Second quarter grant applications were presented and voted on at the May 24, 2022 AZSFWC Board meeting. Funding for the grants is available through sales of our special Conserving Wildlife license plate. More information about the license plate and how you can obtain one can be found HERE.
Three grants were approved and included the following:
$4,000 was awarded to the AZ Raptor Center for their Education and Outreach program. Raptors in their care that cannot be released back into the wild are utilized in education programs around the state. A typical program covers topics such as how raptors fit into the ecosystem, what raptors eat, and where they live. Funding will support the development of additional educational materials, expanding venues, and building internet and social media presence and providing a means to provide educational opportunities virtually. Additional funding will be provided by private donations and AZ Raptor Center contributions.
$4,709 was awarded to the Valley of the Sun Chapter Quail Forever for Phase III of the Robbins Butte Water for Wildlife project. Funds will provide material to set up 30 permanent water stations along one mile of food plots at Robbins Butte Wildlife Area. These waters will increase the abundance of the 131 species of mammals, amphibians and birds that make this habitat their home.
$44,799 was awarded to AZ Council of Trout Unlimited for habitat work on the R-C Scout Camp Pond and Christopher Creek Restoration. This project will create a model desert fish habitat and refuge populations of native Roundtail Chub and Longfin Dace. Once established, this refuge population will provide youth recreational fishing opportunities and nature study. Partners include AZ Flycasters Club, Grand Canyon Council Boy Scouts, Embrace A Stream, United Way, Desert Fish Habitat Partnership, USFWS Partners Program, and Zane Gray and Old Pueblo Chapters of TU.
$2,010 was awarded to Mohave Sportsman Club for their annual Fishing for Smiles event which is a cooperative effort to provide an opportunity for Mohave County children to learn about all aspects of fishing. The Club anticipates 300 children, family members and caregivers to attend. Attendees will be provided with equipment and education, and volunteers will teach them to cast, bait a hook, reel in the catch, and how to clean the fish they have caught. Additional partners include Kingman Elks Lodge 468, AZ Game & Fish Department, Little Debbie, Pepsi Cola, and Kingman Regional Medical Center.
$4,524 was awarded to AZ Desert Bighorn Sheep Society (ADBSS) for the Boone & Crockett 2022 Youth Camp. Ten youth will attend a summer camp at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch in Montana. Participants are chosen after submitting an essay based on the theme “Who benefits from a waterhole project and why?” Emphasis of the camp is on education, but many attendees leave camp with a renewed or entirely new interest in hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation. Activities include hiking, archery, shooting, fishing, fly tying, kayaking and daily classes on wildlife conservation. Funding partners include ADBSS, Boone & Crockett.