Family-Outdoors

1st Place Senior Team, Altus More than 40 schools were represented at the Oklahoma Trapshooters Association in El Reno on May 7 for the State Shoot. The event brought students together after a season of practice and competition at their respective schools as part of the Oklahoma Scholastic Shooting Sports Program (OKSSSP), administered by the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Damon Springer congratulates the top three males in the senior division. OKSSSP is part of the Wildlife Department's in-school education programs. The program is a trap-based shotgun program that - much like the National Archery in the Schools Program - is designed to instill confidence and self-esteem while teaching students the proper and safe handling of firearms.  "The OKSSSP has proven to be immensely popular among the state schools that have joined the program. Not only are students given the chance to learn about firearms and gun safety, but the schools receive financia...

The drawing will be at the  Kingsbury FWA  office at 10 a.m. CST on April 6. To be eligible for the drawing hunters must present their 2013 turkey license and they'll be given a numbered badge. A computer generated random draw will identify the successful hunters for choice of the hunt periods. Hunters will be drawn as individuals only.  If successful you may give your hunt to a youth hunter 17 years old or younger. Once a bird is harvested the hunt is completed. There are no “stand by” drawings. If successful you will be given a special permit card with the hunt period you selected. Keep this card with you at all times. You don't have to check in at Kingsbury, you can go directly to Reynolds Creek. If successful at the Reynolds Creek drawing you will NOT be eliminated from any other DNR turkey draws. The hunt periods are: April 24,25,26 April 27,28 April 29,30, May 1 May 2,3,4 May 5,6,7 May 8,9,10 May 11,12 Kingsbury is located at 5344 S. Hupp R...

Michigan residents considering hunting in 2013 and who need to complete a hunter education course should enroll in a class this spring, when offerings are plentiful. Classes are held year-round, but April, May, August and September are traditionally the months when classes are most available. "We encourage anyone considering hunting this year who needs to complete a hunter education course to enroll now in a spring course,” said Sgt. Jon Wood, hunter education program supervisor for the Department of Natural Resources. “Waiting until the last minute before you go deer hunting this fall can often translate into difficulty finding a class or an instructor available for a field day, if you are planning to take the home-study or online course.” Michigan has three types of hunter education courses – traditional classroom, home-study and online. Anyone born on or after Jan. 1, 1960, is required to complete the course before buying a Michigan hunting license or taking an ...

Ulmus rubra twig and flowers (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) If you are an adult who works with kids, or who has an interest in doing so, this opportunity might be something you are interested in. PROJECT WILD & WET WORKSHOP OFFERED IN SOUTHEAST OHIO ATHENS, OH – Teachers, scout leaders, naturalists, and other formal and non-formal educators interested in conservation and environmental education should consider attending a combined Project WILD & WET workshop, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Project WILD is a supplementary education program emphasizing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of wildlife and natural resources.  Attractive and easy to use, Project WILD is an ideal way to supplement your curriculum and fire the imagination of your students.  Project WILD teaches young people how to think about wildlife, not what to think.  The hands-on, diverse activities help develop problem-solv...

 (Photo credit: Wikipedia ) COLUMBUS, OH – Teachers, scout leaders, naturalists, and other formal and non-formal educators interested in conservation and environmental education should consider attending a Project WILD workshop, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Project WILD is a supplementary education program emphasizing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of wildlife and natural resources.  Attractive and easy to use, Project WILD is an ideal way to supplement your curriculum and fire the imagination of your students.  Project WILD teaches young people how to think about wildlife, not what to think.  The hands-on, diverse activities help develop problem-solving and decision making skills in determining responsible human actions. The next workshop in central Ohio is being offered on Wednesday, May 23rd at the District 1 Office, located at 1500 Dublin Road Columbus Ohio 43215.  The wo...

Image via Wikipedia ATHENS, OH – Teachers, scout leaders, naturalists, and other formal and non-formal educators interested in conservation and environmental education should consider attending a Project WILD workshop, according to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) Division of Wildlife. Project WILD is a supplementary education program emphasizing awareness, appreciation, and understanding of wildlife and natural resources. Attractive and easy to use, Project WILD is an ideal way to supplement your curriculum and fire the imagination of your students. Project WILD teaching young people how to think about wildlife , not what to think. The hands-on, diverse activities help develop problem-solving and decision making skills in determining responsible human actions. The next workshop in southeast Ohio is being offered on Saturday, April 14th at the District 4 Office, located at 360 E. State Street, Athens, Ohio 45701. The workshop is free of charge and will take pla...

