Save Money on Taxes by Supporting Fisheries

With comfortable fishing temps lingering longer this Winter, I hope you've been on the water. Whether you caught anything or not, your odds of encountering fish and enjoying a bountiful ecosystem were enhanced by the tireless work of conservation organizations and their members.  Please consider becoming a member of the following organizations. And, regardless of your membership, donate what you can to help them out. Since these are 501(c)(3) non-profits, you can deduct the donation from your taxable income.  Learn more at the links below and give back to the resources you enjoy.

Illinois Smallmouth Alliance

Warmwater gamefish need healthy homes, too. The ISA is an action-oriented non-profit dedicated to keeping smallmouth bass populations healthy through angler education, stream habitat restoration, and policy advocacy. 

Bonefish & Tarpon Trust

Despite the press coverage that flats fishing for bonefish, tarpon, and permit receive in fishing media and the economic impact it has in the Florida Keys and Caribbean nations, much is still unknown about these important gamefish. BTT is leading the way in scientific research on flats fisheries, including fish tagging programs, fin clip sampling, as well as angler and guide education.  BTT gives you some great, functional freebies when you donate.

Chesapeake Bay Foundation

"Oysters are the Mid-Atlantic Coral Reefs"

-Tommy Leggert, manager of CBF's Virginia Oyster Restoration Center

Chesapeake Bay is the most important spawning grounds and nursery for Striped Bass that end up swimming all along America's East Coast.  CBF is making substantial gains in restoring the Bay's ecosystem.  If you donate by December 31, 2015 your donation will be matched dollar-for-dollar to make your generosity go farther. Click the text above the logo for more info.

Everglades Foundation

The Everglades Foundation brings awareness to issues facing Everglades National Park and the ecosystems dependent upon its health. It also helps fund scientific research conducted by budding young scientists interested in helping the Everglades.

Trout Unlimited 1,000 Miles Campaign

Sloppy engineering, even on a small scale, harms fish habitat. Throughout the Western United States, many culverts have been built in ways that impede trout mobility upstream. Otherwise miles-long stretches of creeks that trout could call home have become tiny constrained environments between poorly-constructed culverts. TU is teaming with Orvis to rebuild these culverts over the streams' natural flows so that trout can move about. If you donate by December 31, Orvis will match your donation dollar-for-dollar. Click on the link above the logo for more info. 

I once heard someone say that if a street musician's talent made you stop in your tracks, you owed them at least a dollar from your pocket. Why don't we apply the same rule to the beautiful places we traverse to find fish? If the beauty of a river or grassflat or mountain stream has ever made you stop in your tracks--if you've ever taken a picture of a landscape or a seascape or one of its piscatorial inhabitants--maybe you owe it at least the money in your pocket.

-TJA