Ken Burton (202) 208-5634
Students from schools in the District of Columbia, Maryland and Virginia have been invited to go fishing June 4 on the National Mall at Constitution Gardens and help the District of Columbia kickoff a new National Fishing and Boating Week, the first nationwide celebration of two hugely popular national pastimes.
Interior Secretary Gale Norton is scheduled to lead the children in the official cast at approximately 10:30 AM, accompanied by the Acting Director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Marshall Jones, and officials from almost a dozen other government and private agencies and organizations.
The observance, known for 21 years as National Fishing Week, continues throughout the United States from June 1 to June 10. Sponsored this year by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, the week is expected to draw thousands boaters and anglers to hundreds of tournaments, clinics and educational programs across the nation.
The Constitution Gardens event is one of 17 separate boating and fishing events scheduled in Washington, Virginia and Maryland. Area students, all fourth, fifth and sixth graders, will be supplied with fishing gear and invited to try their hand at catching sunfish, channel catfish, largemouth bass and more in the Constitution Gardens pond, located between 17th and 23d Streets, off Constitution Avenue.
Some 25 volunteers from the Fish and Wildlife Service Division of Fisheries and Habitat Conservation will be on hand with advice and help for the young first-time anglers.
"Each year since 1979, this event has introduced the thrill and delight of sportfishing to thousands of men, women and children," said Ira Palmer, chief of the District of Columbias Office of Fish and Wildlife. "Fishing has always been big in Washington, where we have two major rivers literally at our doorstep. Were especially glad this year to be a part of this newly invigorated observance that has joined the joys of boating to the joys of fishing. We want to do our best to see that young peoples interest in these activities doesnt end when the sun sets on June 4."
Fishing at the pond near Constitution Gardens will highlight a busy week, including a Nations River Bass Tournament in Alexandria, Virginia on June 1, a Family Fishing and Boating Festival in the Districts Anacostia Park on June 2, and a fish fry sponsored by the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration at the Department of Commerce building on 15th Street June
Hundreds of communities throughout the country will sponsor Free Fishing Days in connection with National Fishing and Boating Week as well as thousands of fishing clinics, casting contests, derbies, fish hatchery open houses and other family-oriented activities.
The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation was formally established in October 1998 to develop a national strategy designed to increase participation in fishing and boating, and aquatic stewardship.
The Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act of 1998 dedicated $36 million of Sport Fish Restoration Program funds for a five-year national outreach and communication effort, administered by the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation. Partners include the fishing, boating and conservation communities, state and federal fisheries, natural resources and tourism agencies and many other interested organizations. Foundation funding is provided under a cooperative agreement with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.
National Fishing and Boating Week Steering Committee members include the Fish and Wildlife Service, the American Fisheries Society, the American Sportfishing Association, Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission, Bass Anglers Sportsman Society, Inc., Izaak Walton League of America, International Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies, National Marine Manufacturers Association, Plano Molding Company, Trout Unlimited, Bureau of Land Management, Bureau of Reclamation, District of Columbia Fisheries and Wildlife Division, National Park Service, NOAA Fisheries, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, U.S. Coast Guard.
Also, American Boat Builders and Repairers Association, Aquatic Resources Education Association, American Recreation Coalition, Boat U.S.-Foundation for Boating Safety andClean Water, Catalystic Marketing Services, Friends of the Potomac, Inner City Fishing Institute, Marina Operators Association of America, Marine Environmental Education Foundation, Inc., Marine Industries Association of South Florida, Inc., Marine Retailers of America, Pure Fishing, Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation and Wildlife Forever.
The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is the principal Federal agency responsible for conserving, protecting and enhancing fish, wildlife and plants and their habitats for the continuing benefit of the American people. The Service manages the 94-million-acre National Wildlife Refuge System which encompasses more than 535 national wildlife refuges, thousands of small wetlands and other special management areas. It also operates 70 national fish hatcheries, 64 fishery resource offices and 78 ecological services field stations. The agency enforces Federal wildlife laws, administers the Endangered Species Act, manages migratory bird populations, restores nationally significant fisheries, conserves and restores wildlife habitat such as wetlands, and helps foreign governments with their conservation efforts. It also oversees the Federal Aid program that distributes hundreds of millions of dollars in excise taxes on fishing and hunting equipment to state fish and wildlife agencies.
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For more information about the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, visit our home page at http://www.fws.gov">
(EDITORS: Detailed information and schedules of events for National Fishing and Boating Week 2001 may be found at www.nationalfishingandboatingweek.org. For information about the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation, try www.rbff.org.)
