Teaching conservation and outdoor participation

For generations, Minnesotans whose lineage dates to pioneer days — families with names like Peterson, Johnson and Miller — have taught their kids and grandkids the joys of fishing atop the state's fabled 10,000 lakes and more than 92,000 miles of rivers.

As a result, Minnesota has long been a leader in the percentage of its residents who "wet a line'' or otherwise spend time outdoors, and near the top among states in sales of fishing and hunting licenses and money raised for conservation.

But Minnesota is changing, and its position as a national icon of land and water stewardship is at risk, experts say, along with the health of its natural resources, unless its newer residents — families with names like Vang, Mohamed and Marquez — are similarly imbued with a passion for outdoor pastimes that tie them to the state's lands and waters.

"If you don't have a connection to our resources, you're not going to care about them,'' said Michelle Kelly, a biologist and teacher with MinnAqua, a Department of Natural Resources outreach program that exposes kids to the state's natural resources and how to enjoy them.

Now, after successful formation of an after-school Outdoor Club for fourth- and fifth-graders from three St. Paul elementary schools in the past year, the DNR, the National Park Service and others hope to replicate the concept at other Twin Cities schools this fall.

The intent is to expose the metro's increasingly diverse student populations to fishing and other, similar outdoor pastimes, enriching their lives while cultivating future generations of conservationists.

The outdoor club concept was launched at Battle Creek Elementary School in St. Paul, where about 13 percent of students are white, 3 percent are Indian, 11 percent Hispanic, 35 percent African-American or African, and 38 percent Asian-American.

"From what I've seen, fourth and fifth grades represent the sweet spot for introducing students to the outdoors,'' said Mary Blitzer, a National Park Service ranger. "It comes natural to them at that age, whether it's fishing, skiing or getting sweaty on a hike.''

Changing demographics

A National Park Service Foundation grant helped fund the initial outdoor club, with support from the St. Paul School District's After School Program, whose more typical offerings include math, English and other classwork.

"Kids beg to get into the Outdoor Club,'' said Julie Richards, an After School Program coordinator with St. Paul public schools. "But there's a limit to the number who can participate, and they have to earn the opportunity.''

Programs that boost angler and other outdoor participation among all Minnesotans, but perhaps especially among communities of color, can't happen soon enough, said Tim Kelly, a DNR researcher.

Between 2000 and 2010, Kelly said, the percentage of the state's white population under the age of 17 dropped by 11 percent, while nonwhite numbers in that age category grew by nearly 50 percent.

Compounding the challenge, about 31 percent of white Minnesotans fish. But only 11 percent of state minorities do, according to a DNR survey.

And while overall Minnesota angler numbers have remained stable in recent years, fishing participation as a percentage of the population is declining. Thirty-one percent of residents fished in 2000. That share fell to 28 percent in 2012.

Reasons often cited for the falloff include urbanization, lack of time and an increase in single-parent families. Team sports also increasingly vie for kids' attention, as do computers, cellphones and the Internet.

Minority kids wanting to enjoy the outdoors face these obstacles and more.

Still others among Twin Cities communities of color worry about their safety, should they visit a park.

Similarly, some urban kids assume Twin Cities lakes are owned by lakeshore residents and off-limits to them, Michelle Kelly said.

"They just don't believe the lakes are there for their use,'' Kelly said. "Until they are shown otherwise, and they learn to use and enjoy these waters, it will be hard to convince them the lakes are their responsibility to care for.''

Localizing the lesson

As a National Park Service ranger, Blitzer is assigned to the Mississippi National River and Recreation Area, which encompasses some 70 miles of the Mississippi as it flows through the Twin Cities.

Now, Blitzer believes, outdoor clubs for fourth- and fifth-graders like the one organized at Battle Creek can broaden kids' ties to the natural world and to activities such as fishing.

"All they need is the opportunity and someone to show them how,'' Blitzer said.

Added Kelly: "We all learn differently. 'Experiential' learning in the outdoors engages kids physically and connects them to the place where they live.''

To add as many as six after-school outdoor clubs next year, Kelly and Blitzer hope to recruit college-age interns to help lead field trips. Support from experienced outdoors enthusiasts such as Mark Tippler, a pro angler and DNR certified Hunting and Fishing Youth Mentor who taught knot tying and hook baiting to the Battle Creek kids, also will be needed.

"Teaching a child in a classroom about the importance of saving a rain forest on a distant continent can be important,'' Kelly said. "But when they learn firsthand about lakes and other resources in their neighborhoods, they pay more attention, because the lesson is relevant to their lives.''