What is it, Dad? The beauty of outdoor learning
Laurie Root
Reprinted from the August 4, 2007, Rapid City Journal

Remember when you were a little kid and you were curious about everything? You saw something new and asked someone what it was. When we spent time walking in the Hills, my Dad was that someone. I thought he knew everything about everything. Well, he really did. I’m pretty sure anyway.

Why is it that we quit asking questions when we get older? I think there are two reasons. One is that we think we know everything about everything. The other is that we do not want to embarrass ourselves by asking what we think is a “dumb” question.

In my job as a naturalist with Game, Fish and Parks, I have often been asked, “What is this?” I rarely answer with the common name, even if I know what it is. If we find out the name of something, for some reason we think we know everything about it. For example, if I said it was a dragonfly nymph, you would know it grows into a dragonfly. That is all you need to know. What you would not learn is how it moves, how it catches its food, or how it changes into an adult dragonfly.

What I like to do is ask questions to encourage people to look more closely. Thinking back, that is what my Dad did with me. Sometimes he made up things that I knew could not be true but he was my Dad so I believed it. (I think it must be hereditary because I have found myself doing that too.) It made me want to learn more about what I was looking at.

Game, Fish and Parks sponsors a workshop every fall designed for women 18 years of age or older that are curious about learning something new. The 2007 Becoming an Outdoors-woman Workshop (BOW) will be held at Outlaw Ranch near Custer, September 14-16. Participants choose four of the many concurrent sessions offered.

In the Stream Ecology class you could learn about dragonfly nymphs. Fly Tying class would teach you to tie thread and feathers on a hook to imitate one. If you choose Fly Fishing Basics, you will learn how to catch a fish with a fly that swims like that nymph. You can take Game Cleaning or Dutch Oven Cooking to learn how to clean and cook the fish you catch with that fly. For more information about BOW and how to register, go to http://www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/BOW/BOWIndex.htm  or call me at the GF&P office in Rapid City at 394-2391. Classes fill fast so register right away.

The instructors at BOW encourage questions and do not make you feel “dumb” because you ask. If you are curious about an outdoor activity or skill, this is the place to learn more.

(Editor’s note: Laurie is a naturalist with the SD Game, Fish & Parks in Rapid City. She is a founding member of Outdoor Women of South Dakota and served as a West River Director, Vice President, and President. Laurie will be teaching Fly Fishing at BOW again this year.)


Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Workshop
2007 Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Workshop Registration Now Available Online

The S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department is gearing up for its 13th Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshop. The workshop will be held Sept. 14-16 at Outlaw Ranch near Custer.

“We’re excited about offering this year’s workshop in the southern Black Hills,” said Chad Tussing, education services coordinator for GFP. “Since we’ll be in the Black Hills, we’ll be offering classes such as rock climbing, forest ecology and fly tying, in addition to some of our traditional classes.”

An online registration system will allow prospective participants to see which classes are open and which have filled. Paper applications are still accepted, but use of the online system is encouraged.

“We’re continuing our efforts to bring new people into the world of outdoor recreation,” Tussing said. “In order to help recruit new participants, the first two weeks of registration will be for new BOW participants and those bringing new participants along. That period will run until July 18. While we love seeing our returning friends, we have gotten comments from new participants about not getting into desirable classes. Veteran participants have quickly learned to register early to get the classes they want. BOW is designed to be a beginner-level opportunity and we want to encourage that.”

The BOW workshop is designed for anyone age 18 and over who is interested in learning new outdoor skills, improving existing skills or meeting other individuals with similar interests. This year’s workshop offerings include game cleaning, kayaking, geology, fly-fishing, ATV safety and ethics, handgun shooting, stargazing and more. A total of 34 different classes are offered.

Registration information can be found at Wildlife Division offices, state parks and online. For more information about the BOW workshop, please call (605) 773-3485 or check out the Game, Fish and Parks BOW Web site at www.sdgfp.info/Wildlife/Education/BOW/BOWIndex.htm.

From the Editor
Check out the SD Game, Fish and Parks calendar of events on their website: http://www.sdparks.info/.  There is a calendar posted for the entire year with various events at different state parks and along the Mickelson Trail. Activities for August include several special-focus walks, a triathlon, a Bat Festival, a disk golf tournament and more.
 

Rabbit vs. Turkey Vulture

Jeanette Williams is an OWSD board member from Vermillion. She shares a prey and predator encounter that she witnessed from her front door.

