Bonefish & Tarpon Trust Northern Bahamas Mangrove Restoration Project
When Hurricane Dorian struck the northern Bahamas in late summer of 2019, it left a path of destruction across the eastern end of Grand Bahama and the northern end of Abaco. Our partners at Bonefish and Tarpon Trust have been working on restoring the vast mangrove forests ever since, with a goal of planting more than 100,000 mangroves to help the ecosystem recover. This grant supports local guides in assisting in those efforts, as they are key partners in ensuring the resiliency of the fishery.
Xcalak English Project
The second year of the Xcalak English Project, a joint effort by YDCCF and The XFlats will build on the successful launch from last summer. We are increasing the number of participants, refining the ongoing online education module, and reaching deeper into the community. XEP seeks to increase the English speaking skills of the Xcalak community at large with a goal of bettering their job opportunities, increasing retention and giving the children of the community a solid base of English language skills. This grant is supported directly by The XFlats through YDCCF’s new Lodge Partner Program. The summer 2023 session will be July 8-15. You can watch a short video here about the program.
Montana Trout Unlimited Youth Camp
This is our second year supporting MTU’s Youth conservation camp program, held annually at Georgetown Lake. 20 children ages 11-14 attend and learn about fly fishing and conservation. In MTU’s own words: Students hit the ground running with hands-on education in fly casting, fly tying, and fishing technique, while also learning the importance of healthy trout habitat and good stewardship. Through interactive visits to on-the-water restoration projects and field education in aquatic ecology and hydrology, Youth Camp attendees not only receive an introduction to the sport of fly fishing but also a solid foundation in freshwater ecology, angling ethics, and exposure to careers in conservation.
Healthy Taimen Festivals
We have funded the Healthy Taimen Festival program since it was started by our partners at Mongolia River Outfitters. MRO’s “flagship” community incentive program is conducted in partnership with BioRegions International. Health professionals who also happen to be enthusiastic anglers along with Mongolian health professionals volunteer their services to local school children before joining a scheduled MRO/FM fly fishing adventure. Typically, 200 – 300 school children receive health screenings and treatments from doctors, dentists, and dental technicians at these multi-day events. The Healthy Taimen Festivals are a celebration of all things taimen and include games and conservation education programs. Local school kids also receive much appreciated supplies for their upcoming school year.
Fish For Change
F4C’s mission is is to use fly-fishing as a platform to make the world a better place by uniting a diverse group of students in wild fisheries where they engage in a variety of initiatives that promote Connection, Education, Conservation, and Exploration. They run week long programs in Honduras, Mexico, the Bahamas, Costa Rica and Colorado. Local students receive scholarships to be able to attend the program. Part of the curriculum includes partnering with local organizations in each location to participate and learn more about ongoing conservation initiatives.
East End Dorian Relief Fund
Hurricane Dorian completely wiped out the east end of Grand Bahama in 2019. The East End Dorian Relief Fund is assisting residents of McCleans Town in rebuilding their homes in order to being them back to the community. More than three years after Dorian, less than half of the residents have been able to return. This project is managed by our partners at East End Lodge, who have contributed countless hours and funds to help revitalize the area.
Fish Kind
Fish Kind is a new effort created by One Montana modeled after their ongoing successful Outside Kind program. It seeks to raise knowledge and awareness of anglers and inspire them to become champions and effective advocates on behalf of Montana's fish and the waters they depend on. The early stages of the program will focus on creating educational materials and outreach to local businesses and partners to help plant the seeds for growing the program in future seasons.
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper
UMW is undertaking a GIS based scientific study in the upper reaches of the Gallatin River in southwest Montana. The combined effects of a warming climate and ongoing development in and around the resort community of Big Sky have caused the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to designate the mainstem Gallatin as formally “impaired”, due to severe algae blooms during the summer and the inability to sustainably support aquatic life. The Montana DEQ admitted in its preliminary determination that poor water quality and biological conditions caused by recurrent nuisance algal blooms have begun to affect macroinvertebrate community prevalence and health, representing negative changes to the river's ability to support its trophy trout populations. The study seeks to develop the necessary best available science qualifying and quantifying the impact of widespread land use transformation across the Big Sky resort area on local waterways and fisheries. The anticipated scientific research includes GIS and LIDAR projects mapping the Big Sky region and local land use patterns; stormwater modeling based upon precipitation and land use types; and water quality data modeling and analysis to connect the dots between particular land uses and the demonstrated impacts on stream and fishery chemical and biological metrics. The study seeks in the end to develop best available science that will guide future growth and water resource planning in and around Big Sky. You can learn more about UMW and their work on the Gallatin here.
