supporting communities
2022 Annual Report
YELLOW DOG COMMUNITY & CONSERVATION FOUNDATION | PROJECTS WITH PURPOSE
a word on community
When you hear the word “community” you likely envision the few square miles in which you reside. Home. A place of rest and rejuvenation, as well as your support network. Yet community can mean many things. There’s the natural world, comprised of literally billions of different communities of plants, insects and animals. They all thrive by relying on each other for mutual support. So it is with humans as well. We congregate around each other: for work, camaraderie and sustenance, to share experiences and stories and activities that feed both our literal and existential selves.
In my short time at the helm of YDCCF,I’ve quickly learned that it is community that is both the driving force behind our work as well as the primary benefactor.
BROOKS SCOTT, YDCCF Executive Director
In November of 2022, we asked our Board of Directors to travel to Punta Allen on the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico to help the community there celebrate the opening of the new Teacher’s Dormitory. It was the culmination of a three-year long project to help the children of Punta Allen secure a better education. The project itself is a pure distillation of why the YDCCF model works so well: we lean into the relationships we have on the ground in angling destinations and listen to the community, discuss their challenges, and seek to help fund the solutions they present. In this case, recruiting better applicants for remote teaching positions in the village required providing better accommodations. The result: after the new housing opened, the volume of applications skyrocketed, and the likelihood that teachers will come back each season increased. The community now has its pick of great educators for the children of Punta Allen. This only worked because the community of business owners (such as Grand Slam Lodge and Ascension Bay Lodge), residents, and local partners worked together.
That night, after the celebration, as evening descended on the village, we walked around town. The shouts and children’s laughter coming from the campo desportivo filled the air, and our hearts. It takes a village, indeed.
AN EVOLUTION
As you scroll through this online report, you’ll see the scope of our work in 2022. We spread out almost $200,000 in grants and support to communities from right here in Montana, to Mexico, the Bahamas, Mongolia and beyond. And we’re just getting started – in 2023 we launch our new Lodge Partner Program, bringing our local partners on the ground in these communities into a deeper collaboration to better respond to the needs of these special places.
Ongoing Partnerships
Supporting communities is rarely a “one and done” deal: it can take years of investment and creative collaboration to realize the type of lasting change for those who need it most. YDCCF’s work is often a multiyear effort of diverse projects. Learn more below about our ongoing partnerships that received support in 2022.
MEXICO
Xcalak English Project | XFLATS LODGE
On the southernmost tip of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico lies the village of Xcalak, whose primary industries are tourism and destination angling. A collaboration with YDCCF Premier Lodge Partner XFlats Lodge, the Xcalak English Project brings Bozeman-based ESL students and instructors into the community for a weeklong introductory course on English for up to 40 community members.
BAHAMAS
Mangrove Cay Recreational Community Park Association
The community of Little Harbour on Mangrove Cay on Andros in the Bahamas has been working for the last three years on building a recreational park for its residents. A basketball court has been completed that sees daily use and bleachers have been added as well as a clubhouse with restrooms. The plan also calls for a running track, tennis courts, a childrens’ playground and lighting for the entire park.
BAHAMAS
East End Dorian Relief Fund
Hurricane Dorian completely wiped out the east end of Grand Bahama in 2019. The East End Dorian Relief Fund originally focused on providing basic needs in the wake of the storm and is now assisting residents of McCleans Town in rebuilding their homes so that they can return to the community.
MONGOLIA
Healthy Taimen Festival | Mongolia River Outfitters
The Healthy Taimen Festivals are two-day events held in remote communities in Mongolia. YDCCF Premier Lodge Partner Mongolia River Outfitters provides opportunities for visiting health professionals to volunteer their skills and partners with BioRegions International to bring in additional medical professionals – both international and Mongolian – to aid in local community health screenings.
Projects with Purpose
YDCCF focuses on providing small, targeted grants to local organizations and communities in the places where great angling is found. We rely on our vast network of partners throughout the world to help find and connect us with the people on the ground making a difference in their communities and watersheds. Below you will find some of the projects we supported in 2022. A full list is available here.
MONTANA | USA
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper
Upper Missouri Waterkeeper is undertaking a GIS based scientific study in the upper reaches of the Gallatin River in southwest Montana. The combined effects of a warming climate and ongoing development in and around the resort community of Big Sky have caused the Montana Department of Environmental Quality to designate the mainstem Gallatin as formally “impaired”, due to severe algae blooms during the summer and the inability to sustainably support aquatic life.
