September 28 marks National Hunting and Fishing Day

As many of you know, I spend a great deal of

my time in the outdoors. In fact, I’ve made my living via the outdoors in some way for the past 30

years. While parts of it have been a challenge, I’ve

enjoyed each and every moment of it.

I was fortunate to grow up in a small, relatively rural town in northeastern Ohio with a father who lived to hunt and fish, and a Mom who supported what we did one hundred percent. I

had places to explore. I had people to teach me the

proverbial ropes including my father, Mick, who

sacrificed year after year to make sure I had the

chance to spend that time with Mother Nature.

What I had was opportunity. Sadly, today, as

it’s been for the last couple of decades, young

people don’t have the opportunity to spend time

in the Great Outdoors. Access has gotten to be a

challenge. Getting outside, and buying hunting

and fishing licenses has gotten more and more expensive over the years, sometimes to the point of

being cost prohibitive for some. Then there’s time.

Dad’s busy. Mom’s busy. Grandpa’s busy. There’s

this. There’s that.

It reminds me of a story from my second year of

teaching at Wahkiakum High. There was a young

man, 16 years old, who had spent his entire life

within 60 miles of the Washington Coast, and until Jeff Rooklidge, retired WHS biology/chemistry

teacher, and I took him to Long Beach to dig razor

clams, the boy had never seen the Pacific Ocean.

NEVER! It seems to me that there is something

drastically wrong with that scenario.

I’ve seen things, thanks to Mother Nature,

that I never would have seen had I not been a

hunter and a fisherman. I have met people, been

places and ate exceptionally well. Not everyone is

so lucky; however there’s help, and it’s called National Hunting and Fishing Day.

Formally created at the hands of the National

Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF) via an act of

Congress in 1971, National Hunting and Fishing

Day (NHF Day) was signed into law by former

President Richard M. Nixon the following year.

From the NHF Day website, nhfday.org:

“On the fourth Saturday of every September,

NHF Day recognizes generations of sportsmen

and women for their contributions to the conservation of our nation’s rich sporting heritage and

natural resources. One of the main goals of National Hunting and Fishing Day is to recruit new

hunters and anglers by encouraging participation and increasing public awareness of the connection between hunting, angling, and conservation. Through self-imposed fees and excise taxes,

sportsmen and women have raised more than $57

billion – that’s more than $100,000 every 30 minutes – being raised for conservation. NHF Day is

the largest, most effective grassroots movement

ever undertaken to promote outdoor sports and

conservation.”

In keeping with this tradition of introducing

people of all “makes and models” to the great

outdoors via hunting, fishing, and the shooting

sports, the Washington Department of Fish and

Wildlife (WDFW) will host its annual NHF Day

celebration on Saturday, September 28, in Cowlitz

County. “This free event is a great, family-oriented

way to introduce young people target shooting hunting, and fishing,” said David Whipple, WDFW’s Hunter Education Manager. “It’s also a chance to highlight the ongoing role hunters and

anglers play in wildlife management and conservation.”

This year’s event will take place on Saturday,

September 28 from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Cowlitz

Public Shooting Range located at 1000 Toutle Park

Road in Castle Rock. While the event is free, the

WDFW asks participants ages 17 and younger to

pre-register on the agency’s website in order to allow the WDFW to prepare for the expected attendance. Participants can pre-register for one of two sessions during the event: one from 9 to 11 a.m,

and a second from noon to 2:30 p.m.

Attendees can enjoy educational displays, conservation partner booths, and a variety of handson activities including trout fishing, rod and reel casting practice, and arts and crafts. Youth under

18 with an accompanying adult can have the opportunity to shoot WDFW-furnished firearms and

other equipment, including archery gear, shotguns,

rimfire and centerfire rifles, and air rifles. Youth

attendees will receive a reusable drawstring bag

with several safety-related items. There will also

be door prize drawings and giveaways donated

by local and national businesses. “This is a great

opportunity to receive training, guidance, and

encouragement from certified hunter education

instructors, master hunters, and range safety officers,” said Whipple. “Participants will also learn

the importance of hunter safety.”

The WDFW needs volunteers to help make

this NHFD event a success. Registration is now

open for individuals interested in helping support

this important community effort. To volunteer for

National Hunting and Fishing Day or other opportunities, visit the WDFW volunteer event list

webpage.

Can’t make it with

your young ones? Are

you too busy with other

things? Here’s the great,

albeit painfully obvious

news: we live in Wahkiakum County. We live

IN the Great Outdoors.

If you can’t make this event, take a walk or a drive on Puget Island and

look at the Columbia whitetails. Walk the “Whitetail Trail” at the Julia Butler Hansen National

Wildlife Refuge. Go to the refuge office and look at

the signs. Watch the deer and the ducks and geese

and swans.

Is fishing more your thing? The Elochoman Marina offers some fantastic fishing for bluegills and

largemouth bass; just be cognizant of the boats,

other folks, and conduct yourself politely. There’s

the Radar Lakes above the old Youth Camp at Naselle, Kress Lake in Kalama, and even Lake Sacajawea in Longview.

Don’t forget to look up. The sandhills cranes

just started migrating south from Canada and

Alaska a couple mornings ago. The Bohemian

waxwings are feasting on berries, and the refuge

road is full of our state bird, the beautiful American goldfinch. There are garter snakes and chipmunks, hummingbirds and Canada geese, banana

slugs and crayfish. It’s all there in spades; you just

have to look - and GET OUTSIDE!