Oct. 30, 2014

Certification course prepares folks to teach fishing techniques in Kansas

PRATT – The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) will host an Angler Certification Course Dec. 6 for anglers wishing to teach fishing techniques in Kansas. The class will be held from 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at the Greenbush Camp and Retreat Center, 947 W 47 Hwy, Girard, KS 66743. There is no cost to attend, however the class will be limited to the first 40 registrants. Lunch will be provided.

The program has certified 230 instructors, including nearly 100 Kansas school teachers, in its first year and a half alone. This year, angler education instructors and KDWPT employees held 135 events ranging from fishing derbies and casting events, to community outreach and aquatic education in the schools programs. Certified instructors have donated 1,100 hours of their time to this successful program which has reached nearly 60,000 participants and counting. These volunteer hours translate not only to a public awareness and appreciation of natural resources, but to money reimbursed back to Kansas for aquatic education supplies (fishing poles, lures, fish trading cards, etc.) and towards enhancing the state's fisheries' resources.

Apart from becoming a certified angler education instructor, attendees will also be given valuable information regarding working with children, sample curriculums, and tips for preparing a class or clinic. Other subjects covered in the four-hour class include current fishing regulations, species identification, fishing ethics, equipment, knot-tying, casting, fish habitat, aquatic nuisance species, and conservation practices.

Kansas offers some of the best public fishing opportunities in the nation, and this is just one more way for anglers to pass on their passion for fishing to those who may have yet to experience Kansas fishing.

Anglers interested in registering for the December 6 class are encouraged to sign up by visiting www.fishingsfuture.org and clicking “upcoming events,” then “Kansas Angler Education Training Program.”

For more information, contact Fishing’s Future coordinator Kevin Reich at kansasangler@gmail.com or by phone at (785) 577-6921.

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