BAHAMAS + BEYOND
Keep Fish Wet
Keep Fish Wet’s mission is to help anglers improve the outcome for each fish they release. Keep Fish Wet makes the science of catch-and-release and related best practices accessible and understandable. YDCCF’s grant supports the creation of materials and a campaign supporting best practices for handling bonefish in the Bahamas.
BAHAMAS
Friends of the Environment Abaco
Friends of the Environment’s mission is to preserve the environment of Abaco through education, conservation, and research facilitation. FRIENDS is the only Abaco-based non-profit dedicated to raising awareness of Abaco's environment and effecting conservation through education.
ALASKA | USA
Wild Salmon Center
Wild Salmon Center (WSC) is part of a broad-based coalition of groups and stakeholders working to stop the development of a 100-mile-long industrial road through the West Susitna watershed in southeast Alaska. The proposed road would cross 182 waterways, including at least 83 salmon streams, destroying thousands of acres of wetlands and bisect the watershed, disrupting the natural hydrologic flows and cutting off access to important fish habitat.
MONTANA | USA
Montana Trout Unlimited
Montana Trout Unlimited’s goal is to conserve, protect and restore Montana’s cold water fisheries and their watersheds. This is accomplished by balancing advocacy, habitat restoration and educational outreach, while always applying the best available science to policy, legal, and on-the-ground work.
MONTANA | USA
Fishing Outfitters Association of Montana | Guiding for the Future
Guiding for the Future is a program that provides advanced levels of knowledge and skill development for professional fishing guides and outfitters. The program’s goal is to inspire dedicated stewardship of aquatic ecosystems while increasing knowledge, professionalism, and ethics of fishing guides, outfitters, and the fly-fishing industry throughout Montana.
COSTA RICA
Cano Negro Youth Education Program
The Rural Communities and Nature Coexistence Youth Education Program seeks to build on an existing environmental education program by taking the top 10 students from the villages of Cano Negro, San Antonio and Aguas Negras, Costa Rica and deepen their training.
2022: The Year in Numbers
YDCCF is in the middle of a three year effort to reinvest funds raised during the aftermath of Hurricane Dorian in 2019. This effort was hindered by the global pandemic, yet we have been successful at granting over 75% of the funds over the last two years, including $100,000 in 2022. The gap between revenue and expenses is due to these funds being raised in 2019 and disbursed in 2022. We will complete our distribution of these funds in 2023.
A large portion of YDCCF’s funding comes directly from individual anglers like you. Please consider joining us by donating today!
REVENUE
$172,020
EXPENSES
$271,339
Giving back with every trip booked
As a traveling angler, you have a choice – of places to go, and partners to help you on your journey. When you choose to work with Yellow Dog Flyfishing, know that a portion of your trip booking is donated back to YDCCF to help us in our efforts. Not only do you benefit (at no extra cost!) from Yellow Dog’s deep experience in crafting memorable trips, but some of your investment finds its way back into programs that benefit the community you’re traveling to. No other travel company does this.
Flyfishing = Community
Our collective flyfishing community is among the most caring and deeply invested when it comes to conservation and community efforts. We all care very deeply about these places and want to make sure they remain vibrant and resilient. We thank our 2022 Donors listed below and welcome you to join us in this work by donating today.
$5,001 - $10,000+
Mr. and Mrs. Flint McNaughton - Warner Munro - Mr. and Mrs. Mason Reay - Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heggie Wilson, Jr.
