AURORA, Colo. — George Mauries has taken over the role of conservation director for the Colorado B.A.S.S. Nation.
He replaces longtime conservation director Todd Gentzel, who is moving out of state.
“I’m going to keep what we already have in place,” said Mauries, “and I’m going to work on adding some more projects, too.”
Mauries has already been involved in multiple conservation efforts under Gentzel, including managing four artificial habitat projects at a cost of $10,000 to $13,000.
His new initiatives include encouraging more participation from clubs throughout the state, working closely with Colorado Parks and Wildlife staff, stocking fingerlings in tournament waters after events and educating area anglers on the growth rates of smallmouth bass.
Mauries, who is the lead estimator at a flooring company and a father of twins, has already begun conversations with lead biologists from Colorado Parks and Wildlife.
“It’s important,” he said. “I’d like to see more support for bass here. It’s a trout state.”
Mauries has seen improvements in the waters in which he’s helped add habitat. Aurora Reservoir was one of his biggest projects.
“We spent $4,900 on structure for that lake,” he said, crediting MossBack Structures for being easy to use and environmentally friendly. “Aurora has a sand bottom, with just tules and bushes around the edges.
“When we added the Mossback, we saw the largemouth population starting to come back. It had been second to the smallmouth population, but now the largemouth are starting to get bigger.”
Mauries’ previous efforts include working with Shimano on a conservation grant, removing carp and debris from Harrison Reservoir and assembling PVC-and-concrete structures to add to Quincy Reservoir.
Mauries has been a member of the Denver Bassmasters for 13 years and conservation director for the club for six of those years.
“I’m excited to get going,” said Mauries. “I had my first conference call with other state directors last week, and everyone was very helpful. I’m excited to see what the future holds.”
To learn more about the Colorado B.A.S.S. Nation, visit www.coloradobassnation.com.
