Jim Range, ‘TRCP’s Native Trout Adventures’ Honored by Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame

Jim was an avid, lifelong outdoorsman and steadfast advocate for the conservation of habitat for the country’s fish and wildlife populations. Photo by Dusan Smetana.

The late Jim Range, co-founder of the TRCP, was recently elected for enshrinement into the 2012 class of the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame.

A prominent figure in natural resource conservation, Range was known in Washington, D.C., and throughout the United States as a skilled policy strategist with an extraordinary bipartisan network of friends and contacts. Along with his political adeptness, Jim possessed an oratorical gift and always spoke from his heart with passionate conviction.

Jim was an avid, lifelong outdoorsman who was a steadfast advocate for the conservation of habitat for the country’s fish and wildlife populations. Jim was well known for his work as chief counsel for Senate Majority Leader Howard Baker between 1980 and 1984. In addition to co-founding the TRCP in 2002 and chairing the TRCP board of directors, Range was a key figure in founding the Bipartisan Policy Center, where he worked as an advisor.

Jim grew up and developed his outdoor skills in the mountains of Tennessee, where he was an Eagle Scout. He attended Science Hill High School and later Tulane University. He received his M.S. in fisheries biology from Tennessee Tech and his J.D. from the University of Miami School of Law.

“TRCP’s Native Trout Adventures” also was honored by the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame with its Organizational/Governmental Award. The award considers organizations or governmental entities that have demonstrated and performed a valuable service or act to benefit fresh water sport fishing within its jurisdiction or the boundaries of its organization whether local, regional, or national.

In “TRCP’s Native Trout Adventures,” the TRCP and our partner organizations seek out native trout that rely heavily on strong public land management and funding. The series documents the pursuit of these wild fish across the American West.

Watch "TRCP's Native Trout Adventures."

Learn more about Jim Range and support the Jim Range Conservation Fund.