No Women Left Inside! teaches skills
Participants learn fishing, shooting, moreBy ANGELA BURCH, Messenger Staff Writer
Article Photos
LEHIGH - As beginning angler Jodi Harms wrangled in her second catch of the day Saturday, the Duncombe woman shrugged her shoulders and said, ''I just have luck for the day.''
The lucky fisherwoman was part of a group of 18 women from across the area who participated in the first No Women Left Inside! program in Webster County.
No Women Left Inside! is an outreach program through the National Wild Turkey Federation, said Kelly Redding, women's regional coordinator of NWTF.
The goal of the program is to get women involved in outdoor activities, and those opportunities are limitless, she said. Once a woman sees how enjoyable activities can be, the potential to develop into family-oriented activities is high, Redding said.
''It is a non-threatening atmosphere that helps women challenge themselves,'' she said.
Redding said she has even seen the program become life-changing for some women in past programs.
Erin Ford, naturalist for Webster County Conservation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources, used her love of the outdoors to launch the program at Brushy Creek State Recreation Area.
Many of the women participating said they camped Friday night at the park to make a weekend vacation out of it. On Saturday the women took part in four sessions with events selected from a variety of options.
Andrea Peterson has been to other similar programs and she wanted to support the program in Webster County. The 62-year-old Harcourt native said she was having a great time.
Stacy Wearda, Duncombe, came with a few of her friends for a ''fun girls' night out.'' They spent the night in a camper, so she said Friday night's rain didn't have too much effect on them.
The youngest participant, Rhea Everett, 14, of Fort Dodge, came to the event to sharpen her fishing skills. She said she enjoys fishing with her dad. Her aunt, Racheel Crosby, said Everett needed to learn how to bait her own hook. Everett's reaction to the newly learned skill was mixed.
Crosby said she has always been interested in outdoor sports, and she wanted to polish up her skills, such as the correct way to tie a knot on a fishing pole.
Learning how to do skills the right way was a positive experience which reverberated throughout the group.
Wearda said that although she has spent a lot of time outside, she was happy that people took the time to show her the correct way to tie a fishing knot or shoot a gun.
She said her favorite part was learning how to shoot. For many of the women, the target shooting, shotgun range and archery sessions were examples of the new skills.
For Everett and Crosby, the dutch-oven cooking was a pleasant experience. In contrast to traditional camping food, they prepared lasagne, mixed vegetables and cobblers over the bed of coals. Crosby said it was "awesome and surprisingly easy."
In addition to Ford, the group had several expert leaders.
Matt Johnson, Rick Rude and Aaron Wieberg, of The Northern Slayers, willingly offered their help for the fishing session. The men are part of a seven-member group, based in Fort Dodge, who wrote a children's book about fishing. Wieberg was most impressed that the women were not afraid to get their hands dirty.
''The program is really cool. I really didn't expect this many people to show up,'' Rude said.
Contact Angela Burch at (515) 573-2141 or aburch@messengernews.net
