From Staff Reports
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AUSTIN— The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is re-introducing its largemouth bass conservation license plate with a new graphic design: a jumping bass chasing a lure.

It was created by well-known wildlife artist Clemente Guzman, and in an online contest to determine the new plate design, Guzman’s jumping bass received the most votes from anglers with more than 4,000.

“Our hope is that this more robust bass will appeal to more anglers who will want to display this plate on their vehicles and boat trailers. By purchasing this specialty plate they will help provide critical funding for Texas’ fish management programs,” said Dave Terre, the Inland Fisheries Management and Research Chief. “The more plates purchased by anglers, the more funding will be available to help keep Texas one of the best places to fish in the country.”

The new plate was launched May 25, at the Toyota Texas Bass Classic on Lake Fork, and can be purchased online atwww.ConservationPlate.org/Bass or at local tax county offices for $30/year; $22 a plate goes to TPWD.

“The bass plate was one of the first plates we introduced back in 2002 and we wanted to take advantage of the new digital printing capabilities at Texas Department of Motor Vehicles and give this plate a much-needed facelift” says Janis Johnson, TPWD marketing specialist who manages the conservation license plate program. “In 2008 we redesigned our white-tailed deer plate and sales increased 20 percent. We’re aiming for similar results with the new bass plate.”

TPWD now offers seven conservation license plates, including the recently introduced hummingbird and rattlesnake plates and the horned lizard plate (all three benefit native wildlife), the white-tailed deer (benefitting big game management); and the camping and bluebonnet plates (both benefitting state parks). These specialty plates have generated more than $7 million for conservation efforts in Texas since the first plate was introduced in 1999.

The plates are available for cars, trucks, motorcycles, trailers and RVs for an annual fee of only $30. This fee does not replace the regular vehicle registration cost. Specialty plates may be purchased at any time of the year independent of vehicle registration renewal.

For more information about specific projects that have benefitted from funds generated from the conservation license plate program, visit www.conservationplate.org/projects .