Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers Raise $9,000 for Conservation Foundation

June 24, 2024 | Osprey

Conservation Foundation of the Gulf Coast recently received a $9,000 donation from the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers (MCFF). The donation supports Conservation Foundation’s mission to protect the land and water of Southwest Florida for the benefit of people and nature and came after MCFF selected the not-for-profit land trust as the beneficiary of their 2024 Fly Fishing Film Tour fundraising event.

The annual Fly Fishing Film Tour is a traveling roadshow of the best fly fishing films submitted from around the world. Each show aims to create community while inspiring, encouraging, and supporting worldwide conservation initiatives. The showing hosted by MCFF featured a live emcee, silent and live auctions, and door prizes from premium sponsors and local fly shops. The fundraiser took place at the Fogartyville Community Media and Arts Center earlier this year and raised just under $9,000, with the MCFF Board generously donating the difference.

Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers was established in 1996 by a group of dedicated fly-fishing enthusiasts residing in Sarasota, Florida. They host monthly member meetings and are avid supporters of local conservation efforts. Club members assist in seagrass surveys, help tag and release hatchery-reared snook and redfish, and teach fly fishing skills to students and disabled veterans. At Conservation Foundation’s annual Wild About Nature festival earlier this year, MCFF taught children how to tie flies. They also partner with Project Healing Waters – another local non-profit that utilizes the restorative powers of nature alongside a dedicated curriculum of fly fishing, fly casting, fly tying, and rod building to help disabled veterans as well as active and retired military – for monthly meetings at Conservation Foundation’s Bay Preserve headquarters in Osprey.

“We are so very grateful to the Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers for their commitment to conservation and for selecting Conservation Foundation as the beneficiary of this year’s event,” comments Christine P. Johnson, president of Conservation Foundation. “The land we save together with our conservation community is critical to the health of local waters. This generous donation will allow us to save more land and in turn help safeguard fishable, swimmable, and drinkable water throughout Southwest Florida.”

Land conservation is essential to protecting water quality because what happens on the land directly impacts the quality of the water flowing through and from it. In natural areas, such as marshes, prairies, grasslands, and forests, rainfall soaks into the soil, where it is naturally cleaned and stored. In more urban and industrialized areas, instead of soaking into the soil, water flows directly over the pavement, picking up pollution, fertilizers, and other contaminants before ending up in rivers, bays, and, ultimately, the Gulf.

Conserving land ensures its ability to clean and store water for generations to come. This reduces the amount of pollution that ends up in Southwest Florida’s water bodies and helps safeguard water quality and quantity in the region. Conservation Foundation’s work to permanently conserve both inland and coastal habitats protects local waters and helps ensure the sustainability of fish stocks, shellfish populations, and other marine resources, which in turn supports the long-term viability of commercial and recreational fishing opportunities around the state.

To donate to Conservation Foundation, visit conservationfoundation.com/donate. To learn more about Mangrove Coast Fly Fishers, visit mangrovecoastflyfishers.org.