A Tackle the Storm event will be held July 27 at the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission Shooting Range in Mayflower to provide free fishing tackle for children and families that lost their gear in the April 27 tornado.
The event will be from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the shooting range ponds. The ponds will be stocked with catfish so that beneficiaries may use their new tackle on site.
Don Barone, a longtime writer for Bassmaster, BASS Times and other publications, formed Tackle the Storm in 2011 to help children, primarily, find peace through fishing in the wake of catastrophe. His motto is: Lose a child, lose the future.
Jim Alexander, president of the Arkansas Bass Nation, said that Tackle the Storm will provide free rods and reels, tackle boxes and lures for participants.
"At the annual Bass Cat Owner's Tournament in April, part of the entry fee goes to a charity," Alexander said. "This year, Tackle the Storm was the event that Rick Pierce [Bass Cat's general manager] decided to donate to. Who could have known that we'd be bringing it to Mayflower?"
In addition to getting some free tackle, participants will be able to meet Kevin Short and Billy McCaghren, both of Mayflower, and Stephen Browning of Hot Springs. They compete in the Bassmaster Elite Series and have multiple appearances in the Bassmaster Classic. Short's house was destroyed in the tornado.
Skeet Reese, winner of the 2009 Bassmaster Classic and co-founder of Tackle the Storm, pledged to donate $15 for every pound of fish he caught at the Elite Series tournament at Lake Dardanelle in May ($885), as did Elite Series pros John Crews ($975) and Mark Davis ($335). Dick's Sporting Goods pledged to match Reese's donation.
McCaghren pledged $20 for each pound ($420) of fish he caught, and Ranger Boats pledged $1,000. Wright & McGill, of Eagle Claw fame, pledged $800, and Bass Pro Shops pledged 100 rod-and-reel combos.
Formerly the Arkansas Bass Federation, the Arkansas Bass Nation is dedicated to growing the sport of fishing in our state, Alexander said. That includes involvement in events like Tackle the Storm and advocating conservation issues.
More information on the Tackle the Storm event and donations is available by contacting Alexander at (501) 269-1368. It's also available online at tacklethestormfoundation.org.
FRIENDS OF NRA
The Friends of the NRA Capital City Charter will hold a banquet Aug. 9 at Sherwood Forest in Sherwood.
Bob Robbins, a longtime radio personality in Arkansas, will emcee the event, and Whole Hog Cafe will provide supper. Doors open at 5 p.m. and supper will be at 6:30 p.m., followed by an auction at 8 p.m.
A Friends of the NRA auction is a great place to find special edition firearms that are hard to find anywhere else. Half of the proceeds will go to the National Rifle Association's foundation for youth and shooting grants. The other half will fund youth firearm education and safety programs in Arkansas.
Tickets for adults are $35 in advance or $40 at the door. Admission for children 12 and younger is $10.
More information is available by contacting Gander Mountain at (501) 945-4070, Don's Weaponry at (501) 945-2324 or (501) 588-7998. Information also is available on Capital City Charter's Facebook page at facebook.com/capitalcityfnra.
DUCK NEWS
On July 9, the Subcommittee on Interior, Environment and Related Agencies of the House Appropriations Committee dedicated $34 million for the North American Wetlands Conservation Act for fiscal year 2015. That's about the same amount that was appropriated for fiscal year 2014.
That's a pretty small investment when you consider the area it has to cover, coupled with the high return it yields in terms of waterfowl production and associated economic benefit. It's also important for water conservation.
However, waterfowl conservation specialists have maximized the limited funds to conserve 27.5 million acres of habitat, according to Ducks Unlimited. State and private conservation organizations have contributed $2.7 billion in non-federal matching funds for the nearly $1.3 billion made available in federal grants.
Sportsmen see the benefits of these investments in the form of record numbers of ducks migrating into Arkansas each fall. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service recently estimated the number of breeding ducks at 49.2 million, an 8 percent increase over the 2013 count and 43 percent above the long-term average.
The USFWS estimated mallard numbers at 10.9 million, about the same as last year, but 42 percent over the long-term average. There are about 3.2 million pintails, about the same as last year but 20 percent below the long-term average.
There are 3.8 million gadwalls, 102 percent above the long-term average. Blue-winged and green-winged teal are, as my friend Alan Thomas would say, out of control. They are 75 percent and 69 percent over their long-term averages.
Sports on 07/17/2014