Programmatic Assessment of the Recreational & Fishing Foundation 2003-2006

The 1998 Sport Fishing and Boating Safety Act (Act) directed the Secretary of the Interior, in consultation with the Sport Fishing and Boating Partnership Council (SFBPC), to develop and implement a National Outreach and Communications Program aimed at increasing participation in recreational boating and fishing, and promoting conservation and responsible use of the Nation's aquatic resources. The Program is guided by a stakeholder-developed strategic plan created in 1998. The Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation (RBFF) was formally established in October 1998 to carry out objectives of that plan. Pursuant to the Act, the Secretary of the Interior is directed to undertake periodic reviews of the Program. Responsibility for undertaking the required 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." In 2002, the SFBPC undertook the first review resulting in the report, Implementation of the Strategic Plan for the National Outreach and Communications Program, a progress report to the Secretary of the Interior. This assessment constitutes a second review of the Foundation and its implementation of the Program.