Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) held a workshop Oct. 18-20 at the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp in the J.W. Corbett Wildlife Management Area.
The participants chose four sessions from more than 25, which included wilderness survival, canoeing and kayaking, outdoor cooking, handgun shooting, shooting sports, bird watching, outdoor photography, wilderness first aid, GPS and geocaching, pan fishing, bass fishing, fly fishing, reading the woods, camping and backpacking, personal safety, deer hunting, turkey hunting, small game hunting, hunter safety certification course, archery bow hunting certification course, shotgun shooting, muzzle loading, map and compass, aquatic ecology and knot tying.
BOW is offered through the Florida Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission annually at the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp and the Ocala Conservation Center. The next workshop will be March 7-9, 2014 in Ocala. The next one at the Everglades Youth Conservation Camp will be Nov. 14-16, 2014. For more information, or to register, visit www.myfwc.com/bow or call (561) 625-5122.
The BOW program was started in 1990 by Dr. Christine Thomas of the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Since then it has expanded to 47 states and Canada. It is a basic, introductory program offered to women age 18 and older. People can sign up at www. myfwc.com/bow to be notified of upcoming events.
The three-day weekend starts at 10 a.m. Friday and ends with lunch on Sunday. It’s OK to arrive Friday night or Saturday morning after work.
The cost is $200, which includes lodging in air-conditioned cabins, full bath houses with hot showers, all meals from lunch Friday through lunch Sunday, all instruction for the class session they choose, all equipment and supplies and handouts for their class sessions, evening activities, a BOW t-shirt and door prizes. Scholarships are available for first-time participants covering half the cost.
BOW events for more advanced activities are offered, such as weekend camping trips, kayaking trips, shooting-range activities, hog hunting, trapping and fishing. Find out more at www.myfwc.com/bow.
ABOVE: Volunteer BOW instructor Mario Morales teaches participant Catherine Ballick about flintlock pistols.