Wild Salmon Center
WSC is part of a broad-based coalition of groups and stakeholders working to stop the development of a 100-mile-long industrial road through the West Susitna watershed in southeast Alaska. The proposed road would cross 182 waterways, including at least 83 salmon streams, destroying thousands of acres of wetlands and bisect the watershed, disrupting the natural hydrologic flows and cutting off access to important fish habitat. The Susitna watershed supports five species of Pacific salmon—including the fourth largest Chinook population in Alaska. Susitna drainages also support extensive and diverse recreational fisheries for salmon, rainbow trout, Dolly Varden, Arctic grayling, burbot, Arctic char and lake trout. You can read more about the threats this road project poses here.
Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana
Guiding for the Future (G4F) is a program that provides advanced levels of knowledge and skill development for professional fishing guides and outfitters. The program’s goal is to inspire dedicated stewardship of aquatic ecosystems while increasing knowledge, professionalism, and ethics of fishing guides, outfitters, and the fly-fishing industry throughout Montana. G4F is a voluntary course of study, evaluation, and certification. Participating outfitters and guides undergo a curriculum that strengthens competence, increases knowledge and skills, and establishes their commitment to help steward the rivers on which their livelihoods depend. Learn more about the program here.
Cano Negro Youth Education Program
The Rural Communities and Nature Coexistence Youth Education Program seeks to build on an existing environmental education program by taking the top 10 students from the villages of Cano Negro, San Antonio and Aguas Negras, Costa Rica and deepen their training. A pilot program will be run in February 2023 for 3 weeks focused on biodiversity, ecosystems and species, waste management, reforestation, conservation and wildlife monitoring. The students will also perform a community impact project in the form of a mural and conduct discussions with locals about the impacts of tourism. The goal of the program is to build the future leaders in the community on matters of environmentalism and conservation.
East End Dorian Relief Fund
Hurricane Dorian completely wiped out the east end of Grand Bahama in 2019. The East End Dorian Relief Fund was focused in the short term on providing basic needs and has now shifted to assisting residents of McCleans Town rebuild their homes in order to being them back to the community. More than three years after Dorian, less than half of the residents have been able to return.
Patagonia Fly Fishing Expo
Held annually at the beginning of each season (traditionally late October) in San Martin de los Andes in Neuquen, the Patagonia Fly Fishing Festival draws guides and anglers from across South America for a two-day event to promote the development of the sport in the region. Panels and discussions led by local leaders help inform and promote fly fishing as a business and economic driver in the region.
Xcalak English Project
Xcalak is a small village on the southern tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico whose primary industries are tourism and destination angling. In partnership with XFlats Lodge, the Xcalak English Project will bring ESL instructors to the community for a weeklong introductory course on English for up to 40 community members. The focus will be oral and written language development followed up by online English programming the rest of the year to reinforce the mastery of high frequency dialogues, vocabulary and functional phrases that employees of local lodges need to better communicate with English speaking clients. The main objective of the initial phase of the project is to teach two distinct week-long curriculums: one for fishing guides and one for hospitality staff, presented in six-daily half hour lesson rotations of interactive English dialogues, multimodal vocabulary acquisition lessons, functional phrases and verb games.
Friends of the Environment Abaco
Friends of the Environment’s mission is to preserve the environment of Abaco through education, conservation, and research facilitation. FRIENDS is the only Abaco-based non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of Abaco's environment and effecting conservation through education. They suffered a total loss of their Learning Center during Hurricane Dorian in 2019 and have just recently broken ground on a new state of the art building built to withstand the conditions. YDCCF’s grant will help fund construction of this new facility.
