States’ workshops creating outdoorswomen

If the notion of firing a rifle, fishing on ice or kayaking in winter seems intimidating, Peggy Farrell has a solution: Give it a try for a weekend in a nonjudgmental setting among others whose curiosity outweighs experience.

Farrell is director of Wisconsin’s Becoming an Outdoors-Woman program, which began in the 1990s at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point. Now BOW chapters exist in 38 states and six Canada provinces, usually led by a natural resources agency.

A three-day format with up to four classes for women age 18 and up is typical. Choices are a deliberate mix of intros and immersions in hunting, fishing and “nonharvest” activities (snowshoeing, dog-sledding, building birdhouses). “Traditional Tanning” does not involve sunbathing; it is a class on turning a rabbit hide into leather.

“It’s a try-before-you-buy type of thing,” Farrell said, because equipment (firearms to snowmobiles to power tools) is provided. Most sessions are hands-on, be it to find food in the woods, clean a fish or create a walking stick. Cost depends on the state, setting and classes taken, but meals and lodging (sometimes bunk beds or dormitory-style quarters) often are included and kept affordable. Scholarships add accessibility for low-income women.

“You get women from all walks of life,” said Farrell, who starts these gatherings with three rules: Be safe, have fun and engage in no personal or partisan politics. The emphasis is on being active but not competitive, supportive but not condescending.

Students are a mix of ages and backgrounds. Some get manicures more often than dirt under their nails. Some show up in camouflage attire. Women attend alone, with friends, from out of state. For some mother-daughter pairs, BOW becomes a rite of passage, a way to bond while learning something new.

Linda Dightmon, Arizona’s BOW coordinator, went ice fishing for the first time when visiting Wisconsin for a winter BOW program. “If we can help mothers feel comfortable outdoors,” she said, “then they’ll bring their children” and learn an appreciation for nature.

Class topics reflect local culture, such as elk hunting in Colorado or coastal fishing and clamming in New Jersey.

In Wisconsin, the winter setting is Treehaven Field Station, a 1,400-acre research and educational retreat owned by UW-Stevens Point. Christine Thomas, BOW program founder, is dean of the College of Natural Resources.

“We’ve seen women grow in self-esteem and confidence, discovering new things about themselves,” Thomas says. “Instructors could see that they were changing lives, so it’s been a fun and positive influence all around.”

Learn more about BOW programs at 715-346-4681, uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/bow

If you go

Upcoming BOW program locations and topics include:

*Rose Farm, Waupaca, Wis. (128 miles northwest of Milwaukee), June 5, 6: The fly-fishing workshop includes hand-on lesson in equipment, knot-tying and casting. The fee and details have yet to be posted for this year, but last year’s registration was $199 and included, coffee, meals and desserts but no lodging. Equipment is provided. 715-453-4106, uwsp.edu/cnr-ap/bowwi

*Wilderness State Park, Carp Lake, Mich. (15 miles south of St. Ignace), March 6-8: The $115 registration includes two nights of rustic bunkhouse lodging and some meals. In the park are 26 miles of Lake Michigan shoreline. This workshop is in addition to an annual winter BOW weekend whose assortment of workshops is at capacity. 906-228-6561, michigan.gov/dnr (click “education and outreach”)

*Natural Bridge State Resort Park, Slade, Ky. (58 miles southeast of Lexington), March 27-29: The chapter celebrates its 20th anniversary with workshops in everything from urban gardening to sourdough baking. Registration closes Feb. 27, and the $50 fee includes two classes but not lodging or meals (packages vary, depending on lodge room versus cabin accommodations). 502-564-4336, fw.ky.gov (click “education”)

*Honey Creek Resort State Park, Moravia, Iowa (83 miles southeast of Des Moines), April 24-26: Count geocaching, kayaking, hunting, landscaping and cooking among the workshop choices. Resort amenities, in a state park, include spa services, a two-story lodge fireplace, indoor water park and accommodations in cottages and lodge rooms. Cost depends on accommodations. 515-725-8285, iowadnr.gov (click “education)

*Ross Camp, West Lafayette, Ind. (125 miles south of Chicago) opens registration March 1 for its May 1-3 outing to track deer, shoot clay targets, fish for bass, clean firearms, raise chickens and more. The cost for four classes, meals and bunk bed lodging or tent camping has not been announced. indianabow.com

*Lorado Taft Field Campus, Oregon, Ill., (101 miles west of Chicago) hosts a June 5-7 BOW weekend, and registration opens in early March. On the docket: campfire cooking, canoe paddling, bird calling, charting a course and more. Cost to be determined. 217-782-7026, http://www.dnr.illinois.gov/recreation/bow

*Registration for the Minnesota BOW chapter’s winter weekend hit capacity weeks before it began, but at least 100 other events occur each year. That includes archery immersions on Feb. 28 and March 15, fly tying on March 6 and maple syrup collection on March 8. Sometimes two-day sessions on weekends are designed to involve families. 218-833-8628, mndnr.gov/education/bow