Family-Outdoors

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources’ Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program will offer a Beyond BOW winter cabin ski/snowshoe workshop for women. Scheduled for the weekend of  March 6-8, 2015 , the program is designed for women who have previous cross-country ski and snowshoe experience and would like to expand on their skills and abilities. The workshop starts at  6 p.m. Friday, March 6 , at  Wilderness State Park , 903 Wilderness Park Drive, near Carp Lake, Michigan. Participants are asked to bring their own camping gear. See registration papers for more details. " To participate in this Beyond BOW workshop, everyone must have solid previous experience with cross-country skiing and snowshoeing,” said Sharon Pitz, Becoming and Outdoors-Woman program coordinator. “The March workshop aims to help women expand on the skills they may have been taught at previous workshops – things like back-country cooking, reading and using maps and compasses, wilderness first aid, s...

Snowshoe (Photo credit: Wikipedia) PIERRE, S.D. – Love is in the (cold) air this Valentine’s Day at Custer State Park. The park is hosting the Lover’s Leap Snowshoe Hike Feb. 14, which will give participants the opportunity to take in the winter scenery and learn how to snowshoe. The three-mile guided hike will take snowshoers through a dense pine forest, meandering near Grace Coolidge Creek. It is considered moderate to strenuous. Participants should plan three hours for the hike. Two hikes are being offered, departing the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. MST. There is no fee for the hike; however a park entrance license is required and can be purchased the day of the hike. Snowshoes and basic instruction are provided, but reservations are required by calling the Peter Norbeck Visitor Center at  (605) 255-4464 . Related articles South Dakota State Parks Report Record Camping Numbers (ammoland.com)

Weekly Fishing Tip: Targeting walleye? Wait until the sun goes down!   While many anglers pack up their gear and head off the ice after dusk settles in, some anglers will stick it out – especially if they’ve got a lighted shelter. This can be an ideal time to target walleye and to see some angling success! Many anglers adopt a simple presentation when targeting walleyes in the dark; they jig a spoon to catch the fish’s attention and then offer them a setline with a minnow nearby. Focus on baits that glow to appeal to the walleye’s senses and keep the minnows small to accommodate their slower appetites.  Great Lakes Temperature Map Click on the links below to jump to the report section that interests you most: Southeast Lower Peninsula Southwest Lower Peninsula Northeast Lower Peninsula Northwest Lower Peninsula Upper Peninsula Anglers are ice fishing statewide but safety should always be an angler’s first concern.  While the lakes and some rivers are iced over,...

(Photo credit: Wikipedia) Snow conditions continue to be good in far north for snowmobiling and skiing but conditions marginal in the south A mid-week snowfall brought anywhere from a dusting to 3 or 4 inches of snow to Wisconsin, but once again the larger amounts were in the north and minimal amounts fell in the south. The snow was welcome in the north where it freshened up snowmobile trails and allowed groomers to improve conditions for snowmobilers and cross-country skiers. It was not enough to allow additional counties to open snowmobile trails or for most parks and forests in the southern half of the state to groom ski trails. Snowmobile trails remain open in about a dozen northern counties with conditions ranging from good to excellent on the Wisconsin Department of Tourism's Snow Conditions Report  (exit DNR). Cross-country ski trails are in very good condition at the Brule River and Northern Highland-American Legion state forests. In the south, there was just enoug...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) PIERRE, S.D.  – Visitors to the Oahe Downstream Recreation Area near Fort Pierre will have the opportunity to learn about the park's winter residents and enjoy a snack on the 13th Annual Eagles and Bagels Walk in the Park on Saturday, Feb. 7. “This is a good opportunity for participants to get out and enjoy our South Dakota winter and view our nation’s bird – the Bald Eagle,” said Pat Buscher, Oahe Downstream district supervisor. Program attendees will learn about eagles from a program presentation and then have the opportunity to view and ask questions about the bald eagles on a guided walk. The program will begin at 9 a.m. CST at the Oahe Downstream group lodge. Information will be presented highlighting eagles, their habitat, and tips and proper conduct for viewing and photographing these magnificent birds. The group will travel into the park for a 2-mile guided walk (weather permitting) to observe the birds in their natu...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) The Department of Natural Resource’s  MacKenzie Center  is looking for four energetic and enthusiastic individuals to join our 2015 Summer Internship Program. We have openings on our Wildlife, Education, and Facilities and Grounds teams. These positions provide unique opportunities to work in the field of Natural Resources, gain valuable experience, and build your resume. Join the MacKenzie Center team! Learn more about each position below.  Application deadline is  March 1 . 1)        Education:  http://dnr.wi.gov/education/ mackenzie/documents/ EducationIntern.pdf 2)        Wildlife:  http://dnr.wi.gov/education/ mackenzie/documents/ WildlifeIntern.pdf 3)        Facilities and Grounds:  http://dnr.wi.gov/education/ mackenzie/documents/ FacilitiesIntern.pdf   Please share with your networks. These positions may be...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia) By Joe Wilkinson Iowa Department of Natural Resources A week of subzero cold early this month—and more yet to come—provide a quick jolt of Iowa reality.  It gets uncomfortable in the winter! Still, we humans can escape the elements when needed. We just go inside. Not so, with wildlife. Some take the easy way out. “Waterfowl are smarter than all those other critters. They have wings. They fly away,” explains Al Hancock, of Clear Lake. Of course, he would feel that way. He’s an Iowa DNR waterfowl specialist. “It’s a simple balancing act. Geese need very little open water. As long as they can find fields to feed in--windswept, bare crop fields—they will remain,” says Hancock. “When it takes more food to maintain energy to survive up here…they fly right out.” Some look for a cold weather oasis. “Ducks do it even more so,” says Hancock. “A ‘micro climate,’ say a city waste water lagoon, a stream or the drainage just below? If it’s out of t...