From Yellowdog:
Since its inception in 2016, the Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation (YDCCF) has helped give back to local and global angling communities by funding numerous grassroots projects. To date, the Foundation has invested more than $1.5 million to help preserve, protect, and enhance the fisheries and the fishing communities that matter to anglers. To support this endeavor, Yellow Dog Flyfishing donates a portion of every trip booked and every product sold to YDCCF.
Launched in 2023, the YDCCF Lodge Partner Program encourages lodges and outfitters to join in contributing to projects in their community by donating directly to YDCCF. In many cases, these partnerships have already been generating results in angling communities for years: places like Punta Allen on the Yucatan Peninsula, the pristine flats of Belize, and the remote steppes of Mongolia. Each Lodge Partner is deeply invested in ensuring their community is responsible, resourceful, and dedicated to providing not only amazing experiences for traveling anglers; but also supporting the livelihoods of the local residents who make it all possible. Each of these places is special because of the people that live there, and YDCCF’s mission is to improve and enhance the lives of the people in these communities.
As part of the Spring 2024 round of grant funding, six Lodge Partner programs were awarded more than $67,000 to fund a range of projects in their communities, including:
- Punta Allen, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: In conjunction with Premier Partners Grand Slam Lodge and Ascension Bay Lodge, YDCCF helped fund the renovation of the town’s Community Center, which will house year-round educational and recreational programming. YDCCF got its start in Punta Allen and continues to work closely with partners in the community to help improve the lives and livelihoods of residents.
- Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas: Working with Premier Partner Swain’s Cay Lodge, YDCCF has donated over $150,000 in funding toward the construction of the Mangrove Cay Recreational Community Park, which is for all residents of middle Andros. The Park features basketball courts, tennis and volleyball, clubhouses with bathrooms, with future plans for a children’s playground and a lighted track for running.
- McLeans Town, Grand Bahama: Working with Premier Partner East End Lodge, YDCCF has donated over $60,000 toward the East End Dorian Relief project, which is helping residents of McLeans Town rebuild their homes after Hurricane Dorian.
- Xcalak, Chetumul Bay, Mexico: Working with Premier Partner The XFlats, we are in year three of the Xcalak Community Enrichment Project, which has evolved to include year-round programming through the new community center in Xcalak.
- Mongolia: With Premier Partner Fish Mongolia/Mongolia River Outfitters, YDCCF has supported the Healthy Taimen Festivals (HTF) for over three years. Each year, doctors travel to Mongolia and perform clinics in remote villages focused on delivering critical preventative care to children in the region. In most cases, these festivals are the only preventative care children have access to. To date, HTF programs have treated over 1,000 children.
- Bristol Bay, Alaska: In conjunction with Premier Partner Bear Trail Lodge, working with the Bristol Bay Land Trust, we are again supporting the annual Bristol Bay Guide Academy. The program provides fly fishing and conservation instruction to indigenous community members in the Bristol Bay region. This project has helped train and develop scores of new guides in the region, providing them with additional means of income and connection.
When asked about why she’s a YDCCF Lodge Partner, Bear Trail Lodge’s Nanci Morris Lyon had this to say:
“As a busy lodge owner, I have chosen to invest in YDCCF because they share my concerns for conservation and communities. YDCCF has brought to my attention social, ecological and biological issues that I should and do care about. These are pinpointed issues that clearly and closely affect fisheries and the people who protect and promote them. This phenomenal life that I have been blessed to lead as a lodge owner makes me want to give back and open opportunities so others may become involved in fishing and fisheries. YDCCF does my homework for me and allows me to give back to causes that are close to my heart, while I am busy sharing, enjoying and protecting the fisheries I love for future generations.”
Throughout the year, Lodge Partners engage directly with YDCCF in discussions about potential projects, share emerging issues they face, and work toward collaborating on the best solutions. It’s important to note that YDCCF doesn’t do actual project work – in almost every case, that is led directly by partners in each community. They know best what their needs are and how to tackle the issues, and YDCCF supports them financially in achieving their goals.
Anglers researching their next destination are encouraged to look for the Lodge Partner Program logo on the Yellow Dog Flyfishing website and in the Yellow Dog catalog and travel guides. Knowing that the lodge they are selecting is invested in the surrounding community and fishery is yet another way to help anglers decide where to book. After all, great experiences don’t happen by accident – they are the result of deep investments made by the communities, lodges and outfitters that call these areas home.
About YDCCF: The Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation (YDCCF) was established in 2016 by Yellow Dog Flyfishing to support the local fisheries, ecosystems and communities where great angling is found. Since inception, YDCCF has leveraged more than $1.5 million dollars for grassroots projects in angling destinations across the globe, funding projects large and small focused on conservation, education and community growth, and resilience. For more information, please visit www.ydccf.org
Contact Information:
Brooks Scott
Executive Director – Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation
[email protected]; 406-220-3900
