NC B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Updates

Bill Frazier, NC B.A.S.S. Nation Conservation Director, has been busy keeping tabs on the many projects and events that affect our area lakes and waterways. Bill’s membership in the NC B.A.S.S. Nation and the role he fills is a tremendous asset to our organization, yet his devotion to ensuring that we, as fishermen, will continue to have quality fisheries to visit typically goes unnoticed.

Listed below are a few key events that Bill has attended, provided valuable input, and continues to follow as a concerned outdoorsman and fellow member. If you have any questions concerning any of the topics or events listed below, feel free to contact Bill at mustfish@rocketmail.com.

Thank you Bill Frazier for your time and efforts!!!

Events attended:

• Attended both East and West NC BASS Regional Meetings
• Attended BASS Nation Conservation Summit in Birmingham (Gratefully acknowledging support from NC B.A.S.S. Nation)
• Annual NC Aquatic Weed Conference Meeting (Teleconference)
  • Most significant outcome:
    • ALL state and fed reps solid in their proposal to put escalating costs back on local authorities
• Lake Gaston Stakeholders Assn. Annual Meeting:
  • We attended the Board of Directors Meeting by teleconference as well
  • Most significant outcomes:
    • Vote to allow homeowners individual stocking of grass carp in their locations did not pass.
    • Considerable confusion about current state of legislation in Virginia to allow wildlife agency funds of $500,000 to treat weeds at Gaston
• SC/Clemson Aquatic Weed and Algae Management Conference
  • Most significant outcomes:
    • Served on expert panel about future of the science and reality of weed and algae management
    • Pitched umbrella funding idea for control and source of needed funds WITHOUT attacking existing wildlife and environmental management programs
• SE Lake and Watershed Management Conference, Ashville (NALMS)
  • Speaker
  • Topic covered the economics of sport fishing and its connections, or not, with invasive species.
  • Pitched umbrella funding idea for control and source of those funds WITHOUT attacking existing wildlife and environmental management programs

Planned activities:

• We are now a group member of “Friends of Reservoirs” through the generous support of Earl Conway, former Conservation Director
• We have submitted our proposed Summer locations for the cooperative “BASSCourse” project with NC WRC. The next milestone is actual deployment.
• We are progressing to getting Randleman Youth back up and going since the host school coach has moved to a new career.
• We will be supporting the BASS Norman Open in October. Please pass this along to our clubs. We can probably handle the work with what we have but it’d be great to have a big turnout to show support for BASS in NC.

Suggested Activities:

• Any future in all of us meeting with our elected reps up to and including the governor about the invasives and funding?