Image via Wikipedia First Baptist Childcare Center to host workshop Alliance, OH – Both formal and non-formal educators who work with children ages three to seven are invited to attend a Growing Up WILD workshop in Stark County on Thursday, February 9th. The workshop, which will be facilitated by personnel from the Ohio Division of Wildlife, will be held at the First Baptist Childcare Center from 6:00pm-9:00pm. Growing Up WILD is an early childhood education program that builds on children’s sense of wonder about nature and invites them to explore wildlife and the world around them.  Workshop participants will take home an easy-to-use book containing nearly 30 field-tested activities focusing on wildlife and nature . These activities blend social, emotional, physical, language, and cognitive skills to help foster learning and are correlated to the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Standards and the Head Start Domains. There is no fee for the w...

PIERRE, S.D. – Learning about the outdoors and conservation are important experiences for youth. To help make that happen, a fund established in honor of a family that is well-known to the outdoor community will begin awarding grants this fall. The  Tony and Dar Dean Outdoor Education Fund  was established in memory of outdoor broadcaster and writer Tony Dean, who died in 2008, and in honor of his wife Dar Dean, an outdoor enthusiast who has a strong commitment to enhancing outdoor education opportunities. Working in cooperation with the  South Dakota Parks and Wildlife Foundation,  the  Tony and Dar Dean Outdoor Education Fund  will provide small grant funding for projects associated with youth conservation education in South Dakota.  These small grants are intended to provide resources and support to individuals and organizations desiring to provide quality educational outdoor experiences and are eligible to be used in a variety of ways, inclu...

Ganon Gil Preschool of The Temple Tifereth Israel To Be Named A “Wild School Site” First Preschool in the county to be certified   BEACHWOOD, OH –  Ganon  Gil Preschool of The Temple Tifereth Israel will soon be dedicated as an official  WILD School Site  according to ODNR Division of Wildlife. The school will be the 113th site dedicated in Ohio.  Only the fifth school in Cuyahoga County to be certified and the first preschool in the county, The students of Ganon Gil have been studying the life cycle of butterflies and native Ohio flowers. They have grown the flowers for a sustainable Ohio Native Butterfly Flower Habitat Garden. The children learned about and benefit from wildlife and the environment while creating the butterfly habitat. The purpose of the habitat is to attract and retain Ohio native butterfly species.  The school will be dedicated Wednesday, June 1, 2011 at 11:00am  during a ceremony for the students, staff, and their families....

Image via Wikipedia The issue of time is a hard one to get around sometimes.  I must admit that almost all of the lulls in my "outdoor life" have occurred at times where I just got too busy.  When it comes to getting outdoors with my family, I have been fortunate that both of my boys pretty much always wanted to hunt and fish, and my wife is one of those people who really always wants to have some trip or event scheduled out on the horizon. If it were only up to me, I would like to think that I would have the self-discipline to get out regularly, but I don't know.  Or, what if I had kids who were resistant to the idea?  Again, I am just not certain. So my advice on what to do might be seen as coming from someone who has no first-hand experience.  I admit this is true, but I am able to convey knowledge I have gathered on the subject. According to Maller, Townsend, St Leger, Henderson-Wilson, Pryor, Prosser, and Moore (2010), "... modern society, by its ver...

Image via Wikipedia All forms can be found on our event website: www.riverfrontamphitheater. com/Earthtones   September 10th Deadline Photography contests – black/white and color Youth Coloring Book contest Great Mississippi River Cleanup registration      Vendor and exhibitor registration (any business, non-profit, agency, or individual can still register; we are at capacity for food vendors) Ad Space in the Coloring Book (Full page: $100 (only 2 opportunities for this size!); 1/2 page: $50; 1/4 page: $25) September 15 th Deadline Plein Air art contest Rain Barrel order for on-site pick-up On-site Recycling Reminder – bring: Hand & power tools in working condition; donating materials to The Habitat ReStore Plastic plant pots; donating  materials to The Nature Institute Cell phones Volunteers needed for the event’s activities: e-mail cfavilla10@sbcglobal.net   or sara@altonmarketplace.com to let us kno...