Must Have Outdoors

“Grandma, I caught a catfish,” and other shouts of excitement could be heard all around at the first youth fishing day at Clarence Cannon National Wildlife Refuge.

Katie and I got the pleasure to help out at this event, baiting hooks, removing caught fish, and giving some lessons on how to make a cast. The event started at 10:00 am on Saturday May 22, and it didn’t take long for the kids to start pulling in some nice catches. The pond was stocked with Catfish and Bluegill donated by the Missouri Department of Conservation and purchased by the Refuge. Each youth got to keep five of the fish that they caught to take home and eat. “We are really excited about the turnout,” said Refuge Manager, Jason Wilson. We hope everyone had a good time, and we hope to do more activities like this in the future.” Besides fishing, attendees could color and make their own buttons, do some finger painting and learn more about fishing and what animals live on a refuge. I was really glad to see the Refuge put on an event like this. I had worked on the Refuge for over a year as my first job out of college. The Staff at Clarence Cannon are committed to improving habitat for the thousands of migratory birds and resident species that frequent the refuge every year. The also promote public interaction through events like the fishing day, classroom talks, and field trips. I was really glad to get to be a part of this event, and can’t wait to volunteer for next years fishing day and any other events the refuge holds. To learn more about Clarence Cannon National Wildlife System and other National Wildlife Refuges, go to http://www.fws.gov/midwest/GreatRiver/cannon.html. - Andrew Howard