NEWS RELEASE

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission

January 19, 2001

CONTACT: Lynne Hawk (561) 625-5126

2001 OUTDOORS-WOMAN WORKSHOPS SCHEDULED

Women who want to learn how to fight a big fish, bag a wild turkey or canoe a river will want to make a note of this. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will host two "Becoming an Outdoors-Woman" (BOW) workshops soon.

Instructors - most of them females - will conduct the workshops Feb. 16-18 at the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp at West Palm Beach and April 27-29 at the Hunter Education Training Center in Silver Springs. The FWC prefers to use female instructors for BOW workshops to help participants feel more at ease and to eliminate the impatience women sometimes encounter when they try to learn outdoor skills from their husbands, boyfriends or brothers.

"I think that's the main reason the BOW program has been so successful," said Lynne Hawk, director of the program. "Nobody is there to intimidate or rush the participants. Instructors take the time to guide participants through the activities."

During the seven years the FWC has offered BOW workshops, 2,000 women have signed up for them, and the reviews have been raves.

Organizers expect all the available slots to fill up with reservations within a few days. The cost is $125, which includes food and lodging at the FWC's camps, plus materials and instruction. Workshops are limited to 100 participants each. A limited number of partial scholarships are available for low-income females who would like to take part in BOW workshops. Scholarship information is available on workshop applications.

"The program is primarily for women, 18 or older, who want to learn outdoor skills associated with hunting and fishing, but it also includes training that is useful for many other outdoor pursuits," Mrs. Hawk said. "Participants will be able to choose four of the 18 topics offered and will spend four hours on each topic they choose."

Topics include: Introduction to panfishing, basic flyfishing techniques, introduction to bass fishing, outdoor cooking, boating basics, canoeing/kayaking, deer hunting basics, small-game and duck hunting basics, turkey hunting basics, introduction to the shooting sports, introduction to handgun shooting and hunting, developing archery and bowhunting skills, basic camping and backpacking skills, outdoor photography, bird-watching, reading the woods, developing wilderness survival skills and personal safety.

For a brochure and registration form, contact the FWC's West Palm Beach regional office at 561-625-5126.