U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE

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U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
JUNE 4, 2012

Contact: Kim Betton
571-319-6343 (cell)
703-358-2081 (office)
Kim_betton@fws.gov

Service Celebrates National Fishing and Boating Week and Great Outdoors
Month at the 23rd Annual D.C. National Fishing and Boating Week Youth
Fishing Event on the National Mall
Several hundred school children “dropped their lines” in the Constitution
Gardens Pond on the National Mall today, kicking off the nationwide
celebration of National Fishing and Boating Week (June 2-10) and Great
Outdoors Month. Similar events will be taking place across the nation as
the Service and its partners help thousands of children and their families
experience the outdoors.
“The Fish and Wildlife Service has a long legacy of conserving and
managing the nation’s aquatic resources while also providing opportunities
for Americans to enjoy them,” said U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director
Dan Ashe. “Helping children learn the joys of fishing is an important part
of the Department of the Interior’s mission to connect children to the
great outdoors.”
The 23rd Annual D.C. National Fishing and Boating Week Youth Fishing Event
also celebrates Great Outdoors Month and encourages all Americans to help
young people explore the outdoors and enjoy America’s rich and diverse
aquatic resources. It also serves to foster natural resource stewardship
in America’s youth and exposes them to careers in natural resources.
The youth participating in this event are mostly from Washington, D.C.
area urban schools, where opportunities to participate in recreational
outdoor fishing activities are limited.
For more information on places you can get out and enjoy National Fishing
and Boating Week, visit www.takemefishing.org. You can also discover the
many fishing and boating areas managed across the nation by the Department
of the Interior by visiting www.recreation.gov.
As part of these nationwide festivities, many states do not require a
fishing license during the National Fishing and Boating Week to hold
fishing clinics, casting contests, derbies, fish hatchery open houses and
any number of other family-oriented activities.
Sponsors for this event include the Department of the Interior University,
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land
Management, Bureau of Reclamation, Recreational Boating and Fishing
Foundation, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, District of
Columbia’s Department of the Environment, Catch A Special Thrill
(C.A.S.T.) Foundation for Kids, Trout Unlimited, Blacks in
Government-Department of the Interior Chapter, Federal Asian Pacific
American Commission, and the American Recreation Coalition.
Currently, some 40 million anglers and 70 million recreational boaters
enjoy these great American traditions. Both pastimes make significant
contributions to the U.S. economy, support millions of jobs and add
billions of dollars to state tax revenues through equipment purchases and
tourism-related expenditures. National Fishing and Boating Week also
encourages families to fish together as one of the best ways to “move
outdoors” and celebrate Great Outdoors Month.
The mission of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is working with others
to conserve, protect and enhance fish, wildlife, plants and their habitats
for the continuing benefit of the American people. We are both a leader
and trusted partner in fish and wildlife conservation and management,
known for our scientific excellence, stewardship of lands and natural
resources, dedicated professionals and commitment to public service. For
more information on our work and the people who make it happen, visit
www.fws.gov.
-FWS-

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