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Franklin Boy Presented with Lifetime Fishing License FLETCHER, N.C. (Sept. 11, 2006) — For an 11-year-old, Taylor Holland already had brought home his share of prizes from local fairs — a handful of pencils and three different teddy bears. But when the Franklin boy walked through the gates of the Mountain State Fair in Fletcher, N.C. on Saturday, he already knew he was going to bring home a lifetime fishing license. Taylor registered for a Fish-For-Fun event at Cliffside Lake in Macon County earlier this summer and reeled in nine trout with the help of his mother, Debra Holland. Through the luck of a draw, Taylor’s name was picked from more than 2,800 other young anglers’ names to win one of three lifetime comprehensive fishing licenses given away as part of North Carolina’s celebration of National Fishing and Boating Week in June. Unable to travel to Raleigh to receive his prize in July, the Macon Middle School student visited the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission’s exhibit at the Mountain State Fair and made time between fair rides and cotton candy to receive his lifetime fishing license from Wildlife Commissioner Martin Lewis. The license, donated by the Tarboro Association of Saltwater Sportsman and valued at $250, gives Taylor lifetime fishing privileges in all North Carolina public inland waters, including designated Public Mountain Trout Waters. While visiting the Commission’s fair exhibit, Taylor saw a mobile aquarium featuring various freshwater fishes in twin 300-gallon tanks, a safari trailer showcasing wildlife mounts, and wildlife program information presented by wildlife educators from the nearby Pisgah Center for Wildlife Education. When Taylor and his mother exited the Commission’s tent, they walked up a ramp into the Wildlife Enforcement Division's Sensory Safari trailer, a mobile exhibit that encourages conservation of our natural wildlife, promotes hunter education, and enables visitors to see and touch mounts of some game and nongame species found in North Carolina. “The Sensory Safari encourages people to learn about their local environment by listening to the sounds of local birds, viewing deer and bear mounts, and handling pelts of some of the more common local mammals,” said Capt. Chris Huebner. “It’s important for the public to know that wildlife officers not only enforce fishing and hunting regulations, but also educate hunters and anglers, as well as promote safety.” Taylor said he had been looking forward to his first visit to the Mountain State Fair. “I liked looking at the animals and playing some games,” he said. “I won one teddy bear playing football toss and two on a crossbow game, but comparing them to this fishing license is hard because with a license, you can go out and do stuff. It makes me feel great.” For more information about the N.C. Mountain State Fair, visit the Web site, www.mountainfair.org. For more information about freshwater fishing in North Carolina, click here.
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