Post by jcceadotcom on Aug 3, 2006 14:19:07 GMT -5
Here is an article that appeared in our local paper, the North Vernon Plain Dealer. I have to give the editor credit, he is always willing to write an article about our projects.
Loving the outdoors: Youth habitat and hunting program targets kids
by Bryce Mayer
It is no exaggeration when people call Jennings County the happy hunting ground, one for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages to enjoy.
So says Steve Sierp, anyway.
“We live in a sportsman’s paradise,” he said. “We have great hunting, fishing and hiking here.”
Sierp and others of the Jennings County Conservation and Education Association (JCCEA) are doing their part to make sure Jennings County stays that way for future generations. They are teaching children not only how to enjoy the great outdoors, but how to preserve it so their children can enjoy it.
For five years, Sierp has headed the Jennings County hunter education program that strongly emphasizes nurturing a love of nature among youth.
“Of the hunter ed classes I’ve taught here, 70 percent of the students are kids who are 15 and younger,” he said.
By state law, Hoosiers born Dec. 31, 1986, or later have to pass a hunter ed course before they can be issued a hunting license, so Sierp and his colleagues have a captive audience. They are making the most of it.
Last year, for instance the JCCEA sponsored a camp in Friendship attended by 32 young hunter ed students. They are planning another camp this September.
This year, the group is also putting together a program for children who don’t normally have the opportunity to hunt.
Called the Crosley Youth Habitat and Hunting program, mentored hunts will be offered by the JCCEA in conjunction with the Crosley State Fish and Wildlife Area.
“We are targeting kids who don’t hunt but want to,” Sierp said.
There will be no problem finding enough children, said Sierp, adding that the program will be limited to 25 or 30 youngsters.
“What we need most of all are mentors (adult volunteers) to work with the kids,” Sierp said.
Each youngster will be paired with an adult volunteer not only for the hunts, but also in wildlife habitat management. Children in the program will be sowing sunflowers, millet and bur-reed and doing general cleanup at Redwing Marsh and other areas of Crosley and also at the Greensburg Reservoir, which is managed by Crosley, in May and June.
“Hunters need to put back, too,” Sierp said. “By planting food for wildlife and cleaning up outdoor areas, the kids learn they need to service the environment, too.”
Then in the fall, the children will be taken on a series of hunting expeditions for native game — dove, squirrel and/or waterfowl — on habitat they and others have helped developed.
“I have seen other youth hunts that are mostly put-and-take hunts with quail and pheasants. That is not the message we are trying to get across,” Sierp said. “We want the kids to understand that as outdoors enthusiasts they need to do more than just bag game. They need to do something for the future.”
The youth in the program will take a hunter ed class, of course. And once they get in the field to start hunting, their prey will hopefully not be so elusive.
Sierp said the game the children will pursue do not require nearly as much stealth as deer or turkey, and weather conditions will not be brutal.
“The kids don’t have to hold still and they can talk,” he said. “And it typically is not going to be as cold as it often is when deer hunting early in the morning in November.”
Children, adult mentors who want to register can contact Sierp at 346-6699 or go on the Internet at www.jccea.com. Those who want to donate funds or children’s hunting gear, such as clothing, can also reach Sierp at that same number or visit the JCCEA Web site.
“Hopefully this program will inspire others,” Sierp said. “With the right backing our youth, sport hunting and public properties will all benefit.”
Loving the outdoors: Youth habitat and hunting program targets kids
by Bryce Mayer
It is no exaggeration when people call Jennings County the happy hunting ground, one for outdoor enthusiasts of all ages to enjoy.
So says Steve Sierp, anyway.
“We live in a sportsman’s paradise,” he said. “We have great hunting, fishing and hiking here.”
Sierp and others of the Jennings County Conservation and Education Association (JCCEA) are doing their part to make sure Jennings County stays that way for future generations. They are teaching children not only how to enjoy the great outdoors, but how to preserve it so their children can enjoy it.
For five years, Sierp has headed the Jennings County hunter education program that strongly emphasizes nurturing a love of nature among youth.
“Of the hunter ed classes I’ve taught here, 70 percent of the students are kids who are 15 and younger,” he said.
By state law, Hoosiers born Dec. 31, 1986, or later have to pass a hunter ed course before they can be issued a hunting license, so Sierp and his colleagues have a captive audience. They are making the most of it.
Last year, for instance the JCCEA sponsored a camp in Friendship attended by 32 young hunter ed students. They are planning another camp this September.
This year, the group is also putting together a program for children who don’t normally have the opportunity to hunt.
Called the Crosley Youth Habitat and Hunting program, mentored hunts will be offered by the JCCEA in conjunction with the Crosley State Fish and Wildlife Area.
“We are targeting kids who don’t hunt but want to,” Sierp said.
There will be no problem finding enough children, said Sierp, adding that the program will be limited to 25 or 30 youngsters.
“What we need most of all are mentors (adult volunteers) to work with the kids,” Sierp said.
Each youngster will be paired with an adult volunteer not only for the hunts, but also in wildlife habitat management. Children in the program will be sowing sunflowers, millet and bur-reed and doing general cleanup at Redwing Marsh and other areas of Crosley and also at the Greensburg Reservoir, which is managed by Crosley, in May and June.
“Hunters need to put back, too,” Sierp said. “By planting food for wildlife and cleaning up outdoor areas, the kids learn they need to service the environment, too.”
Then in the fall, the children will be taken on a series of hunting expeditions for native game — dove, squirrel and/or waterfowl — on habitat they and others have helped developed.
“I have seen other youth hunts that are mostly put-and-take hunts with quail and pheasants. That is not the message we are trying to get across,” Sierp said. “We want the kids to understand that as outdoors enthusiasts they need to do more than just bag game. They need to do something for the future.”
The youth in the program will take a hunter ed class, of course. And once they get in the field to start hunting, their prey will hopefully not be so elusive.
Sierp said the game the children will pursue do not require nearly as much stealth as deer or turkey, and weather conditions will not be brutal.
“The kids don’t have to hold still and they can talk,” he said. “And it typically is not going to be as cold as it often is when deer hunting early in the morning in November.”
Children, adult mentors who want to register can contact Sierp at 346-6699 or go on the Internet at www.jccea.com. Those who want to donate funds or children’s hunting gear, such as clothing, can also reach Sierp at that same number or visit the JCCEA Web site.
“Hopefully this program will inspire others,” Sierp said. “With the right backing our youth, sport hunting and public properties will all benefit.”
