Family-Outdoors

Image via Wikipedia WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar and Secretary of Education Arne Duncan today announced a new agreement to build, develop and formalize programs that use national parks, national wildlife refuges and other public lands as classrooms and catalysts for 21st century education – designed to benefit teachers, students and parents in rural America and urban classrooms alike. Today’s announcement comes in advance of Friday’s White House Conference on Conservation being hosted at the Department of the Interior that will spotlight community-driven conservation efforts as part of President Obama’s America’s Great Outdoors Initiative. The Memorandum of Understanding signed by Secretary Salazar and Secretary Duncan enables the Department of the Interior and the Department of Education to work together in new and more effective ways to connect young Americans to the outdoors, improve environmental literacy, support experiential learning outside the cl...

See all the cool things that youth are doing in national parks across the country. Related articles Park seeks students for summer YCC positions (alaska-outdoors.blogspot.com) Change to Denali National Park and Preserve Entrance Fee (alaska-outdoors.blogspot.com) Summer Jobs for Youth in America's Great Outdoors (family-outdoors.blogspot.com)

Wildlife enthusiasts may find just the right painting, sculpture, carving or other piece at the 2012 NatureWorks Art Show and Sale March 3-4 at the Renaissance Tulsa Hotel and Convention Center. NatureWorks is the Tulsa-based conservation group that hosts the art show, bringing together wildlife and nature artists from across the United States and abroad for the event. Art at the show will be for sale, which will help generate matching grants to assist with a variety of state wildlife conservation projects. "This year, we anticipate exceeding 2011's attendance of 1,500 and sales in excess of $700,000," said John Reaves, NatureWorks spokesman. Hours are 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, March 3, and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday, March 4. Tickets are $5, and one ticket is good for both days. "Our optimism is based on the exceptional work of our featured artist, Jerry Ricketson, and the return of our encore artist, sculptor Diane M...

Image via Wikipedia As winter melts into spring, you can find adventure and exercise in P.J. Hoffmaster State Park, located at 6585 Lake Harbor Road, Muskegon. The park features 10 miles of hiking trails, 2.5 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline, the Gillette Sand Dune Visitor Center and nature programs suitable for all ages and interests. The Visitor Center will be the meeting place for the Exploring Nature programs. Each program includes an activity or short hike. The following programs are scheduled for March and April: March 3:  Dune Fitness Terraining, 10:30 a.m. Looking for an exciting outdoor workout? Join us for this dynamic hike. This 1.5-hour hike will cover varied dune terrain. Teens and adults only. Bring your fitness band. March 10:  Spring Forward Hike, 10 a.m. Hike Hoffmaster S. P. Homestead Trail, see signs of spring, hear the story of Hoffmaster homesteaders and learn about dune formations. March 17:  All Things Green and Lucky Hike, 10 a.m. Hel...

Indiana’s 2011 Fish of the Year contest proves the art of angling has not been lost on our youth. Fish of the Year recognizes the angler who catches the longest fish of each species tracked. In 2011, anglers submitted entries for 25 species. Four anglers younger than 18 years old accounted for six wins. Among the youth winners, 10-year-old Rylan Crockett scored the longest fish, a 33.3-inch channel catfish he caught in Cagles Mill Reservoir in Owen County on cut shad. Rylan caught the channel cat while competing in an Indiana Catfish Association Tournament with his father and grandfather, Brian and Jim Crockett. Nine-year-old Evan Logan from Columbus was the youngest angler to win 2011 Fish of the Year honors. He tied for first in the bluegill category with an 11-inch specimen from a private pond in Johnson County that he caught using a worm and bobber. Teenage brothers Danny and Michael Kotfer of Munster teamed up for four wins. Danny, 17, won for a 31.5-inch coho salmon, caught in t...

Image via Wikipedia PIERRE, S.D. – South Dakota state park campers can make reservations for Memorial Day weekend beginning Feb. 25, for Friday, May 25 arrivals. “Memorial Day weekend is very busy in all the parks,” said state Division of Parks and Recreation Director Doug Hofer. “Campers should plan ahead to reserve their favorite camping spots." A three-night stay is required during holiday weekends at all parks except Custer State Park. Reservations are currently being accepted for the entire camping season for campsites in Custer State Park and for lodges in all state parks and recreation areas. Reservations can be made online at  www.campsd.com  or by calling  1-800-710-2267 . The telephone reservation center is open from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time daily. Online reservations may be made 24 hours a day, though campsites do not become available until 7 a.m. on the first day of the  90-day window , both online and at the call center. There is a $7.7...

The three month window to reserve a state park campsite for a Friday arrival on Memorial Day weekend opens Feb. 25. But more than a few campers have their sites reserved beginning on the weekend before Memorial Day and are staying for the entire week. The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is hoping for improved camping conditions after the historic Missouri River flood closed two of Iowa’s busier campgrounds at Wilson Island and Lake Manawa state parks, and temporarily closed Lewis and Clark campground, driving total camping nights down for 2011. Wilson Island will remain closed for renovation in 2012, along with the campground at Lake Darling. Campsites at Emerson Bay are available for reservation through May 31, before being closed for renovation the rest of the summer. There is the potential for walk in camping at Emerson Bay after June 1, if there are delays in beginning construction. After being delayed by a severe windstorm in 2011, the newly renovated Union Grove campground ...

