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Women Outdoors

Kevin Naze/Special to the Press-Gazette

By Kevin Naze
Press-Gazette correspondent

A popular program to teach outdoor skills to women is coming to central and northeast Wisconsin in the coming months, and if past successes are any indication, registration spots will fill fast.
Since its humble beginnings in the mind of a natural resources professor at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point a decade ago, a program known as Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) has expanded to 44 states and nine Canadian provinces.
Dr. Christine Thomas came up with idea and put it on paper for the first time in 1990, when a workshop exploring the barriers limiting the participation of women in hunting and other forms of outdoor recreation was held at the school.
Thomas was convinced the main barrier was a lack of educational opportunities, so she networked with conservation organizations, sportsman's groups and other interested businesses and individuals to chart the course for BOW, and more recently, Beyond BOW.

"Women are the fastest growing segment of the market for many sporting goods retailers," said Dolores Farmer, a BOW-backer from Virginia who has developed a website for women interested in the outdoors. "It doesn't matter how they got involved, once you've got the fever, you can't let it go."

Farmer said many women weren't introduced to hunting and fishing as youngsters. But thanks to the gentle tug of a boyfriend, husband or female friend, more women than ever before are getting their feet wet.

"Far fewer people would need therapists if more folks took up hunting and fishing," said Farmer. "They're the best stress-reducers ever invented."

 The BOW program invites women age 18 or older to learn and enhance outdoor skills through the guidance of enthusiastic instructors chosen for their experience and ability to pass on their knowledge. More than 80 workshops annually have been held in recent years, offering everything from hunting and fishing to shooting skills, ethics, camping,
canoeing, orienteering, aquatic biology and more. They're generally held at camps or resorts, and participants stay in cabins or lodges that have basic modern amenities. Meals are provided and cooked by the camp staff.
The focus is learning in a comfortable atmosphere.

BOW is inviting interested women to a workshop April 23-25 at the Rosholt Lion's Camp northeast of Stevens Point and to its first-ever trek to Door County June 11-13 at the Landmark Resort near Egg Harbor. The Lion's Camp choices include classes on wild turkeys, stream ecology and fly tying, survival skills and shotgun skills. It is located 16 miles northeast of Stevens Point and includes a 45-acre private lake.

Participants will stay in newly constructed cabins near the lake.
"We have a winning combination with this event," said Wisconsin BOW coordinator Peggy Kell. "The setting is a 440-acre wildlife refuge with a hefty population of wild turkeys. We bring in top-notch instructors."

Kell said fly fishing is also popular. Participants will be able to
explore a trout stream, collect insects and tie their own flies, with
expert instruction. All equipment is provided.

The Door workshop includes more than 20 choices, including firearms, fishing, photography, map and compass, archery, backpacking, sea kayaking and mountain biking.

"This is our deluxe accommodations BOW event," Kell said. "The resort sits on the bluffs overlooking the waters of Green Bay.
Evening activities include a traditional Door County Fish Boil and a BOW outdoor clothing fashion show, hosted by Virginia BOW Coordinator and special guest Libby Norris.

The Landmark Resort is located on 40 acres of wooded land. Participants will stay in three or four person suites that include private living, dining and bath areas, as well as a kitchenette. Enrollment is limited to 100.
Kell said the workshops are for women who have never tried the
activities, but have hoped for an opportunity to learn; are beginners who want to improve their skills, or simply want to explore and enjoy the camaraderie of like-minded individuals.

For more information:

Peggy Kell is the Wisconsin coordinator for the Becoming an
Outdoors-Woman program. For more information on BOW and Beyond BOW events, call 1-877-BOWOMAN, e-mail pkell@uwsp.edu or check out the BOW
web site at www.uwsp.edu/bow/.