Educators Give “Top Marks” to National
Fishing and Boating Training
July 24, 2008, Alexandria, VA— Educators from around
the country convened in Traverse City, Mich., July 6-10, at the Northwestern
Michigan College campus for the 6th annual Physh Ed National
Education Grants training workshop. Seventy-six educators representing
32 states received grant funding from the Future Fisherman Foundation
to design and deliver fishing and boating instruction as a part of their
regular school curriculum. For the upcoming 2008/2009 school year, the
foundation awarded grants in the amount of $2,500 each to teachers from
the 32 states.
The workshop brought the trainees together with instructors from the
Federation of Fly Fishers, the Glenora School of Fly Fishing, the American
Canoe Association, Project F.I.S.H. and the Montana Department of Fish,
Wildlife and Parks for instruction in angling skills development, creating
and evaluating effective lesson plans, tackle crafting and fly tying.
Steve Blattert, an educator from Haslett, Mich. said, “I have
been fishing for years, however, I was with amazing people who shared
their success stories which really helped me get a better grasp of what
my program might look like. All of the instructors were very helpful,
and I look forward to staying in contact with all of them while I continue
to finalize my plans for my program for the year. My thanks go them and
to the foundation for everything. I am extremely excited for my students.”
“We have worked hard to grow the program to serve teachers of
all disciplines,” said Future Fisherman Foundation Executive Director
Anne Danielski.
The Physh Ed program has new tools to help educators share and
learn from one another. “We are so enthusiastic about this latest
group of educators and the new services that we can provide to further
enhance their efforts.” said foundation Manager of Education Teresa
Rodriquez. “We have a blog, and photo pages to help educators
share their successes and we will be adding a YouTube interface soon.
We know that fishing is an ideal cross curricular activity that can greatly
enhance various science lessons as well as reinforcing important conservation
lessons.”
The Future Fisherman Foundation is the angler recruitment and education
arm of the American Sportfishing Association.
To learn more about the Future Fisherman Foundation and the Physh
Ed program go to www.futurerfisherman.org.
###
The Future Fisherman Foundation is the angler recruitment and education
arm of the American Sportfishing Association, the leading recreational fishing
trade association. The Future Fisherman Foundation unites the sportfishing
industry with a nationwide network of state outdoor educators, national conservation
groups and youth organizations, offering a variety of fishing and boating programs,
equipment, and services to community groups and schools across the country.
These efforts help people of all ages have safe and enjoyable fishing experiences
that foster life-long conservation ethics.
