Yellow Dog Community & Conservation Foundation Lodge Partner Program
Since its inception in 2106, the Yellow Dog Community and Conservation Foundation (YDCCF) has helped give back to angling communities throughout the world by funding numerous grassroots, locally driven 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.
From the very beginning, YDDCF was built on relationships formed by Yellow Dog Flyfishing over the last 25 years: direct connections with more than 250 lodges and outfitters in dozens of different countries. YDCCF is unique in its ability as a mechanism for anglers to give back to the places they travel to. In the current environment, it is no longer enough to simply visit and recreate in these fragile environments. Those that love the sport of fishing realize that there exists a responsibility to help protect, preserve and enhance these communities and ecosystems whenever possible. YDCCF is the only organization of its kind with this deep network of partnerships and relationships on the ground, facilitating impactful work and results. Destination angling has to include stewardship, and YDCCF exists to be the conduit for anglers to help. Every time a client books a trip with Yellow Dog Flyfishing, a percentage is donated to YDCCF to help fund this vital work.
The YDCCF Lodge Partner Program is designed to allow 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 fulfilling existences and livelihoods for the residents of their community. Each of these places is special because of the people that live there, and working to constantly enhance the lives of the people in these communities is what YDCCF was created to do.
Examples of existing partnerships that have yielded lasting community impacts include:
· Punta Allen, Yucatan Peninsula, Mexico: In conjunction with several lodges in the community including Grand Slam Lodge and Ascension Bay Lodge, YDCCF helped spearhead fundraising for a number of projects for the youth of Punta Allen, including building new bathrooms for the schools, a covered palapa for outdoor education, a new playground, and a recently completed dormitory for the teachers who travel to the community to educate the children.
· Mangrove Cay, Andros, Bahamas: Working with partner Cheryl Bastian at Swain’s Cay Lodge, YDCCF has donated over $80,000 in funding toward the construction of the Mangrove Cay Recreational Community Park, which is for all residents of middle Andros. The Park will feature basketball courts, tennis and volleyball, a children’s playground, clubhouses with bathrooms, and a lighted track for running.
· McCleans Town, Grand Bahama: Working with partner Robert Neher at East End Lodge, YDCCF has donated over $50,000 toward the East End Dorian Relief project, which is helping residents of McCleans Town rebuild their homes after Hurricane Dorian.
· Xcalak, Chetumul Bay, Mexico: Working with our partners at The XFlats Lodge, we are in year two of the Xcalak English Project, which seeks to bring Bozeman area students and certified educators to Xcalak every summer to teach an ESL curriculum to residents in the Xcalak community. The classes are focused on everyday dialogue and include year-round support via virtual programming.
· Mongolia: With our partners at Fish Mongolia and Mongolia River Outfitters, YDCCF has supported the Healthy Taimen Festivals for over three years. Each year, doctors travel to Mongolia and perform 1-2 day clinics in remote villages focused on delivering critical preventative care to children in the region. Past clinics have focused on vision exams and dental care. In most cases, these festivals are the only preventative care children have access to.
Twice a 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 new Yellow Dog Flyfishing website and in future Yellow Dog catalogs 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 community and the lodges and outfitters that call these areas home.
2023 Premier Partners
Ascension Bay Lodge Punta Allen, Mexico
Grand Slam Lodge Punta Allen, Mexico
The XFlats Xcalak, Mexico
El Pescador Ambergris Caye, Belize
Victoria House Ambergris Caye, Belize
Turneffe Flats Turneffe Atoll, Belize
Belize River Lodge Ladyville, Belize
East End Lodge Grand Bahama
Swain’s Cay Lodge Andros, Bahamas
Mongolia River Outfitters Mongolia
Bear Trail Lodge King Salmon, Alaska
Madison RR Lodge Ennis, Montana
Cedar Lodge Makarora, New Zealand
Martin Pescador Lodge Chile
2023 Preferred Partners
Abaco Lodge Abaco, Bahamas
Costa de Cocos Lodge Xcalak, Mexico
Christmas Island Lodge Kiribati
Owen River Lodge New Zealand
2023 Partners
Avalon Outdoors Cuba