DES MOINES - Lyle Lundgren, a teacher at MOC-Floyd Valley High School in Orange City, is the 2005 recipient of the Brass Bluegill Award. The award is presented each year to an instructor who has established an outstanding local program that exemplifies the goals of Fish Iowa!
Lundgren was among 30 educators who piloted the Fish Iowa! basic spincasting module in February 1990. Back then, Lundgren was teaching fifth and sixth grades. In 1992, he moved to MOC-Floyd Valley High School in Orange City where he teaches it in P.E. He has also used Fish Iowa! with the upper elementary students at MOC-Floyd Valley prior to their annual field trip to the Springbrook Conservation Education Center, near Guthrie Center. Lundgren has involved more than 3,200 students, and incorporates field archery, orienteering, rock-climbing and rappelling in his classes.
Lundgren was interested in teaching Fish Iowa! because "…of the opportunity to teach a life time skill like fishing to my students, but to also develop an interest in the environment and the outdoors, using fishing as an introduction," he said. He works with local DNR conservation officers and county conservation boards to organize the lessons and field trips. Freshmen and sophomores spend a half-day fishing at a nearby pond. Juniors and seniors visit Mills Creek State Park in Paullina where they not only fish, but also play softball, volleyball and "Ultimate Frisbee." Chaperones include teachers, parents, grandparents, and local college students. The upper classmen give back by doing a clean-up at the park.
Lundgren shares his enthusiasm and expertise outside the classroom. He uses Fish Iowa! with Boy Scouts on camping trips and to help them earn their fishing merit badge. He also has assisted with training workshops for other educators and youth leaders so they can teach the unit.
In 1992, Orv Otten, an instructor at Northwestern College, in Orange City, began working with the DNR to provide training in Fish Iowa! for his students - future P.E. teachers. Otten uses it in his "Teaching of Sports" class. The same class includes units on how to teach cricket, eclipse ball, team handball, and other "unique" games. Since 1995, Lundgren has team taught the Fish Iowa! unit. Future teachers get practical, hands-on experience tying knots and casting. They also learn how to teach fishing and water safety to elementary and secondary students, from classroom to field experiences. The course is taught every other year. Lundgren and Otten have taught the unit to more than 100 future teachers. Both enjoy the outdoors and helping others share it with youth.
Lundgren will receive the Brass Bluegill award, along with a set of 24 spinning rods and reels donated by Pure Fishing, from Spirit Lake, at the May 12 meeting of the Natural Resource Commission, in Des Moines. Otten will also be recognized for his efforts to teach fishing and for introducing youth to the outdoors.
The Brass Bluegill award has been co-sponsored by Pure Fishing and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources Aquatic Education Program since 1997. Pure Fishing is committed to inspiring people to go fishing and helping them learn how to fish, where to fish, and what fishing tackle to use. Pure Fishing is the parent company of Berkley, Abu Garcia, Fenwick, Red Wolf, Mitchell, Johnson, Spider, Coleman Family Fishing, and Toby. The world headquarters is in Spirit Lake. Fish Iowa! strives to create safe anglers and responsible stewards of Iowa's aquatic resources.
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