| USA. Local fish conservation groups to benefit from More Fish Partnership Fund |
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| Wednesday, 27 September 2006 | |
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Conservation news: The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation (Foundation), one of the nation's leading conservation organizations, and BASS Federation Nation, a community-based, national volunteer organization, have announced the More Fish Partnership Fund, a national initiative developed to raise awareness of critical fish and habitat conservation needs and support local conservation action across the country. The partnership fund will be launched at the Foundation and ESPN's third annual Celebrating the Great Outdoors event in New York City's Central Park on Wednesday, September 27, 2006. Through the partnership fund, the Foundation and BASS Federation Nation will award grants between $10,000 and $100,000 to community groups, including BASS Federation Nation Clubs, and other local conservation organizations, to support on-the-ground fish conservation projects including habitat restoration, water quality improvement, and watershed planning and management. "According to recent studies, the nation has lost 20 percent of our fish and aquatic populations, and 40 percent of the nation's fish populations are in rapid decline. The More Fish Partnership Fund is designed to mobilize volunteers, anglers and conservationists who are as concerned as we are about these dramatic losses," said Jeff Trandahl, Executive Director for the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation." With the launch of the More Fish Partnership Fund, BASS Federation Nation joins the Foundation as a lead partner in the More Fish campaign. Through this five-year campaign, the Foundation will raise challenge funds to support the goals of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan, developed to coordinate efforts by state and federal agencies to conserve fish on a national level. The Foundation will leverage these private-sector funds with public agency monies to improve and restore aquatic habitat in our rivers, lakes, reservoirs, estuaries and coastal waters. This joint public/private fund is one of the first important vehicles through which federal and state agencies, foundations and corporations can provide financial support to projects aimed at fulfilling priority conservation objectives for fish habitat restoration with organizations like BASS Federation Nation Clubs. "BASS Federation Nation conservation programs view this partnership as an opportunity to identify and implement grassroots fish habitat programs on a variety of levels. As avid anglers, BASS Federation Nation Club members are acutely aware of the need for restoration and conservation of declining reservoirs and other aquatic habitats," said Noreen Clough, BASS Conservation Director. The fund was designed to support community-based conservation groups with a goal of raising awareness and engaging them in local fish habitat conservation activities. Under this program, the grants will be awarded competitively for stewardship, planning and restoration activities, with preference being given for projects involving youth, education, training or community outreach components. The Foundation will announce and award the first grants at the Bassmaster Classic at Lay Lake in Birmingham, Alabama in February 2007. For more information on the More Fish campaign, visit http://www.morefish.org/. For grant application, deadline dates and other information, visit http://www.nfwf.org/ or http://www.bassmaster.com/. |
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| Last Updated ( Wednesday, 27 September 2006 ) |
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