Everyone has been impacted by COVID-19. The situation has schools closed and kids and parents are at home together. No doubt there will be those who will be looking for creative ways to keep the kids occupied. So let’s take a look at an activity that holds the potential to convert idle time into something that keys in on the outdoor experience.
Art and wildlife go hand in hand. We have seen it time and again as youngsters are exposed to the outdoor experience. Adventures shared with family and friends around the kitchen table are just one example of how the outdoor experience is shared. This is especially true when it comes to fishing.
Kids also often express the good times they experience streamside or when fishing from a boat by creating a drawing. It is a positive reminder of when the rod and reel was in their hands. In many cases, the creation generated is posted on the refrigerator or another place of prominence within the home.
The opening day of trout season is on the minds of young and old alike. Adjustments have already been made in Pa.
The PFBC announced a consolidated statewide schedule for all counties during the 2020 trout season. Under the revised plan, Trout Stocking for 2020 will be conducted on an accelerated schedule. And to ensure public safety, volunteers will NOT be permitted to assist with stocking activities.
A single Mentored Youth Trout Day is slated for April 11th, and the Statewide Opening Day of trout season will take place on April 18. The early regional mentored youth and opening days will take place this year.
Traditionally, the pre-season trout stockings have added to the excitement of opening day. However, and with good reason, the situation has changed.
Yet there is another method school students connect with the preseason trout experience and that is by taking part in the State-Fish Art Contest.
Some will say, “I’ve never heard about this before.” So what’s this competition all about?
The contest was inspired in 1997 by a 5th grader’s homework assignment. And researching for the assignment served as the catalyst for the contest.
The State-Fish Art Contest, which is supported by Title Sponsor Bass Pro Shops, is a free K-12 art and creative writing competition highlighting fish and aquatic conservation.
To compete, young artists must create an original illustration of any state-fish from the Official Fish List, found at www.StateFishArt.org. The fish listed for those living in P.A. and N.Y. is the trout and must be the focal point of their entry.
Wildlife Forever is headquartered in White Bear Lake, Minnesota.
Wildlife Forever’s mission is to conserve America’s wildlife heritage through conservation education, preservation of habitat, and management of fish and wildlife. The organization has funded four projects in Pennsylvania and one in New York State.
Support of a number of projects included: A wild turkey habitat improvement project in Pennsylvania’s Allegheny National Forest to support an intensive habitat management program undertaken in partnership with the USDA Forest Service and National Wild Turkey Federation, to restore critical brood rearing and winter habitat.
Funds were provided to support the Laurelly Fork Trout Nursery and the efforts of the Western Clinton Sportsmen’s Association to provide improvements to the water flow feeding their fish hatchery. The Foundation purchased a water aeration system and piping for the nursery.
Wildlife Forever joined an effort to acquire the 1,510-acre property, doubling the size of a State Game Land area along the Little Schuylkill River keeping it open for public use.
Support in another project included developing more than 200 acres of ring-necked pheasant habitat situated in Westmoreland County. The project included working with the Pennsylvania Game Commission along with private landowners. The result was to establish grasses and cover for nesting pheasants.
In New York State, more than 2,500 acres were improved to help upland game birds and other wildlife species within New York’s Finger Lakes National Forest. Prescribed burns were used to improve the conditions in tracts of shrub lands, grasslands, and pastures.
“With our nation’s schools closed and young people at home, we are extending the State-Fish Art Contest deadline. This is to allow students and families the opportunity to participate with the contest and learn about fish, fishing, and the importance of connecting with the outdoors,” said Pat Conzemius, President and CEO of Wildlife Forever.
A vast array of FREE educational resources can be found online including details about the contest and prizes. Winners will be awarded in four grade categories, K-3, 4-6, 7-9, and 10-12. Entries must be postmarked by Thursday, April 30th, 2020. Judging will occur in May and winners will be announced at the end of May.
For the young angler this contest may provide another means to create some preseason excitement.
Charlie Burchfield is an active member and past president of the Pennsylvania Outdoor Writers Association, an active member of the Professional Outdoor Media Association, Outdoor Writers Assoc. of America and the Mason-Dixon Outdoor Writers. Gateway Outdoors e-mail is GWOutdoors@comcast.net
