Syracuse.com - Central NY's Women in Nature program expands with new, diverse outdoor seminars

[HuntingNY-News]

Women in Nature program expands with more diverse courses to expose women and girls to outdoor recreation.

The Women in Nature program in Central York keeps getting bigger.

Each spring for the past seven years, the day-long, Women In Nature Outdoor Skills Workshop has been an eye-opening success. The workshop, limited to 100 participants, usually fills up several weeks after the announcement is made for registrations. There's always a long waiting list.

The event, hosted by the Onondaga Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs, is offered at no charge at rod and gun clubs throughout the area. Participants have their pick from a diverse list of as many as 18 different outdoor activities. This year's event was held April 27 at the Otisco Rod and Gun Club.

Julie FishmanCourtesy photo 

Organizers of the program are hoping the annual success of the spring workshop will translate to similar enthusiasm and attendance by women in a new, and expanded series of individual outdoors seminars. Seminars have been scheduled recently for such activities as trolling techniques for fish on Lake Ontario, fly fishing, skeet shooting and turkey hunting.

Julie Fishman, of Pompey, the administrator and class coordinator of WIN, has been dedicated to the program since its creation. Here are excerpts of what she had to say about her love of the outdoors and the new sessions for women being offered.

Q: What inspired your obvious love for the outdoors?

A: Oh boy, probably where I grew up, going through the woods on my own, and eventually going to college at SUNY ESF

Q: What's your favorite outdoors activity?

A: Probably anything with my children -- hiking and camping and teaching my children about natural history. Oh, we go fishing too; fishing should go before hiking and camping.

Q: How did you get involved in Women in Nature?

A: I was, and am, a hunter safety instructor. Some sportsman clubs were putting together a smaller woman's workshop and I was asked to help out with that. A few years later they wanted to expand that, and it became the Women In Nature program.

Q: Why do you feel it is important to expose women, especially young girls, to the outdoors?

A: When learning to do things outdoors, there's an extra sense of self-empowerment to it. Many of these activities have been typically male- dominated. When you teach women they can do anything, especially outdoor activities, they feel good about themselves.

Q: Why do you feel the diversity of activities in the Women In Nature program is important?

A: A lot of outdoor activities are really intertwined. If you are learning about hunting, you have an opportunity to observe nature. So many people who are hunters are also birders. If you're an angler, you're probably a canoeist. We also like to provide activities for people who aren't anglers or hunters; then everyone can learn side by side. This brings an understanding from both directions about why they do what they do, and gives everyone the opportunity to try something new.

Q: What was behind the decision to significantly expand the program?

We were finding that once we offered these activities to women, they were asking, "Where can I go to earn more about this?" So we started in 2011 with a trap clinic in Dewitt, and a skeet clinic in Camillus. We then decided to expand and do a few more things, including ice fishing outings. It's almost all year-round now.

Q: How did you decide which individual sessions to add?

We looked at what were popular activities that people requested to take at the workshops. Secondly, they fill out an evaluation form at the end of sessions; we listed things people might want to learn more about and people checked them off. And sometimes we just try something randomly.

Q: What makes the program special?

A: It's put on by volunteers. There's a big collective heart behind what we do. When you love something and you want other people to love something, the enthusiasm is contagious.

Here's a look of six upcoming Women in Nature seminars. For more information, visit the Onondaga Federation of Sportmens Clubs website, email [email protected], or call (315) 243-7667, unless otherwise noted.

1). Women's Turkey Hunting Seminar

Where: Fayetteville Manlius Rod and Gun Club

When: 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., Aug. 10

No Fee

Learn how to choose the correct equipment, experience different types of calls, look at decoys, go over regulations and practice shooting. You must pre-register by Aug.7.

2). Women's Bow Hunting Certification Course

Where: Nedrow Sportsmen's Club for OCFSC Women In Nature

When: 5:30 to 9:30 p.m. Aug. 12 and 5:30 to 10 p.m., Aug. 14

No Fee

This is the eight-hour, NY State certification course required to obtain a bow hunting license. You must preregister by Aug. 9

3). Women's Skeet Shooting Clinic

Where: Camillus Sportsmen's Club

When: 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., Aug.17

Fee: $20.00

Learn the basics of skeet shooting through demonstrations and hands on experience. To register, contact Bob Dankiw at (315) 487-7892 or email [email protected]

4). Women's Archery Clinic

Where: Pompey Rod and Gun Club

When: 9 a.m. to 2 p.m., Aug. 24

Fee: $10

An information session followed by shooting with the instructors.

5). Women's Fly Fishing Seminar

Where: Carpenter's Brook Fish Hatchery, Elbridge, NY

When: 8 a.m. to 1 p.m., Sept. 14 and 15

Fee: $50

Learn fly-fishing basics, stream entomology, equipment set up and casting at any level. For more information contact Vicky Lane at (315) 558-2464, or email [email protected]

6). Women's Outdoor Self Protection Program

Where: Camillus Sportsmen's Club

When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., Sept. 19

Train to prevent potential dangerous situations, extract yourself from a situation, and cover a variety of common attack methods.

View the full article on The Syracuse Outdoors Blog