Veterans program equipment stolen from HorshoeBar Preserve

[Mike McKenzie]

Attention Fly Fishing Community - Watch for this stolen gear:

Any Waders or Wading boots with HBP marked on them..
Any fly rods marked Bill Carnazo...
Horseshoe Bar Fish and Game Preserve is devastated to announce that thieves broke into our storage area where we house our equipment for the Wounded Warrior Event that is held the first week in October every year. Finding out that someone felt they needed to steal from these veterans is heart breaking. It is like stealing from a church or organization that helps the needy of our community. This break-in will set us back many years as the amount of equipment they stole exceeds $25,000. Much of the equipment has the initials HBP written on it. Only the veterans that attended our events or members of Horseshoe Bar Preserve would have equipment with the “HBP” letters printed on it.. Any other gear was most likely this equipment that was stolen during the break in this week. If you see this equipment being sold, please contact Tom Bartos immediately at 916-205-6073 or the sheriff’s department to report it. (Placer County Sheriff)
If you see this equipment being sold, do not say anything or accuse anyone. Make note of the time, location, description of the items and persons involved.
Please contact Tom Bartos, manager of Horseshoe Bar Preserve immediately at 916-205-6073 or your local police department and let them know you believe it may have been equipment stolen from Horseshoe Bar Preserve in Foresthill, CA.
Reference Police Report # 15-11343.

There were more items stolen, but without identifying markings. However, it would be too speculative for someone attempt to keep an eye open for any of these items.
This equipment was used for a very good veterans program and its loss is huge!!This is more than a crime in my mind as these folks at Horseshoe Bar Preserve are doing great things, and for some jerk to steal their gear for some selfish reason (probably drugs) is the worst kind of thief!

Mike McKenzie
NCC-IFFF Board of Directors

[Mark Kranhold]

Scumbags, sorry to hear that! Anything getting stolen sucks but a rod marked Bill Carnazo on it , I hope this dirt ball rots in .....! I will keep a eye out.

[k9mark]

Time to alarm the property and install quality digital cameras. These losers may want to target the place again at some point because of the haul they made off with. I hate to say this but we always look at members and quests who may be questionable of character so dont be surprised if asked about this.

[Bob Loblaw]

This flat out sucks. Most of us who fly fish don't do it for the hook up, its for the peace, the solace, and the day where we leave all the troubles of everyday life behind. A day on the river is a day of therapy. For regular working stiff this stress release is great, so God only knows how beneficial it must be for veterans carrying a lot more around with them that worries about bills and the boss.

Are you seeking donations to replace the gear? financial or gently used equipment? I'd be happy to pitch in something.

[Lincoln Gray]

Mike -

That is truly awful. If I or Sierra Stream & Mountain can help in anyway with product just PM me.

[Mike McKenzie]

Here is a press release from the Horseshoe Bar folks..
"Horseshoe Bar Fish and Game Preserve is devastated to announce that thieves broke into our storage area where we house our equipment for the Wounded Warrior Event that is held the first week in October every year. Volunteers have put in hundreds of hours raising funds and helping to acquire the equipment that is needed to hold the event. We also provide the veterans with the same equipment when the event is over. Each veteran is given a complete fly fishing outfit with all the flies and equipment needed to continue fly fishing including boots, waders, fly rod and reel, plus the vest/chest packs that have all the supplies needed to fly fish. The fly boxes have over 100 flies in them to allow the veteran to fish anywhere in the country.

Over the eight years that this event has been held we have helped rehabilitate seriously wounded veterans by teaching them how to fly fish while staying in our campground along the river for four to five days. Literally all of the veterans who have attended our event have said that learning how to fly fish has changed their lives and their families' lives in so many ways. As one of the vet's wives said to me this year, "My husband looks forward to being able to go fly fishing every week, and when he returns he is a different person. You can see it in how he seems content and truly excited to tell me how he did and how he was able to forget about his injuries. Your program has changes our entire families' lives for the better."

Participating and volunteering in our event is incredibly humbling as you are involved in helping these veterans deal with a wide variety of physical and mental injuries. It is one thing to hear about their injuries and another to actually live with the vets for five days. You get a firsthand view of seeing what they go through on a daily basis. You also are humbled by their attitude and desire to be treated as if they had not been injured. Many of these vets refuse to use handicap placards in their cars because they do not view themselves as being handicapped, even though they are missing limbs and suffering serious nerve and brain injuries.

If you would like to help us replenish the equipment that was stolen, please contact us at hbp@surewest.net Phone us at 916-205-6073 or go to our website: www.horseshoebarpreserve.com/ww where you can make a Tax deductible donation. Horseshoe Bar Preserve Inc. is a 501-3C organization. Our 501-C3 number is 27-4671121."

Thomas G.M. Bartos
President & Founder
Horseshoe Bar Preserve, Inc.
916-205-6073
www.horseshoebarpreserve.com

P.S. They will also accept any and all fly rods, reels, lines, flyboxes with/without flies, waders, etc. as long as the equipment is in usable shape and serviceable. (No dinged up rods or worn-out waders, frayed lines) Help them out if you can!

Mike

[Sheepdog8404]

As a veteran, this news boils my blood! That people would break in to steal such items is one thing... But the fact that they stole from a veteran program heavily involved with the Wounded Warrior Project takes it to an entirely different level! I hope those responsible are discovered soon! I say we get our pitchforks and torches together and go run em down! Bastards...