Image via Wikipedia The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which manages the country’s 556 national wildlife refuges, hopes to hire more than 2,300 young people this summer, as it did in 2011. Apply now to work on a national wildlife refuge or other public land. Start here to learn about 2012 job opportunities for young people in the National Wildlife Refuge System. Scroll down to “Student Employment Opportunities” to learn about jobs through program partners such as the Student Conservation Association (SCA) and AmeriCorps. For other opportunities on refuges, such as those through the Youth Conservation Corps (YCC), contact your local refuge (using the “Find Your Refuge” feature on the Refuge System homepage). For young people, jobs on national wildlife refuges can stimulate learning and personal growth. In some cases, the experience can even be life-changing, say some with firsthand experience:        Kiara Ford, a sophomore at the University of Arkansas at Pine ...

Image via Wikipedia Youth hunters (under age 18 on the day of the hunt) may participate in reserved turkey hunts during the special youth wild turkey hunting season, April 21 and 22, 2012, on selected DNR properties. Participating fish & wildlife areas include Atterbury, Crosley, Deer Creek, Glendale, Goose Pond, Hovey Lake, Jasper-Pulaski, Sugar Ridge, Kankakee, Kingsbury, LaSalle, Pigeon River, Roush, Tri-County, Minnehaha, Fairbanks Landing, Hillenbrand, Chinook, Winamac and Willow Slough. Two reservoir properties, Salamonie and Mississinewa, also are participating. A limit will be placed on the number of youth hunters allowed to hunt a respective property on each hunting day, in an attempt to provide quality hunts for participants. Each property will hold early registrations and drawings for the half-day hunts on site. Hunters wanting to sign up for Deer Creek, Fairbanks Landing, Chinook, Hillenbrand, or Minnehaha hunts may do so at Goose Pond FWA. Hunts will run one-half...

Image via Wikipedia Teenagers can apply now to attend the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's annual Wildlife Youth Camp slated for June 24-29 at Oklahoma University Biological Station at Lake Texoma.              The free camp increases awareness of conserving and managing Oklahoma's wildlife resources through courses on wildlife-related career opportunities, rifle and shotgun training, archery, wildlife identification, wildlife law enforcement, fishing , fisheries management, ropes, swimming and turkey and waterfowl hunting, management and law enforcement.              "We urge anybody between the ages of 14 and 16 that's interested in hunting or fishing or a career with the Department to apply," said Jay Harvey, game warden stationed in Choctaw and Bryan counties and coordinator for the Wildlife Youth Camp. "Anyone interested in coming should no...

Image via Wikipedia DES MOINES – What do bald eagles, great blue herons and bullfrogs have in common? They are three of many species which benefit every year from the efforts of Iowa’s volunteer wildlife monitors! These volunteers make a big impact by contributing a small amount of time to studying our native wildlife. Last year, our volunteers monitored bald eagle nests, waterbird rookeries, falcon eyries and amphibian habitats. We hope to expand this program with the addition of new volunteers in 2012. Interested in becoming a certified volunteer wildlife monitor? The DNR is looking for volunteers comfortable with technology, have good note-taking skills, enjoy observing wildlife and want to enjoy the outdoors . First-time volunteers must sign up for one of our educational workshops. A $10 registration fee pays for training materials, a meal, subscription to our newsletter, a frog and toad call CD or bird identification guide and certification costs. During each workshop ...

Image via Wikipedia PICKSTOWN, S.D. – State Park officials say last year’s Missouri River flood in South Dakota will have little impact on campers to  North Point Recreation Area  near Pickstown this summer. “North Point was lucky in that it escaped some of the major damage we saw upstream,” said State Parks and Recreation Director Doug Hofer. “While the park staff will continue to work on repair projects throughout the summer, campsites and major facilities should be back on line in time for summer recreation.” Hofer expects all North Point campsites and comfort stations to be operational for the first official weekend of the summer camping season, referred to as Open House Weekend, May 18-20. However, campers should keep in mind that full recovery will take quite a while, he said. While North Point Recreation Area and most of its facilities will be open this spring, some facilities will not be in the same condition as they were before the flood. Visitors will se...

Image via Wikipedia SPEARFISH, S.D. – On Feb. 25, visitors to  Roughlock Falls  near Spearfish will have the opportunity to experience the winter sights and sounds of the Black Hills by donning a pair of snowshoes on a special Game, Fish and Parks Department hike. “This snowshoe walk is a great way to try something new and to experience the Hills from a whole different perspective,” said Dana Garry, Mickelson Trail manager. “We encourage folks of all skill levels to join us. No previous experience needed. If you can walk, you can snowshoe!” Staff will teach basic snowshoeing skills while leading a two-mile, round-trip nature walk along the trail. Snowshoes are provided, but reservations are required to borrow snowshoes by calling 605-584-3896 . There is no cost for the hike, which departs from the Latchstring Restaurant at 1 p.m. MST on Saturday, Feb. 25. Participants should dress appropriately for the weather because temperatures in the Black Hills can be unpred...

Image via Wikipedia PIERRE, S.D. – Despite last year’s Missouri River flood that closed campsites and damaged facilities, the camping season outlook is promising for two Pierre-area state parks . State Park officials expect both Farm Island and Oahe Downstream Recreation Areas to have many campsites and the majority of facilities available for Open House and Memorial Day weekends in May. Most campsites and facilities should be open by mid-June, but total restoration from the flood will continue throughout the year. “We’re making progress in terms of recovering from the flood,” said State Parks and Recreation Director Doug Hofer. “The mild winter has benefited us greatly, and crews are working hard to get the parks up and running as soon as possible. After last summer with little camping opportunities in the Pierre area, we know lots of folks are anxious to get out and enjoy the outdoors.” Hofer released the timeline now for Farm Island and Oahe Downstream Recreation Areas b...