JACKSON, Wyo. — Jackson Hole One Fly, an annual fly fishing competition, added $50,000 to the scholarship fund for graduate students in aquatic ecology at the University of Wyoming.
Every September, 40 teams have two days to fish with a single fly, with team and individual scores determined by the number and length of fish caught. The money raised during the event funds conservation, habitat preservation and fisheries research on trout populations in the Snake River Basin and headwaters in Yellowstone. Part of that comes in the form of grants given to graduate students to advance their own research.
Since the start of the scholarship in 2007, 21 grants ranging from $500 to $6,500 have helped students conduct summer field research, purchase research supplies and equipment, provide transportation and housing in the field and attend professional conferences.
Dennis Andersen was the first chairman of the One Fly Board, and one of his expressed priorities was to establish a scholarship in fisheries sciences. After his death, a donation of more than $58,000 to the University of Wyoming was matched one to one by the state. Interest generated from that initial fund has provided grants to graduate students in aquatic ecology.
Awards are made on a competitive basis, and students must submit a statement outlining how the award would advance their study in aquatic science. Faculty members from the department of zoology and physiology select the best proposals. With the scholarship restricted to graduate-level students, it shows the recipients are committed to a career in the field of water and fisheries ecology. Graduates of the university’s program have moved on to positions with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, state Fish and Game agencies, other government agencies and several non-governmental organizations.
This year’s One Fly event will be held Sept. 8 to 11. For more information on the competition and its mission, or to apply to compete or sponsor the event, visit the Jackson Hole One Fly website.
