The Three Rivers Park District in Medina, Minn., recently hosted its first NWTF-sponsored turkey camp. The mission of the park system, which includes nearly 27,000 acres of park reserves, regional parks, trails and special use facilities, is to promote environmental stewardship through recreation and education — a perfect fit with the NWTF's mission. The Dakota Strutters and the Minnesota State Chapter, as well as the state department of natural resources and Three Rivers Park, sponsored the event.

Campers made their own box calls and learned to use them. They took a turkey-hunting course from a certified DNR instructor and earned their Firearm Safety Certification. The new JAKES members hope to use the skills they learned on a hunt this spring.
And the Dakota Strutters hope to make it an annual event.

The Dakota Strutters of Minnesota have worked on behalf of the NWTF mission since 1998.

The Federation of Fly Fishers is an international nonprofit organization dedicated to conservation, restoration and education. With more than 300 clubs, the group is the only organized advocate for fly fishers on a national and regional level. The NWTF and FFF have partnered to offer fly-fishing at local outreach events.

For more information on FFF or to find a council near you, visit www.fedflyfishers.org.

Mandy Harling
JAKES Coordinator

Not your mama's JAKES event

Every year, NWTF volunteers hold nearly 1,000 JAKES events across the country, and many of them send photos to me. It's uplifting to tear open a package to find images of smiling children, parents and even the workers having fun in the outdoors. The photos remind me why our program is vital to the future of this organization and the outdoor activities we love.

I also am amazed at how each event is as different as the people who coordinate them. As the number of JAKES events has grown, so has the variety of event types. An event could be a traditional rotation of learning stations, a turkey hunt or a stewardship project.

I refer to this as the evolution of the JAKES event. From our early beginnings in the 1980s, we partnered with state and federal agencies to host "round robin" events, which occur annually and offer youth a chance to rotate through a variety of hands-on outdoors activities. While most chapters continue to host traditional events, many chapters, like Missouri's Southern Warren County Strutters, have branched out to offer more opportunities for youth in their area.

The chapter holds monthly JAKES events to keep youth excited and educated about conservation and hunting throughout the year. Each month is a new activity like fishing, squirrel hunting, muzzleloading, archery, camping and air gun shooting. Event coordinator Amy Mergelmeyer says the kids are always asking her what the next activity will be. They've held these monthly meetings for more than a year now, with great success.

While it may not be feasible for your chapter to hold monthly meetings, I challenge you to shake things up. I tried something new with my event this year, and allowed each child to pick from a menu of classes. The new format allowed for smaller class sizes, and the child was more vested in each activity because they chose to take part in it.

We also held our first dove hunt for youth with limited hunting experience, and many youth bagged their first dove that day.

There are countless youth whose love for the outdoors and hunting was first ignited at a JAKES event. We must stay new, fresh and connected to keep youth engaged.

I would love to hear how your JAKES events have evolved and the many ways you've kept your program going. — Mandy