In case you haven't heard, Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund is backing eight priority fish habitat projects originally submitted for Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership funding. This generous sponsorship changes the landscape of fish habitat for anglers and fishery managers in the affected projects, and helps the Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership extend its reach and impact to more places more quickly. We cannot thank Bass Pro Shops, Johnny Morris, and the entire team at the Outdoor Fund enough for their support of fish habitat, healthy ecosystems, and good fishing!
National Fish Habitat Partnership Receives $500,000 Grant for Reservoir Priority Projects through Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund
(Washington, DC) - The National Fish Habitat Partnership (NFHP) announced today that at least eight priority Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership projects will receive funding through a $500,000 grant received from the Bass Pro Shops Outdoor Fund.
The selected projects will bring over $483,743 in total match funding in support of the Bass Pro Shops grant that will go directly to on-the-ground projects benefitting fish habitat and improving angling opportunities.
Projects funded through this opportunity include:
DeGray Lake Fisheries Revegetation, Arkansas
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Grant amount ($35,000 with $75,000 in partner match funding.) The goal of this project is to support DeGray Lake fisheries by installing a combination of 60 artificial habitat structures and 1,000 containerized native aquatic plant pots that complements the fluctuating hydrology of DeGray Lake
Enhancing Spawning Habitat at Lake Ouachita, Arkansas
(US Army Corps of Engineers and Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Grant amount $15,000.00 with $26,980 in match funding.) This project funds construction of 45 gravel bream bed structures near Joplin Recreation area, enhancing spawning habitats to bolster the bream population and, subsequently, the populations of predator species such as largemouth bass and crappie in a 550-acre portion of the lake.
J. Strom Thurmond Lake - Aquatic Vegetation Habitat Establishment, South Carolina
(US Army Corps of Engineers and GA B.A.S.S. Nation, Grant Amount $10,044 with $16,964 in match funding.) Project partners will establish emergent and submersed aquatic vegetation to provide long-term stabilization of soils and protective nursery/feeding areas for Largemouth Bass (Micropterus salmoides) and other species at twenty locations in J. Strom Thurmond Lake.
South Holston Reservoir Habitat Enhancement, Virginia
(Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources Grant Amount $74,850.00 with $75,310 in match funding.) This project enhances shoreline habitat for both juvenile and adult life stages of sportfish and associated forage species by utilizing 144 concrete reef ball structures enhanced with woody material and other artificial structures.
Truman Lake Habitat Project, Missouri
(Missouri Dept. of Conservation, Grant Amount $75,000.00 with $112,016 in match funding.)
The project involves deploying 400 natural fish habitat structures (i.e., primarily anchored cedar trees) throughout Truman Lake utilizing a habitat barge. Cedar trees will be sourced from public land surrounding the lake, benefiting terrestrial habitat, and will be anchored with concrete blocks.
Kentucky Reservoir Habitat Improvement Project, Tennessee
(Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, Grant amount $57,589.53 with $60,083 in match funding.) Largemouth Bass numbers and electrofishing catch rates have declined since 2010. To reverse the trend, the project will select embayment’s with historically high recruitment and provide 60 spawning beds encircled by 105 sanctuary habitat structures to improve spawning success, recruitment, and angler catch rates.
F.J. Sayers Lake Shoreline Enhancement Project, Pennsylvania
(Northcentral Pennsylvania Conservancy, Grant amount $75,000 with $80,000 in match funding.)
Heavy machinery will construct 100 shoreline deflectors at the lake, which will stop future shoreline erosion. This project is also part of a volunteer scale effort that aims to construct over 300 Short Vertical Plank structures, 180 catfish boxes, and 1600 Rock Rubble Humps.
Paintsville Lake Habitat Improvement Initiative, Kentucky
(Anglers For Improving Opportunities, Grant amount $20,000 with $28,493 in match funding.)
Paintsville’s essential fish habitat in the form of submerged structure has deteriorated significantly through time. This project will utilize 72 reef balls enhanced with wood and artificial materials to establish five new fish habitat sites adjacent to recently established handicapped accessible shoreline fishing sites.
"We are grateful for the continued support of Bass Pro Shops for our on-the-ground conservation projects enhancing Reservoir habitat for the benefit of both fish and anglers," said Robert Boyles, Chair of the National Fish Habitat Partnership. “These Reservoir projects promote both volunteerism and community involvement and are truly a win-win for conservation and angling. We couldn't do this work without the contributions of one of the foremost conservation-minded retailers in Bass Pro Shops and Johnny Morris.”
This Outdoor Fund Grant comes on the heels of a nearly $1.6 Million Grant in 2022 from proceeds through the Bass Pro Shops U.S. Open Amateur Fishing Championships. The funding through this Outdoor Fund grant opportunity will go directly to project partners through Beyond the Pond, the 501c3 Organization established to support the National Fish Habitat Partnership.
Since 2006, NFHP has implemented over 1,500 conservation projects in all 50 states, generating over $380 million in leveraged funding. NFHP conservation projects have reconnected more than 9,800 miles of rivers and streams while conserving over 70,000 acres of river, lake, riparian, upland, estuary, and wetland habitat.
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About the Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership:
Since 2009, RFHP has supported over 112 projects benefiting fish habitat in 24 states, and counting! This effort works to conserve and enhance fish habitat nationwide in reservoirs, some of the most altered and ecologically impacted ecosystems. Despite their inherent fish habitat challenges, reservoirs provide some of America's most well-known fishing and boating opportunities as well as supporting essential infrastructure for society. Priority fish habitat projects focus on battling difficult habitat degradation processes—such as sedimentation and eutrophication, enhancing the diversity and function of the reservoir biotic community—such as reestablishing native aquatic plants, and re-establishing connectivity for fish. RFHP is one of numerous fish habitat partnerships operating under the National Fish Habitat Partnership.
About the National Fish Habitat Partnership:
Since 2006, NFHP has supported over 1,500 projects benefiting fish habitat throughout all 50 states. This effort works to conserve fish habitat nationwide, leveraging federal, state, tribal, and private funding resources to achieve the greatest effect on fish populations through priority conservation projects of 20 Fish Habitat Partnerships that are organized around key fish species, geographic areas, or important fish habitats. In 2020, NFHP was recognized by Congress as part of the America’s Conservation Enhancement (ACE) Act. NFHP guidance and policies are developed in conjunction with our partnerships and National Fish Habitat Board. For more information, visit: https://fishhabitat.org/.