Wildlife, Wonders & Wilderness
Fly Fishing Volunteers
Photo Credit: NPS
In the past ten years, emerging crises have developed which threaten Yellowstones blue ribbon waters. Most notably, these include the introduction of lake trout in Yellowstone Lake, and of Myxobolus, the trout whirling disease agent. As a result, many of the Yellowstone aquatics staff are assigned to these crises, leaving a large number of Park fisheries untended.
Since 2003, the Yellowstone Park Foundation has addressed this gap by funding the Fly Fishing Volunteers Program which recruits volunteer anglers to gather vital biological data from fish populations throughout the Park.
Funds raised are used for equipment, supplies, laboratory and data analysis, and a program coordinator who will be responsible for the scientific credibility of data collected, as well as volunteer recruitment and supervision.