Columnist Paula DelGiudice: Program helps foster nature appreciation

Paula DelGiudice

Wednesday, March 14, 2001 | 10:01 a.m.

Paula DelGiudice's outdoors notebook appears Wednesday. Reach her at desertdenizens@aol.com.

One thing most outdoors people agree on is the need to give more young people the outdoor experience so that they'll grow up appreciating all that the outdoors has to offer. It should be pretty easy to accomplish but with so many other competing interests, it's not always so easy.

Young people have a lot of competition for their time and attention nowadays. Not only is school demanding, there is a wide array of sports, hobbies and activities to occupy their time. Families don't have as much time to enjoy outdoor pursuits.

It used to be that young people gained an appreciation for the outdoors by spending time there, by watching nature unfold and change, by enjoying all that wild things and wild places had to teach. Those who understand and appreciate those lessons are far better equipped to protect and conserve natural resources when they grow up. Without firsthand knowledge in the outdoors, how can that appreciation be nurtured?

Schools and educators can go a long way toward helping that appreciation develop. Most agencies and organizations dedicated to conservation have education components. Not only do they seek to educate young people, but also their teachers.

Safari Club International Foundation recently unveiled such a program. It is now working with the Desert and Silver State chapters of Safari Club International to recruit students and teachers to attend the Foundation's American Wilderness Leadership Schools in Wyoming and Maine this summer.

The 25-year-old AWLS program has taught thousands of educators about the impact of man on ecosystems, the role wildlife management plays in boosting animal populations and in protecting species, and the importance of conservation efforts and wildlife research.

"By introducing so many teachers and school administrators to the great outdoors, and by providing them with curriculum plans for year-round use, our AWLS program has helped sensitize more than four million students through the combined coursework of these education professionals," said Janet Nyce, SCIF Chair of Education. "The multiplier effect in the classroom has been sensational, and it's largely due to the underwriting support of caring hunters in our state and 190 SCI chapters worldwide."

Each eight-day AWLS session also includes hands-on training in firearm safety, fly tying, wilderness survival, archery, wall climbing, outdoor interpretive techniques, Project WILD (Wildlife in Learning Design) and outdoor ethics. By utilizing wilderness settings, AWLS participants are exposed to the techniques and skills necessary to orchestrate safe and enjoyable learning experiences in the out of doors.

Scholarships are available to help defray the costs of $700. Interested high school students, educators and school administrators can apply online at http://www.SafariClubFoundation.org/AWLSschool.htm or get an AWLS scholarship application by calling toll free at 877-877-3265.

A Big Game Tag Application Workshop will be held on Thursday, March 29 in Las Vegas at Cashman Center, 850 Las Vegas Blvd. North. The meeting room is 101-102. The free workshop will run from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Persons with questions should contact the Las Vegas office at 486-5127.