Bass Pro Shops founder: Conservation is ‘our obligation’
Founder of Bass Pro Shops Johnny Morris discusses the importance of conservation as his company celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Outdoor recreation super center Bass Pro Shops is celebrating its 50th anniversary — and founder Johnny Morris revealed on "Fox & Friends Weekend" on Sunday that the business has taken a lot of passion.
Morris described to Fox News meteorologist Rick Reichmuth how his lifelong love of fishing was first sparked by his parents, who took him float fishing in the lakes and rivers of Springfield, Missouri’
In 1970, he entered a fishing tournament that kicked off his half-century business venture.
"I really got just excited about professional … good quality gear from the other fishermen I met," he said. "We started a shop and decided to call it Bass Pro Shops because it was real descriptive [of] what we wanted to do."
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As the small fishing store has multiplied into 170 retail locations in the U.S. and Canada through the decades, Morris prided his Outdoor World centers on having a little something for everyone.
Bass Pro Shops founder Johnny Morris (right) celebrates the outdoor super center's 50th anniversary with Fox News meteorologist Rick Reichmuth at the location in Springfield, Missouri. (Fox News)
"Whether it’s camping or boating or fishing, hunting," he said, the shops "[have] everything to do with the great outdoors."
As a noted conservationist, Morris stressed the importance of protecting nature as he aims to educate the public at his Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium located at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield.
"We try to share the amazing role that sportsmen and women, hunters and anglers have played in conservation since the days of Roosevelt and Audubon," he said.
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Not only would Bass Pro Shops cease to exist without the conservation of nature, but Morris detailed how he and his employees alike feel responsible for giving back and doing their part to protect wildlife.
"We sense it’s our obligation," he said.
"It’s up to us. We’ve been blessed from these things, and it’s our obligation to try to give back," he also said.
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In celebration of the company’s 50th year, Bass Pro Shops has agreed to donate 10% of all its earnings back to conservation efforts.
The retailer also held its 2022 World's Fishing Fair this weekend to benefit conservation.
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