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Girls Get Outdoors
With a tentative grip, the 14-year-old locked her finger and thumb around the 10-inch largemouth bass. A few other hands reached out to touch the slimy fish. "Who knows why fish produce slime," queried instructor Karen Osterkamp, as a couple other fish were passed through the crowd. Not your typical curriculum, but neither was the setting, here on the edge of a ravine at Springbrook Education Center, near Guthrie Center. More than 60 teen and nearly teen girls were on an Outdoor Journey; learning outdoor skills in a supportive environment. On OJ, they literally got their hands dirty, as well as wet and a little slimy before it was over. "We learned that some fish have sharp, pointy teeth and some have more like sandpaper (mouth)," reported Macy Marek, of Riverside. "And their fins can be real 'pokey' if you touch them wrong." She and her friend Kaitlin Hora, from Ainsworth, also gave high marks to the rifle and shotgun course. "I was pretty good with the rifle. My grouping was real close together," pointed out Kaitlin. A couple more Outdoor Journey sessions are set this summer, for girls 12 through 15. For boys, the Hunting and Conservation Camp (HACC) offers much the same program. There's even Becoming an Outdoor Woman (BOW) for moms or even older sisters. And these campers don't leave behind all the modern conveniences. Air conditioned dorms and cafeteria food take the sting out of slippery fish, a wet canoe seat or a brush with nettles. Still, the idea is to get close to the outdoors, not just read about it. "It doesn't matter if you have no skill in the activities," stresses Donise Grygierczyk, coordinator of the June OJ. "Some of the girls didn't know what a canoe looked like. Others had been out in one before." That's important as the conservation community tries to reach an increasingly urban population in Iowa. As more people lose their direct link to the land, it can be a little harder to appreciate-and maintain--our natural resources. The outdoor programs bridge that gap. Sometimes, though, it becomes a career path. Chelsie Thompson was an Outdoor Journey participant seven years ago. She had done some family supervised shooting, but knew nothing about canoeing, fishing and other outdoor pastimes. She returned this season as a chaperone. "I'm actually going to school now for earth science with an interpretative degree," laughed Thompson. "I worked at an outfitter for three years doing canoeing, kayaking, backpacking. I'm an avid hunter; late muzzleloader and bow." Volunteers and sponsors are the backbone of Outdoor Journey and its companion programs. Conservation group chapters foot much of the bill for the campers. The sessions start with the basics; safety first...how to cast a line, hold your paddle or tie fishing line to a hook. The key there, is to start big. Asia Kleower of Harlan used the foot long wire model. "Put it through this big hole; eye-ish thing; then wrap around it...at least 6 times," she counseled, counting out loud as she wrapped the cotton practice cord. "Then there's a little hole right here; we stick it through," she said, holding up the results. A final test of sorts, came on the last afternoon, when 60 girls surrounded one end of Springbrook Lake. One hour, 10 fish and a small turtle later, they were still laughing and convinced that they'd bring in a monster. "I caught a 'sunny' (sunfish) on a light line with night crawlers," declared Sydney Housh, of Mount Pleasant. She was watching the surface for signs of fish activity. "Then I reeled it back in kind of slow and steady. When I got it to the spot where they were feeding, it bit, pretty quick," explained the young angler. And at least as important as HOW to do it, the campers learn why they do it, too. "Hopefully, they will learn how important our environment is," underscored Grygierczyk. "Each of these girls realizes better what they might not have, if (the outdoor opportunity) wasn't here." For information on Outdoor Journey, or other outdoor skills workshops, go to
www.iowadnr.gov and click on (left side) 'Camps & Workshops.'
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