BFHOF grants funds for eight habitat projects

SPRINGFIELD, Mo. – As part of its mission to celebrate, promote and preserve the sport of bass fishing, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame’s Board of Directors is again providing financial support to numerous conservation projects that will enhance fisheries in New Mexico, Illinois, Kansas, Tennessee, South Carolina, Virginia and Ontario, Canada.

Over the past five years, the BFHOF’s Board has reached out to local and state bass fishing clubs working with state agencies to provide needed funding for various conservation projects they initiated.

“With these new grants, we’ll have committed more than $140,000 in support of fishery enhancement projects,” said BFHOF conservation committee chair Gene Gilliland. “These bass clubs have boots-on-the-ground members who donate their sweat equity on these projects, while the Hall provides financial support for needed equipment, fish-holding underwater structures, and other needed gear to help make the projects a reality.”

The eight fishing organizations and bass clubs receiving grants in 2024 to enhance and preserve bass fishing are:

> New Mexico – The Canadian River Bass Club will engage members as well as area youth anglers to utilize abundant driftwood to create a new means of establishing manmade fish habitat in Cochiti Lake.

> Illinois – The Friends of Everbloom, with help from Illinois DNR and area youth anglers, are enhancing various forms of habitat ranging from vegetation to MossBack Fish Habitat at Lake Bloomington and Evergreen Lake.

> Kansas – The Leavenworth Bass Club will build a 20-by-24-foot greenhouse to propagate native aquatic plants to be planted along three miles of shoreline at Banner Creek Reservoir.

> Kansas – The World Fishing Tour, Lady Bass Anglers Association and the Kansas B.A.S.S. Nation are working together to build a live-release trailer with four 150-gallon tanks to serve 40 events a year in the Sunflower State.

> Tennessee – The Tennessee B.A.S.S. Nation, its youth anglers and TWRA fisheries personnel are working together to further a decade-long habitat enhancement crusade at fisheries such as Halford Lake, Percy Priest, Normandy, Tims Ford and Watts Barr.

> South Carolina – The Clarks Hill Committee of the CSRA is working with help from local high school fishing teams to establish viable eel grass colonies.

> Virginia – Youth anglers will be building and placing habitat marked with shared GPS locations for use by the general angling public in Northeastern Virginia.

> Ontario – The Ontario B.A.S.S. Nation plans to establish 140 brush piles in seven watersheds of the Ontario Great Lakes, an effort with nine successful years of positive impact to date.

The Bass Fishing Hall of Fame will hold its annual induction dinner Sept. 26 at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Mo. There will also be a concurrent auction (visit www.BassFishingHOF.com for details) as part of the annual Celebrate Bass Fishing Week, with funds raised going to assist the Board with funding conservation grants such as these and other worthy endeavors benefiting the sport of bass fishing.

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