Chukar dinner is a lot of hard work for a good cause

What does it take to produce the Carson Valley Chukar Club Dinner - Northern Nevada's second largest fundraising dinner for wildlife preservation? Answer: A lot of hard and dedicated work.

"This is our 22nd year to host this dinner," said Carson Valley Chukar Club Treasurer Todd Wilcks about the March 1 event. "What started out as a small affair in the beginning has grown into this thing through the years and what I believe to be the largest, if not the second largest, monetary fundraiser for wildlife projects in Northern Nevada. The nice thing is that most of the money is used in our community and all of it stays in Northern Nevada."

The first, and most important part of any fundraiser is the sponsors, more than a hundred of them, who donated prizes for the live auctions and the raffles. All who donate are dedicated to the preservation of one of Northern Nevada's greatest resources - wildlife. All who donate are also dedicated to the sport of hunting, which this preservation is so dependent on.

The second most important thing: What does it take to feed the expected 600 or more people who will attend this fundraising dinner? Answer: A lot of hard work.

Last Friday night, a dozen or more volunteers from the Carson Valley Chukar Club and Carson Valley Clays met at the Douglas County Fairgrounds exhibit building. Boxes and boxes of supplies - condiments, cleaning supplies, boxes and bags of onions and bell peppers to be prepared for grilling, serving utensils and most important, 600-plus-pounds of prime-cut tri-tip - all unloaded, conga-line fashion, from several trucks.

There was a flurry of activity amongst the gathering as serving tables were put in place, the grill set up, the pots readied for the special concoction of beans made from Butch Begovich's secret recipe, a real crowd pleaser at this yearly event. All of the onions and bell peppers, a garnish for the tri-tip sandwiches, needed to be sliced for the next day's grilling while several volunteers prepared the tri-tip which would be dry-rub marinated for the next day's open pit mesquite barbecue before serving to the guests.

Saturday morning, several dozen volunteers converged to set up tables to accommodate 600 guests as well as organize the donations for the raffle and the live auction. Three 25-gallon pots were heated over propane burners to start the bean-cooking process that would take all day. Five types of beans, several meats, fresh onions and other secret ingredients would fill the pots that would need to be stirred all day with big wooden paddles.

By Saturday evening, while the tri-tip was searing over hot coals, the final touches were in place as Bill Lovelady and Sarah Lawrence prepared a fresh salad, accented with fine-grated cheese and Italian dressing. Meanwhile, refreshments were served, compliments of the help from the employees of the French Bar in Gardnerville, thanks to owner, Rene, and her bartenders, Jill and Janice.

After it was all said and done, the benefit grossed approximately $70,000 which will directly benefit, among the many wildlife projects, its namesake, the chukar.

The chukar was originally a native of southern Eurasia and introduced into the United States from Pakistan to be a game bird. It lives in arid, rocky terrain across the western U.S. and southern Canada. The rather elusive and small chicken-like bird has a short neck and tail with grayish-brown back and chest with a buff-colored belly. Bold black and chestnut barring marks its flanks with a distinct black line through the eye and down the neck onto its chest and a white throat accented with a red bill and legs.

"One of the clubs projects through the years has been to place more than 1,000 guzzlers, which are 375-gallon water tanks, in arid places for wildlife use," Wilcks said. "Some of the money is used to sponsor the kids' fishing derby and other projects right here in the Valley. The rest of the money goes to the Nevada Department of Wildlife for projects throughout Northern Nevada."

Anyone interested in becoming a member or donating to this wildlife organization may do so by writing to: Carson Valley Chukar Club, P.O. Box 1122, Gardnerville, NV 89410.

Help Nevada's most precious resource, our wildlife, keep on keepin' on.

-- Jonni Hill can be reached at JHILL47@aol.com.