1/7/2008
 

Utah Division of Wildlife Resources

Teach Kids How To Fish

This year's volunteer training begins in February.

Want to help a group of kids have one of the best experiences they'll have all summer?

Then sign up to become a youth fishing club volunteer!

The Division of Wildlife Resources is looking for volunteers to teach six to 13 year olds about fish, the places fish live and how to catch them.

Volunteers are needed in communities stretching from Logan to Washington City. The following communities have youth fishing clubs, and each club needs volunteers to help:

Anyone can help

Adult volunteers make the clubs possible, and the clubs will be formed only if enough adults sign up to help.

Volunteer training takes only a single evening to complete. Depending on the community, the one-evening trainings will take place between the first of February and mid-March.

"You don't need a lot of fishing experience to volunteer," says Chris Penne, community fisheries biologist for the DWR.

"If you have a positive attitude, patience and good communication skills, you have everything we're looking for. We'll teach you everything else you'll need to have a great experience with these kids."

Penne says a number of rewards await those who volunteer.

"One of the biggest thrills you'll have is seeing the look on a young one's face when they reel in their first fish. Experiencing that will make your whole summer," he says. "Helping connect today's youth with the natural world around them is also something that our volunteers find rewarding."

If you'd like to volunteer, please e-mail Penne before Feb. 1 at chrispenne@utah.gov.

Growing in popularity

The clubs meet at the fishing pond in their community beginning in early April. The children spend the first 30 minutes of each two-hour class learning about fish, how to catch them and about the fishes' habitat. Then adult volunteers take the kids to the pond and help them use their new skills to catch fish.

"2007 was our most successful year yet," Penne says. "About 3,000 kids and 270 volunteers participated in the six-week program. Many of the volunteers were folks who had volunteered the year before. After seeing the positive influence they had on the kids, they wanted to help in the program again."

Penne says city recreation departments have started offering fishing as a sport. He says that's one of biggest reasons for the program's success. "For the first time, fishing has found its way into mainstream sports, right along with soccer, baseball and football."

As the number of children and communities involved in the program grows, so does the need for volunteers. "The number of kids who can participate is determined largely by the number of adults who volunteer to help," Penne says.