TREE TALK
by Gary MartinMerry Christmas
How’s it going this month! "Merry Christmas" greetings to everyone! We’ve had another great year in the forest. A BIG THANK YOU to all our loggers, contractors, community members, fellow resource teammates and to everyone who has helped make good things happen in the forest this year! THANKS also, to all you "tree talk" readers! It’s been another fun year of "talking" with you! THANK YOU Mysti for your tree drawing! Wishing everyone a safe, healthy, happy Christmas and New Year! Talk with you again next month. Peace. J
Fish & Wildlife Outreach Program 2006
Greetings from us here at F/W youth program. I hope all of your holidays were safe and eventful.
It is now the year 2006 and I am looking forward to working with the youth here at F/W, the 2005 year was a short one but there was scheduled events that took place and I hope your children were involved.
That leads me to talking about how to get your kids involved, this is a simple matter. I have questionnaires that the parents and the youth need to fill out, you can find these forms at your local community center or here at Fish & Wildlife. When the forms are returned to me I will put them in my files in which I can contact you about events going on in your area or events that could be planned. In order for me to serve you better I need your help by getting the kids involved, so don’t hesitate to sign up.
Here are some examples of things we are doing here at Fish & Wildlife:
Fishing and other opportunities
Field trips to hatcheries and dams to show the youth more about the work F/W puts into restoring our fish and enhancing the numbers of salmon to return. This continues on to teaching ways to fish in different areas such as salmon fishing and also sharing ways to prepare them as food.
Hunting and care for the animals we use for subsistence
In the hunting aspect I hope to help the kids on their education of hunting skills and proper ways to care for the meat after harvest. In 2006 I will be teaching Hunters Safety Classes as well as archery safety. I feel there is much to offer in hunting: not just meat, but trying to use as much of the animal you harvest, such as tan hides, and use portions of these animals to make other things with them rather than throwing it away. Hunting goes a long way for I planned turkey hunting and other bird hunting trips for Christmas break. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not out there to teach the kids to kill for fun. We are offering the meat to the elders or taking care of our families.
Camping and survival skills
We camped a couple of weekends this year; during this time we hunted on the Hellsgate subsistence hunt. In the future I am planning to teach the kids how to enjoy the outdoors in a safe manner and not only for hunting. I have cameras to teach the kids hunting can be done with a camera as well as a gun.
In the classroom opportunities
Throughout the year I’ve been invited to the school to talk or do presentations, and in 2006 I have made plans to go to the schools with tanning deer hides, making drums, salmon hook mold making, and other events. Elders are involved to help teach the kids traditions and stories.
So how much does this all cost? Just a little bit of your time to fill out the paper work to get your kids enrolled, so spend a minute to let us share the outdoors with your children.
Aaron Carden
For your name to be entered in the Fish & Wildlife drawing, please return 2005 hunting tags by JANUARY 31st.