Mangrove Cay Recreational Community Park Association
The community of Little Harbour on Mangrove Cay on Andros in the Bahamas has been working for the last two years on building a recreational park for the community. They have completed a basketball court that sees daily use and are moving forward with the next stage of building which will include bleachers, restrooms, and further land clearing. There are plans for a running track, playground, volleyball court, shaded picnic tables, a concessions area, lighting and fencing. YDCCF’s grant will be used for this next stage of construction.
Keep Fish Wet
Keep Fish Wet’s mission is to help anglers improve the outcome for each fish they release. Keep Fish Wet makes the science of catch-and-release and related best practices accessible and understandable. Since their inception in 2014 and designation as a non-profit in 2019, they have sought to translate scientific jargon so that science-based best practices can reach a broad cross section of the recreational angling community. YDCCF’s grant will help Keep Fish Wet build open source, visually appealing, science-based resources (posters, stickers, and social media content) on bonefish best practices that will be shared with communities in the Bahamas. The long-term goal of this project is to use this as a template to expand to other regions where bonefish are targeted including Belize, Mexico and the Seychelles.
Montana Trout Unlimited
Montana Trout Unlimited’s (MTU) goal is to conserve, protect and restore Montana’s coldwater fisheries and their watersheds. This is accomplished by balancing advocacy, habitat restoration and educational outreach, while always applying the best available science to policy, legal, and on-the-ground work. YDCCF’s grant will fund this summer’s youth overnight camps and clinics, which will engage 60-80 kids. The experience combines practical fly fishing instruction with conservation projects, and the goal is to build future anglers and resource stewards.
Seacology
Seacology exists to partner directly with local communities on islands all over the world in an effort to preserve habitat, combat climate change and build programs that enhance the livelihoods of residents. Since 1991, Seacology has launched over 300 projects, working with communities on islands in 64 countries, helping to protect approximately 1.4 million acres of some of the world’s most vulnerable ecosystems. Aitutaki is located in Marae Moana (“Sacred Ocean”) in the Cook Islands and is the largest multi-use marine park in the world. Tourism is the primary source of income for the Cook Islands, including for the island of Aitutaki. While there is a degree of environmental awareness among tourists and local alike, the island still faces a huge challenge with the amount of waste washing up on its coasts. In addition, there are few ways for Aitutakians to earn a living outside of the tourist sector. YDCCF’s grant will fund a project seeking to address both of these issues by raising awareness of ocean pollution while offering high school students the opportunity to become Marae Moana Champions, spearheading efforts to reduce ocean pollution while earning a sustainable income.
Healthy Taimen Festival / Mongolia River Outfitters
The Healthy Taimen Festivals are two-day events held in remote communities in Mongolia. MRO provides opportunities for visiting health professionals to volunteer their skills and partners with BioRegions International to bring in additional medical professionals – both international and Mongolian – to aid in local community health screenings. Their guides and staff also provide conservation programs and games along with the health care activities. These community events reinforce the potential value and benefits associated with protecting taimen. YDCCF’s grant will fund two healthy taimen festivals in different communities and provide at least 300 local children with health screenings and treatments.
Shannel Taylor / Soul Fly Lodge
Shannel Taylor operates a small farming business supporting the community of Great Harbour Cay in the Berry Islands (Bahamas). Through our lodge partner, Soul Fly Lodge, YDCCF is funding an expansion of Shannel’s existing chicken egg production. This will increase the availability of locally produced food in this remote area, benefitting the community’s residents by providing them with better access to healthy food options.
Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group
Upper Yellowstone Watershed Group (UYWG) works on sustaining working lands, open spaces and clean water in the Upper Yellowstone watershed. UYWG has been running a recreational river use study since 2020 with the use of camera locations at numerous sites along the Upper Yellowstone River in Paradise Valley. The goal of the work is to be able to clearly point to data that can help inform the decisions that are made by Montana FWP and other stakeholders in an effort to improve everyone’s experience on the river. YDCCF’s grant will fund field work for the 2022 summer season.
