Posted Thursday, January 13, 2005

Volunteers needed to teach kids how to fish

SALT LAKE CITY — Adult volunteers are needed to teach six- to 13-year-olds about fish and fishing in communities stretching from Logan to Salem. Volunteers will be helping the Division of Wildlife Resources and the communities with their community fishing program.

Youth fishing clubs have been established in Logan, Brigham City, Ogden, Roy, Clinton, Clearfield, Farmington, Bountiful, Murray, South Jordan, Orem, Spanish Fork and Salem in 2005, and each club needs volunteers to help.

Volunteer training will be held in each community in February. The training takes about one evening to complete. The clubs of about 40 to 80 children each will be formed by April and will meet for about eight weeks.

To volunteer, or for more information, call Andrew Cushing, community fisheries biologist for the DWR, at (801) 538-4774 or send an e-mail to him at AndrewCushing@utah.gov.

Anyone can help

While patience and good communication and teaching skills are needed, Cushing says adults don't need a lot of fishing experience to volunteer. "After training, regardless of the person's fishing skills, I'm sure they'll feel completely comfortable getting together with their youth fishing club," he said.

After training, volunteers will spend about two hours once a week, through the spring and/or summer, teaching children about fish and fishing by fishing with them at a local water.

Cushing says many rewards await those who volunteer. "When they see the look on a kid's face, the first time they catch a fish, it'll probably make their whole summer," he said.

Youth fishing clubs growing in popularity

"2004 was our most successful year yet," Cushing said. "About 1,700 children and 250 adult volunteers participated. Many of the volunteers were people who have helped before. They've seen the positive influence they've had on these kids and the difference they're making in their lives."

Cushing says communities are starting to offer fishing as a sport in their city recreation departments, and that's the main reason for the clubs' increased success. "For the first time, fishing has found its way into mainstream sports, right along with soccer, baseball and football," he said.

Cushing says the popularity of the clubs has led to some challenges. "The number of kids who can participate is tied directly to the number of adults who volunteer to help," he said. "If we don't get enough volunteers, some of the kids who want to participate won't be able to this year."