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Mr. and Mrs. Flint McNaughton - Warner Munro - Mr. and Mrs. Mason Reay - Mr. and Mrs. Robert Heggie Wilson, Jr. -
$501 - $5,000
The Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation - Will Lillard - Hatch Outdoors - Buck Jones - Peter Mathieson - Dennis Munson - Hunter Parks - Mr. Peter Borden - Moorhead Family Fund
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The Gretchen Swanson Family Foundation - Will Lillard - Hatch Outdoors - Buck Jones - Peter Mathieson - Dennis Munson - Hunter Parks - Mr. Peter Borden - Moorhead Family Fund -
Matthew Kellogg - Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Culp - Fred Schonwald - Anonymous - Mr. and Mrs. Ian Davis - Josh Stapp - Patagonia, Inc - Tim and Wendy McAdam
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Matthew Kellogg - Mr. and Mrs. Sonny Culp - Fred Schonwald - Anonymous - Mr. and Mrs. Ian Davis - Josh Stapp - Patagonia, Inc - Tim and Wendy McAdam -
David Benson - Mr. and Mrs. Scott Henley - Mr. John Coward - Phillip Smith
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David Benson - Mr. and Mrs. Scott Henley - Mr. John Coward - Phillip Smith -
Montana Classic Boat Tours LLC - Skwala Fishing - Ric Smith - Alexander (Sandy) Stone III - Sweetwater Fly Shop - Bill Vansickle
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Montana Classic Boat Tours LLC - Skwala Fishing - Ric Smith - Alexander (Sandy) Stone III - Sweetwater Fly Shop - Bill Vansickle -
Up to $500
Las Pampas Lodge - Christopher Dodd - David A. Huffman - Jim Klug - Michael McGee - David Redkey
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Las Pampas Lodge - Christopher Dodd - David A. Huffman - Jim Klug - Michael McGee - David Redkey -
Restoration Engineering LLC - Mr. Scott Bosse - Mr. David Decker - Ross Liggett - Network for Good - Steve Turner - Mr. Jeffrey Metzger
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Restoration Engineering LLC - Mr. Scott Bosse - Mr. David Decker - Ross Liggett - Network for Good - Steve Turner - Mr. Jeffrey Metzger -
Dan Donnell - Calvin Collier - John De Rouen - Tom Hall - John Jackson - John and Elizabeth Lawson - Mr. David Morrissey - Outdoor Guide Association - Ms. Kim Schreiber - Robert Wells
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Dan Donnell - Calvin Collier - John De Rouen - Tom Hall - John Jackson - John and Elizabeth Lawson - Mr. David Morrissey - Outdoor Guide Association - Ms. Kim Schreiber - Robert Wells -
Donaldson Williams - Craig Wright - Sarah and Whitney Tilt - Mr. Joe Dilschneider - Phil Krehbiel - Ron Hunter - Nancy Bradford - Patrick Rulon-Miller - Mr. and Mrs. James Hoesley - Bruce and Cindy Lyon - Mr. George Stephan - Ms. Kristen Tripp - Phillip Bendele
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Donaldson Williams - Craig Wright - Sarah and Whitney Tilt - Mr. Joe Dilschneider - Phil Krehbiel - Ron Hunter - Nancy Bradford - Patrick Rulon-Miller - Mr. and Mrs. James Hoesley - Bruce and Cindy Lyon - Mr. George Stephan - Ms. Kristen Tripp - Phillip Bendele -
Kurt Anderson - Mr. Gannon Dudlar - Mr. Eric Little - Vance Webb - Mike and Gail Cherry - Suzanne Dansby - Andrew and Laura Forauer - Alec Gerbec - Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hodgson - Mr. David James - Ted Manning - Mr. and Mrs. Richard Park
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Kurt Anderson - Mr. Gannon Dudlar - Mr. Eric Little - Vance Webb - Mike and Gail Cherry - Suzanne Dansby - Andrew and Laura Forauer - Alec Gerbec - Mr. and Mrs. Mark Hodgson - Mr. David James - Ted Manning - Mr. and Mrs. Richard Park -
Michael Piatz - Brooks Scott - James Shanley - Mr. Brian Smith - Brian Spear - Joseph Warren - Jake Wells - Rep Your Water - Carroll Bever - Mr. Thomas Melvin - Neil Callahan - Henley Ashmun
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Michael Piatz - Brooks Scott - James Shanley - Mr. Brian Smith - Brian Spear - Joseph Warren - Jake Wells - Rep Your Water - Carroll Bever - Mr. Thomas Melvin - Neil Callahan - Henley Ashmun -
Boise Valley Fly Fisherman, Inc - Chad Chorney - Paul Dixon - Melissa Duff - Mr. Cole Farris - Chad Gerhardstein - Benjamin Huffman - Chase Kneeland - Carter Lyles - David Mahn - Jack Porter - Shane Rickert
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Boise Valley Fly Fisherman, Inc - Chad Chorney - Paul Dixon - Melissa Duff - Mr. Cole Farris - Chad Gerhardstein - Benjamin Huffman - Chase Kneeland - Carter Lyles - David Mahn - Jack Porter - Shane Rickert -
Joshua Shackleford - Beth Sullivan - C. Warren Vanderhill - Stacey Vanek - Pursuit Coffee Company - Sarah Delany - Calli Durst - Erika Evert - Jennifer Norris - Haley Roberts - Pat Winninger - Matt Kelsic
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Joshua Shackleford - Beth Sullivan - C. Warren Vanderhill - Stacey Vanek - Pursuit Coffee Company - Sarah Delany - Calli Durst - Erika Evert - Jennifer Norris - Haley Roberts - Pat Winninger - Matt Kelsic -
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