BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — If your B.A.S.S. Nation club has a proposal for a project that either helps native vegetation thrive or controls exotic invasive species, your club could win up to $3,000 from the Aquatic Plant Management Society in 2023.
The Aquatic Plant Management Society, the longest running sponsor of B.A.S.S. Conservation, is once again providing funding for B.A.S.S. Nation club projects that will protect and enhance aquatic habitat for bass and other species of fish and aquatic life. Projects can include introducing native aquatic plants such as water willow, eelgrass or pondweeds to provide nursery cover and shelter for juvenile sportfish; plantings such as transplanting buttonbush, willow or cypress that can to stabilize shorelines and reduce erosion and provide fish-holding cover in aging reservoirs; chemical control, physical removal or educational outreach about exotic invasive plants like hydrilla, watermillfoil or water chestnut that threaten aquatic systems and hinder fishing and boating access.
Although grant funding is for one year, multiyear projects that bring together several partners and funding from other sources will be given preference. Proposals that serve to continue existing projects are also acceptable as long as the proposal fits into the larger project’s long-term goals. The project must include a monitoring plan to show how short-term benchmarks are being met and how long-term success will be defined. If youth workers such as Junior Bassmasters, B.A.S.S. High School or College team members are involved, the project will have a competitive edge in the judging process.
The application instructions and required information can be found in this document.
B.A.S.S. staff and representatives from APMS will review the applications and announce a winner on or before June 30. The bullet list, agency support letter and other photos or documents must be scanned as a single PDF file and emailed to B.A.S.S. Conservation at ggilliland@bassmaster.com by May 31, 2023.
