Manitoba Wildlife Federation launches new outdoor skills program for families

Getting more families involved in fishing, hunting and the great outdoors is the ultimate goal of a new pilot project the Manitoba Wildlife Federation launched on September 7. Based out of the Circle Square Ranch near Austin, the new Becoming an Outdoors Family program is modelled after the MWF’s popular Becoming an Outdoorswoman program.

Over the course of the weekend, eight families from across the province learned a variety of outdoor skills, ranging from archery to erecting shelters to making lures. “We’ve come up with a schedule that incorporates the full family unit,” says the MWF’s program and events coordinator, Chris Benson. “We’re all about recruitment and providing opportunities for new people to learn about the outdoors and fishing and hunting.”

In all, the program can accommodate approximately 40 participants, with each family staying in one of eight teepees located at the ranch. “It’s a great facility for running these outdoor programs because it is a massive piece of land,” Benson says. “We can do any kind of activity that we’re interested in.”

For the inaugural weekend, attendance was limited to the families of women who previously attended an outdoorswoman weekend; the eventual aim is to open it up to more people. The registration fee is $125 for adults, $65 for children between five and 18, $40 for kids aged two to four, and no charge for children under two.

Says Benson: “If it goes well, we’re going to continue to expand it and look for new opportunities to do more outdoor engagement programs under the banner of Becoming an Outdoors Family.”

Learn more about the MWF’s programs and positions at www.mwf.mb.ca.