DNR calling for state fair volunteers to teach outdoors skills

If you can fish or shoot and have an interest in teaching children those skills, the Michigan Department of Natural Resources needs you this summer at the U.P. State Fair.

The DNR offers children the chance to catch fish and practice shooting pellet guns and bows at the Upper Peninsula Pocket Park on the state fairgrounds in Escanaba each year as part of the fair, and relies on volunteers to keep everything running smoothly.

The two-acre park has a catch-and-release fishing pond and a shooting and archery range. At the fishing pond, volunteers help bait hooks, untangle lines, take fish off hooks and release them back into the pond.

"It's rewarding to see the kids' faces light up when they catch a fish," says Jon Spieles, who oversees the DNR's visitor centers statewide, including the Pocket Park. "For some of these kids, this is their very first fish."

At the shooting range, volunteers show kids how to safely aim and shoot at paper targets, which the kids often take home as proof of their new accomplishment.

"They are so proud of the results. It's fun to watch them take the time to examine their targets and show them to their parents," says Spieles.

The fair is from August 15 to 21 this year, and volunteers would be asked to cover a four-hour shift, either from noon to 4 p.m. or from 4 to 8 p.m. A light meal and commemorative T-shirt are included. To volunteer, email Deb Frazier, volunteer coordinator.

Writer: Sam Eggleston
Source: Jon Spieles, Michigan Department of Natural Resources