Let’s Go Fishing in National Parks!

On Saturday, February 8, 2020, the IGFA Education team traveled to Natchitoches, Louisiana, to host a Learn-to-Fish clinic at Cane River Creole National Historical Park. Families from the surrounding area participated in educational activities to learn about basic tackle, what knots to tie, how to cast a rod, and how to be a responsible angler and steward of the environment. Anglers spent time as a family putting their newly acquired skills to the test on Cane River Lake and enjoying the lovely Louisiana day in one of America’s national treasures.

 

 

In 2019, the IGFA worked with the National Park Service (NPS) to create a Junior Ranger: Let’s Go Fishing! activity book to encourage Junior Rangers to learn about the basics of recreational angling, explore angling opportunities in National Parks, and protect aquatic natural resources. This activity book was further developed into hands-on Learn-to-Fish clinics using the IGFA’s Passports to Fishing program to provide recreational angling opportunities for Junior Rangers and their families in NPS locations throughout the southeast region.

Clinics in 2019 were hosted at Biscayne National Park and Canaveral National Seashore in Florida, and Cape Hatteras National Seashore in North Carolina. These Learn-to-Fish clinics are part of a growing partnership between the IGFA and NPS and this project was made possible in part by a grant from the National Park Foundation.

The next Learn-to-Fish clinic is on Saturday, April 18, 2020 at the Augusta Canal National Heritage Area in Augusta, Georgia. Fittingly, April 18, 2020 is also Junior Ranger Day and the beginning of National Park Week!