On February 17, President Barack Obama signed the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.  The $787 billion economic stimulus package, which had ballooned over $900 billion at one point during debate in Congress, is intended to create jobs and encourage economic activity in the country.  Included in the package are more than $3 billion for agencies and programs that will directly impact natural resource conservation.  The bill moved through Congress on largely party-line votes, with the final conference bill being voted on late on Friday, February 13.

Any way they want it, that's the way they'll get it: Fans will be able to fully experience the biggest tournament in professional bass fishing, the February 20-22 Bassmaster Classic on the Red River, whether they click in, tune in or attend the event in Shreveport-Bossier City, Louisiana.

BASS today announced that they will be offering live, streaming video of the Bassmaster Tournament Trail on ESPN360.com, ESPN's online destination for live sports events and home to over 3,000 live, global events annually. The debut of BASS coverage marks ESPN360.com's first foray into outdoors content and will put BASS events on the same vehicle as other top-tier sporting events.

Professional angler Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., hasn't slowed down since Oct. 25, the day she qualified for the Bassmaster Classic and became the first woman to do so in the prestigious tournament's 38-year history.

In a joint letter, the Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO and the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership today called on Senate leaders to swiftly pass an economic stimulus package that includes an expanded habitat restoration work force.

BASS announces that Academy Sports + Outdoors increased its involvement with the Women's Bassmaster Tour, becoming the title sponsor of the circuit in a multiple-year agreement. Academy enhanced its level of association with BASS after serving as the presenting sponsor of the WBT since 2007.

When Kim Bain-Moore of Alabaster, Ala., became the first woman to qualify for a Bassmaster Classic, she joined an exclusive club whose pioneering members include Vojai Reed, who in 1991 was the first woman to compete in a BASS event, and Sugar Ferris, who in 1976 founded the former Bass'n Gal circuit.

Hunting seasons are winding down, and Drury Outdoors is cranking things back up in time for the holidays with four new releases. Dream Season TV 5: Land of the Giants, the Bow Madness TV series, Predator Madness 4 and Longbeard Madness 14 DVDs are available earlier than ever to satisfy consumer demands for hunt-inspired gifts. And there's something for everyone: die-hard archers, turkey hunters, predator hunters and whitetail fanatics.

DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR Fish and Wildlife Service 50 CFR Part 17 [FWS–R6–ES–2008–0111; MO 9921050083– B2] Endangered and Threatened Wildlife and Plants; 90-Day Finding on a Petition To List the Black-tailed Prairie Dog as Threatened or Endangered AGENCY: Fish and Wildlife Service, Interior.

BASS announces that, in 2009, the Women's Bassmaster Tour presented by Academy Sports & Outdoors will visit fisheries in Louisiana, Alabama, Arkansas and Tennessee for its four regular-season events. Building on its landmark announcement before this past season, the circuit will continue to provide a direct qualifying berth into bass fishing's premier event, the Bassmaster Classic.