If I had titled this column "Conservation Achievements," you probably would not have read this far. The sad truth is that the topic of conservation lacks sizzle. Our reader surveys show two seemingly conflicting facts:
1. You belong to BASS in part to support our conservation efforts.
2. You don't much care to read about conservation.
At the risk of alienating any regular visitors to this space, however, I really need to drop the "C" word.
In the very first Bassmaster Magazine, published in 1968, Ray Scott outlined his founding principles. Four of the eight "B.A.S.S. Purposes" focused on conservation goals: To offer state conservation departments "moral and political support," to fight for water quality, to support research that improves fisheries, and to encourage youth fishing.
For the past 38 years, we have held true to those purposes, often at tremendous cost.
Shortly after I signed on with BASS, Ray Scott helped launch a crusade to increase funding for state fisheries by increasing federal excise taxes on fishing boats, motors and tackle. That effort alienated some of our own advertisers, who knew that an extra tax would reduce sales. But thanks to that legislation, which created the Wallop-Breaux Fund, literally billions of dollars have been distributed to state conservation departments. Odds are, the boat ramps you use, the fish attractors you visit and the bass you catch are a direct result of those funds.
BASS continues to underwrite those founding principles with investment spending on conservation efforts.
Your Conservation Department is engaged throughout the country, organizing and aiding local efforts to enhance fishing and protect our rights to enjoy natural resources. BASS Conservation Associate Director Chris Horton (former black bass program director for Arkansas) is constantly on the road or in the air as he travels to assist state Federation conservation directors our "boots on the ground" in the battle to protect bass fishing.
As BASS Conservation Director, Noreen Clough (former regional director in the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service) divides her time mostly between meetings with federal agencies in Washington, D.C., and serving in leadership roles in conservation groups. Check out this brief sampler of Clough's and Horton's activities in 2005 on behalf of bass anglers:
Represented anglers in the President's Budget Briefing in Washington.
Raised opposition to the Japanese government's attempts to eradicate black bass in that country.
Established and participated on the Lake Gaston Stakeholders Board, which seeks a reasonable solution to hydrilla infestation while protecting fish habitat.
Opposed a new regulation in West Virginia to close bass season on the Ohio River during spring.
Testified before the House Resources Subcommittee on Fisheries and Oceans regarding the National Fish Hatchery System.
Worked successfully to prevent adverse impacts on fisheries by the Arkansas River Navigation Project.
Coordinated the relocation of smallmouth bass caught during the Northern Division Open tournament on the St. Lawrence River to portions of a New York River previously devastated by a chemical spill.
Helped the Michigan BASS Federation convince the state of Michigan to authorize an early catch-and-release bass season.
The point of this discourse is not to focus on what we've achieved, but on what more could be done needs to be done for fishing and fisheries. Here's where you come in.
Next time you renew your BASS membership online, you'll be given the opportunity to check a box that says, "Yes! I'll support BASS Conservation efforts with my $5.00 donation." Clough says the contributions will be used in several ways: habitat restoration, aquatic vegetation management, fish disease control, tournament fish care and protection of anglers' access and rights.
Most of the additional funds will go directly to troops in the trenches BASS Federation Conservation leaders who already are giving their own time and money to ensure better fishing for all anglers.
One of Clough's favorite stories is about the Denton County Bassmasters club of Texas, which worked closely with the Army Corps of Engineers to plant native vegetation in select bays in Lake Lewisville. The group also built wire enclosures to protect the plants, and club members pledged to monitor them for the next two years.
"Think about how it would affect fishing, if we could fund projects like that in other lakes throughout the nation," Clough declares. "That's what the 'Conservation Check-Off' is designed to do."