By Hope Loudon
From January 23-25, sponsors from the Wild Sheep Foundation Annual Convention and Sporting Expo (The Sheep Show) at the Reno Sparks Convention Center also hosted a special educational event for children.
On the first two days of the event, 420 Washoe County School District (WCSD) middle and high school students attended to participate in wildlife career seminars and learn about conservation. On the final day, Saturday the 25th, the children’s event was open to the public with more than 200 kids and their families attending.
Ryan Brock, a Washoe County K-6 Science Teacher who is also Education Coordinator for the Wild Sheep Foundation, organized the kid’s portion of the event as a way to educate, excite, and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts.
As he said, “The goal is to get kids off the couch and into nature. We hope that we can inspire them now, so that they will protect nature later.”
Judging by student responses, the event accomplished its purpose. When asked why he and his friends came to the event on Saturday, WCSD student Luke Hill said, “We thought it would be fun. We didn’t want to just sit around and play video games.” Kids like Luke enjoyed archery, shooting, fly tying, duck calling, and making crafts such as shockingly realistic turkey calls. Girl Scouts from troop 778 also enjoyed learning about turkeys to create their impressive booth on turkeys and turkey calling.
The Sheep Show’s Tracks Program challenged kids to follow animal tracks on the floor to answer questions at booths hosted by Nevada Department of Wildlife, Leica, Kenetrek Boots, Mystery Ranch Bozeman Mt. USA, SITKA, and The University of Nevada, Reno’s Rifle Team. Special exhibits displaying mounted animals and casts of their tracks enabled kids to get up close and personal with wildlife. A special forensics activity taught kids about poaching and the importance of treating nature with respect.
The event also gave kids the opportunity to learn about safe shooting and how to participate. The final day included comments from Team U.S.A. Olympic Shooters Frank Thompson and Amber English. Thompson and English educated students about high school shooting teams, shooting scholarship opportunities, and their own journeys to Olympic success.
Many conventions come to Reno, but few bring as much to the community or raise as much money for conservation as The Sheep Show. Even fewer conventions offer children a chance to participate and learn. This reality speaks to the generosity of the sponsors who presciently understand that the next generation will be responsible for ensuring that nature remains for the enjoyment of all. It is this understanding and the community’s commitment to educating future conservationists and outdoor enthusiasts that will determine whether or not “Wild Nevada” will remain “Wild.”