These photos are of an immature red-tailed hawk. I live in town in Vermillion. This big boy (he stood over a foot tall) landed in my front yard and killed a bunny. (I have lots of bunnies and squirrels. I feed them.) He came back four times over three days to eat on the same carcass, and would stay about fifteen minutes each time. He was about ten feet from the road and would let cars go right by him. Little birds kept dive-bombing him, but he didn't let that faze him. At night I put a cardboard box over the dead bunny with a brick on it, because I was afraid a raccoon would drag it away. (I know--raccoons need to eat, too.)

Two turkey vultures landed to eat on the carcass, but they were not as comfortable being in town, so they did not stay long. Vermillion does have a lot of turkey vultures swooping over town this summer, and someone told me they are roosting at the water tower. I haven't seen them there, so I don't know for sure. They were bigger than the hawk, but it didn't take much to spook them.

 

New Archery Program Set to Double in Size
PIERRE, S.D.—A new archery program in South Dakota schools has hit the bull’s-eye with students and teachers.
The South Dakota version of the National Archery in the Schools Program started with 12 schools in its inaugural year. That number of schools is set to double in the 2007-2008 school year according to Curt Robertson, hunting safety coordinator for the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department. The program is led by GFP in cooperation with the S.D. Department of Education.
“The fact that we’re going to double our number of participating schools is really encouraging,” Robertson said, “and the growth of the program isn’t going to stop there.”
Plans have also been made for training the specifics of the archery program to teachers in the Sioux Falls School District. “By 2008, there should be 7,000 students in the program,” Robertson said.
The new schools added to the archery program include Pierre, Howard, Britton-Hecla, Edmunds Central, Rapid City Stevens, Ethan, Faith, Madison, South Middle School in Rapid City, Flandreau, Black Hills Career Academy and East Dakota Education Co-op in Sioux Falls.
While the growth in the archery program shows that school administrators are willing to invest in the course, it has also proven to be popular with students. After the initial year of the program, students were surveyed about how they felt about the archery class. Of 1,050 survey responses, 86 percent said they liked the archery program and 63 percent said they liked school better because of the archery program.
“I think the most telling statistic is that 76 percent of the students said they were more likely to attend school on the day that archery was offered,” Robertson said. “Programs that help students stay in school have a value that can’t be measured.”
The National Archery in the Schools Program is a cooperative effort between conservation agencies, education departments, school systems, archery organizations and private archery enthusiasts. The Archery Trade Association provided critical funding for much of the equipment to be used during the pilot school project. The South Dakota Archery Association has provided funding to purchase five archery kits for schools across the state.
--GFP--


Kids Edition of Conservation Digest Honored
PIERRE, S.D.—A publication created by the S.D. Game, Fish and Parks Department to interest young people in the outdoors has been honored as the best of its kind.
The Kids Edition of the department’s Conservation Digest received a first place honor in the 2006 awards program sponsored by the Association of Conservation Information. ACI is a nonprofit association of information and education professionals representing state, federal, Canadian and private conservation organizations.
The full-color youth-oriented special edition of Conservation Digest won its award in the one-time publication—other category. Two publications from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department tied for second place in that category.
“This is a great honor on a national level for the Game, Fish and Parks communications staff, and a humbling experience for a program manager,” said GFP Communications Manager Chuck Schlueter. “I made a suggestion to our staff a couple of years ago on what I thought would be a great outreach piece for youth in our state. Our staff took a completely different approach and won a national award for it. It’s a great example of the intelligence and motivation that exemplifies our GFP staff.”
Targeted toward students in the fourth grade, the award-winning edition of the magazine featured articles by and for young people. Topics included first-person accounts of elk and turkey hunts, career profiles, nature crafts, cartoon renderings of wildlife facts and resources for teachers and parents.
“I am so excited to be able to produce a kids’ version of our department magazine,” said Thea Miller Ryan of The Outdoor Campus in Sioux Falls who served as the project coordinator. “I think it gives kids a great opportunity to find out about more possibilities for staying in touch with their outdoor heritage.”
Praise from readers young and old signaled to the department that the publication was a hit long before the ACI award. Consequently, Conservation Digest subscribers recently received a second Kids Edition of the magazine. The new edition features articles about proper outdoor clothing, taking outdoor photos, geocaching, becoming an outdoor artist, duck hunting tips, aquatic information and resources for teachers and parents.
The latest Kids Edition of Conservation Digest is also available at no charge from district and regional Game, Fish and Parks offices or by contacting the GFP Information and Education Office in Pierre at (605) 773-3485. Requests can also be made via e-mail to wildinfo@state.sd.us . 



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