Missouri Wildlife School To Teach Outdoor Skills Oct. 6 - 8

[Wayne Harrison]

JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. -- Outdoor enthusiasts can step into Mother Nature's classroom at the WOW National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation School to be held Oct. 6-8 in Roaring River State Park near Cassville. Participants can learn new outdoor skills or improve existing ones with programs starting Friday afternoon and ending at 5 p.m. Sunday.

Sponsored by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Wonders of Wildlife Museum and Aquarium, Bass Pro Shops, the Missouri Department of Conservation, the U.S. Forest Service, the National Park Service, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, this event will be packed with educational classes geared toward both the beginner and the experienced outdoor enthusiast.

Participants can develop outdoor skills through hands-on experiences at this event, which will offer classes ranging from wild cave exploring to nature photography. Classes will be offered in fishing, boating, hunting, archery, natural history, outdoor cooking, rappelling, backpacking, shooting sports and many other outdoor-related activities.

The program has been expanded this year with classes now being offered on Friday and Sunday afternoons.

Registration forms are now available with a deadline to register of Aug. 31. Some classes will fill up quickly, so registering early is advisable.

Costs for the event are $50 per person and include class instruction and use of some equipment. An additional $5 per course will be charged for the Friday and Sunday afternoon classes. Participants must be nine years of age or older to register for regular classes.

This year, a class called WOW Young Adventurers will be geared directly to kids ages nine to 14 and will cover numerous outdoor skills. Children four to eight years old can register for the Wild Outdoor World Youth Camp, which will be held all day on both Saturday and Sunday. The youth camp will be fun-filled and full of educational activities that are designed to teach and inspire a child's natural curiosity about nature and the great outdoors. The cost of the youth camp is $40.

To obtain a registration form and course schedule, call the Missouri Department of Natural Resources toll free at 1-800-334-6946 (voice) or 1-800-334-6946 (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf), e-mail moparks@dnr.mo.gov or visit the Web at http://www.mostateparks.com/wow.htm .

For more information about Roaring River State Park, go to http://www.mostateparks.com .