On January 28, we partnered with the National Fish Habitat Partnership to recognize and thank Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops, and the Outdoor Fund for decades of support for fish habitat conservation. Johnny Morris's leadership and engagement in conservation have truly changed the landscape of fish habitat across the country. Feel free to share this video and the formal announcement below far and wide!

Thank you, Johnny and team!!!

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The Chairs of the Board of Directors of the National Fish Habitat Partnership and the National Fish Habitat Fund have created a “Presidents” award named the National Fish Habitat Conservation Champion Award to recognize outstanding national contributions by an individual or company toward fish and aquatic habitat conservation or restoration.

This award, given jointly by both Board Chairs, is not presented every year. It is a special recognition reserved for truly exceptional national contributions to fish and aquatic habitat conservation. We are proud to present the inaugural National Fish Habitat Conservation Champion Award to Johnny Morris, Bass Pro Shops and the Outdoor Fund, in recognition of decades of support for the National Fish Habitat Partnership Program and fisheries habitat conservation in lakes and reservoirs across the nation.

Johnny has been a longtime advocate and supporter of fish habitat conservation, illustrated by his involvement with the formation of the Reservoir Fish Habitat Partnership in 2009. The 2006 Fish Habitat Action Plan notes that in 2004, "The National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and private partners, such as Bass Pro Shops, pledge funds and align grant-making in support of the National Fish Habitat Action Plan to ensure that the plan’s conservation priorities and innovative approaches result in on-the-ground actions."

In 2006, $2.5 Million in “seed money” was provided in 2006 for habitat work right here at Table Rock Lake under the banner of the National Fish Habitat Partnership, while the program’s planning and organization were still underway. The award we are presenting was created using cedar, reflecting the special significance that cedar holds to the origins of this collaboration.

From 2020 to 2025, additional contributions from the Outdoor Fund provided more than $2.6 Million in funding that was leveraged with partner in-kind and cash donations of more than $4.8 Million. Together, these investments supported close to $7.5 Million for 34 reservoir habitat projects across the country.

Over 9,000 habitat structures have been installed, along with additional enhancements including rock reefs, concrete reef balls, spawning gravel, shoreline erosion control, aquatic vegetation management, riparian buffers, and water quality and quantity measures. Public access was improved or established including providing bank angler access to newly established habitat. These efforts have improved shoreline quality, expanded fishing opportunities, and reduced bank erosion that can impact water quality.

Thousands of anglers have been engaged directly in these projects, working alongside agency personnel as volunteers. Through this hands-on involvement, anglers have been able to see first-hand the value of fish habitat restoration work funded by their fishing license dollars and other state funds, leveraged with contributions from the Outdoor Fund and National Fish Habitat Partnership.

Please join us in thanking and congratulating Johnny Morris and Bass Pro Shops for their collaboration, dedication, and more than two decades of support for the National Fish Habitat Partnership and its many partners.