Patagonia Funds Yellowstone Park Foundation Research

Who says you can’t save fish by selling thousands of T-shirts? Patagonia just handed over a check for $12,000 to the Yellowstone Park Foundation from sales of its Yellowstone cutthroat trout t-shirts — part of their World Trout Initiative, which aims to identify the individuals and groups working to protect native fish, tell their story, and support their conservation efforts. Patagonia has given more than $40,000 to YPF, which runs programs that involve volunteer anglers collecting biological data under the supervision of Park biologists.
Read the full press release in the extended entry.

YELLOWSTONE PARK FOUNDATION GETS ADDITIONAL HELP FROM PATAGONIA FOR FLY FISHING VOLUNTEERS PROGRAM
Bozeman, MT – The Yellowstone Park Foundation recently received further help from outdoor clothing and gear manufacturer Patagonia to fund the Fly Fishing Volunteers Program in Yellowstone. Patagonia presented the nonprofit Foundation with a check for $12,000 to complete funding for this program, which will assist Park fisheries biologists with research and conservation efforts through 2009.
The gift from Patagonia represents the final donation of proceeds from the sale of Yellowstone cutthroat trout t-shirts, through their worldwide sales network. The popular t-shirts, which featured James Prosek original artwork and sold out in 2007, were part of Patagonia’s World Trout Initiative — an endeavor to identify the individuals and groups working to protect native fish, to tell their story, and to support their conservation efforts.
Yellowstone’s native fish populations are being negatively impacted by competition from — and predation by — non-native fish species, along with whirling disease and prolonged drought. Much of the Park’s aquatics staff have been reassigned to address these crises, leaving a large number of the Park’s fisheries untended. To help fill this gap the Yellowstone Park Foundation established the Fly Fishing Volunteers Program in 2003 to fund program supplies, laboratory analysis of samples, and the hiring of two Volunteer Coordinators.
Under the guidance of these Coordinators and Yellowstone’s Supervisory Fisheries Biologist, volunteer anglers collect biological data on Yellowstone’s fish populations by recording the species composition, general health, condition, and age of fish caught. They also help gather non-lethal fin clip samples for genetic analysis and assist in tagging studies to facilitate fish population research.
In 2007, 90 volunteers contributed more than 1,750 hours to collect valuable data from Yellowstone’s rivers, streams and lakes.
“Patagonia has not only provided much-needed funds for this important program,” said Yellowstone Park Foundation Executive Director Paul Zambernardi. “Through their global sales network, catalogs, and website, they have helped raise public awareness about the serious threats faced by Yellowstone’s native trout.”
The $12,000 check follows earlier donations from Patagonia to the Foundation, for a variety of fisheries and wildlife conservation projects, totaling more than $40,000 over the past five years.
The Yellowstone Park Foundation works in cooperation with the National Park Service to fund projects and programs that protect, preserve, and enhance the natural and cultural resources and the visitor experience of Yellowstone National Park. Learn more >> http://www.ypf.org
Those interested in volunteering for the Yellowstone Fly Fishing Volunteers Program should contact Molly Pickall at the Yellowstone Park Foundation at (406)586-6303 or [email protected].
Learn more about Patagonia’s World Trout Initiative >> http://www.patagonia.com/usa/patagonia.go?assetid=10153
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CONTACTS:
Bill Klyn
World Trout Initiative
Patagonia
Phone 805.643.8616
[email protected]
Christine Gianas Weinheimer
Yellowstone Park Foundation
Phone 406.586.6303
[email protected]