at MCL.

Mendon Conservation League
Policy on Misuse of MCL Facilities
April 2023

If members or their guests are found to be disobeying MCL rules and/or destroying MCL property the MCL member is subject to immediate expulsion per the policy adopted by the MCL Board of Directors on 4/12/2023. Members or guests may also be subject to prosecution. You are responsible for knowing MCL policy, no excuses.

MCL members are responsible for directly monitoring their guests. You may only have three guests at one time and you need to be close enough to give them visual and verbal commands. Members are responsible for paying a $3.00 fee for the day for each guest they bring to MCL. Once a guest has attended three times they must join MCL or no longer come to MCL.

We will be monitoring MCL facilities!

Misuse of MCL Rifle and Pistol Ranges that has led to our policy decisions.

We have had a number of instances of people misusing our Rifle and Pistol Ranges.

Examples include:

• shooting our yardage markers until they fell over
• shooting up the stands we provide for people to put targets up
• shooting at our orange safety cones
• shooting holes in our trash containers
• shooting at various inappropriate objects that they placed on the range.
• shooting at rocks shooting at the 8” x 8” Timbers that hold up the 100 yard range backstop
• shooting at the upright 2” x 4” that the 100 yard target backers are attached to.
• someone stole the white metal target stand that was in the 65 yard range. shooting at a 22 flip target with a high powered rifle which destroyed it.
• acting in an unsafe manner
• leaving target set up on the 65 yard range when you leave.
• members not being on the same range with the guest they brought.

We assume that by the time you are old enough to own a firearm and join MCL that you should know how to conduct yourself in a mature manner. If you can’t then find another place to shoot.

I want to thank Doug Merrill and Dick Killeen for creating and installing new yardage markers on the 65 yard range to replace those that were destroyed. The yardage markers are not targets, don’t shoot at them.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

This is a link to the pdf Ron sent around from the NY DEC:

NY DEC FAQ on Hunting and Hunting-Related Activities in response to Recent Changes to New York State Firearm Laws

At the September 7, 2022 Mendon Conservation League(MCL) meeting the MCL membership voted to eliminate the requirement to join NRA in order to join MCL. We will be updating our membership forms and web site to reflect this change.

The MCL Board stressed that they still encourage members to join NRA and other organizations that are defending our Second Amendment rights. The NRA is a primary reason we have our Second Amendment rights today and the effort to eliminate those rights continues at both the state and federal level. Recent NYS gun laws make that pretty clear! So make sure you vote.

Ron Stappenbeck, President MCL

These link to the DEC Statistics Ron shared vis eBlast.

NY DEC 2019 Hunting Safety Statistics

NY DEC 2018 Tree Stand Safety Statistics

A few weeks ago we found one of the white metal stands that we placed in the 65 yard range had holes shot in it. It was meant to be used with 1” x 2”s to hold up targets not to be a target. It was found stuck in the bank at the back of the 65 yard range. It appears someone used it to prop up a target and in the process shot holes in the stand.

Those stands are not meant to be targets and we do not appreciate someone shooting holes in the stands. Destroying club property is not acceptable!

Please think a little before you do something like that. Access the possible negative affect of your actions before, not after!

Thank you

Ron Stappenbeck

Dated April 1, 2018 as approved by the Board of Directors.

CODE-OF-CONDUCT-MCL.pdf

We generally have between 10 and 20 people, but not every one stays for lunch. We also don't know whats on the menu untill that very day. We encourage anyone interested in the club and our activities to visit then.

Example from 7/12/2017:

Today we had chicken and biscuits for $4.