Programmatic Assessment of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation

Role: Principal Investigator and Author

Time Frame: 2008-2010

Deliverable: Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council. 2010. Programmatic Assessment of the Activities of the Recreational Boating & Fishing Foundation, FY 2007–2009. 187 pages.

Background

In response to declines in recreational boating and fishing participation, Congress passed the 1998 Sportfishing and Boating Safety Act. The Act required the Department of the Interior Secretary to implement a National Outreach and Communication Program to address recreational boating and fishing participation and promote conservation and responsible use of the nation’s aquatic resources. In response, the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC) developed a strategic plan for the Program and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) was established in October 1998 expressly to carry out that plan.  

RBFF is funded by a Sport Fish Restoration Program (SFR) discretionary grant. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is responsible for administering the discretionary grant and provides a detailed accounting of the RBFF program and its activities to the Secretary of the Interior. For the period 2000 – 2010, RBFF has received $106,134,314 in SFR funding.

The Act directs the Secretary of the Interior to conduct periodic reviews of the Program. Responsibility for the assessment was delegated to SFBPC, on behalf of the Secretary, through a 1999 memorandum of understanding which states the SFBPC “will monitor the implementation of the program, will evaluate effectiveness of the program by communicating regularly with its stakeholders, and will regularly report findings to the Secretary and the signatories of this agreement. 

The SFBPC undertook reviews of RBFF in 2002 and 2006. This assessment constitutes the third review of the RBFF and its implementation of the Program.

Conduct of the FY 2007– 2009 Assessment

In August 2009, SFBPC empaneled an eight-person Assessment Team to undertake a programmatic assessment of RBFF for the period FY 2007– 2009. Collectively, the team comprises experience and expertise in recreational boating, fishing, aquatic resource conservation, program analysis and familiarity with the conduct and impact of RBFF’s programs. In carrying out its review responsibilities, the SFBPC charged its Assessment Team to conduct its assessment in an independent, impartial and constructive manner.

The 2009 Assessment utilizes the evaluation framework developed for the 2006 Programmatic Assessment of RBFF, FY 2003 – 2006, conducted by the SFBPC. The assessment evaluates the efforts of RBFF relative to five questions directly derived from the Program’s legislative mandate:

1. Have RBFF activities had a positive impact on recruitment and retention of boaters and anglers?

2. Have Stakeholders found added value in the adoption of RBFF products?

3. Has RBFF increased the public’s knowledge of boating and fishing techniques, and its awareness of boating and fishing opportunities?

4. How has RBFF enhanced the public’s understanding of aquatic resources?

5. Have RBFF products and activities increased conservation and responsible use of aquatic resources by boaters and anglers?

2009 Assessment Findings and Recommendations

The assessment documented a great deal of work by RBFF centered on increasing boating and fishing, providing how- and where-to information on boating and fishing, as well as education and conservation efforts. In the three-year period examined, RBFF continued its Take Me Fishing and Anglers’ Legacy campaigns, expanded its marketing programs with state fish and wildlife agencies, and continued to expand its educational grants for aquatic education. RBFF’s programs and resulting outcomes are examined in detail in this report. The Assessment Team’s findings were presented alongside of the 17 recommendations presented in the 2006 Assessment.

Report available on request.

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