MINNEAPOLIS – FLW Outdoors continues to promote conservation among fisheries that host its professional bass tournaments, as evidenced by a recent $5,000 donation to the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. The donation will go toward the 2004 and 2005 Joe Wheeler Youth Fishing Events. The project provides a controlled area for community youth to fish for stocked catfish during the event.
This donation further establishes FLW Outdoors as an organization devoted to giving something back to the communities that host its tournaments. The donation coincided with the final regular-season stop along the 2003 Wal-Mart FLW Tour, held last week on Wheeler Lake in Alabama. This is the second $5,000 donation FLW Outdoors has made to the department; last year’s donation also went toward stocking the lake with catfish for youth fishing events. This year’s $5,000 contribution will fund the purchase of the catfish for both the 2004 and 2005 events. The money will also go toward the cost of keeping the area controlled, making the fish available for the children.
“We have had hundreds of kids attend the event over the last two years, and, for many of them, it was the first time they had ever gone fishing,” said Tim Haney, park superintendent for Joe Wheeler State Park. “Without FLW Outdoors’ donation, we would not be able to host the youth fishing events that introduce so many kids to the sport.”
The project involves stocking the lake with catfish – which are chosen for their availability, cost and eagerness to bite – for the children to catch. Channel catfish are stocked and corralled with a 600-foot net at Joe Wheeler State Park marina. Approximately 1,000 pounds of catfish are stocked two days prior to the event to ensure a high success rate among participants. All remaining fish are released into the lake after the event to provide additional angling opportunities throughout the year.
FLW Outdoors remains committed to conservation in 2003 through its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation, the conservation arm of the American Sportfishing Association. FLW Outdoors’ donations, administered through FishAmerica, go toward conservation efforts to benefit tournament host sites.
In 2000, FLW Outdoors announced its partnership with the FishAmerica Foundation. Since then, FLW Outdoors has directly donated nearly $200,000 and helped to generate more than $1 million for local conservation projects. As it has in the past, FLW Outdoors is donating $5,000 at each of its seven Wal-Mart FLW Tour events as well as at a variety of its other sanctioned tournaments.
“In partnering with FishAmerica, we have a definite positive impact on the fisheries and host cities where our tournaments are held,” said Charlie Hoover, president and CEO of FLW Outdoors. “Providing fishing events for children is critical to introducing the next generation of anglers to the sport, which makes us very proud to be a part of the Joe Wheeler Youth Fishing events.”