Thank you to the fantastic people who work for and watch North Dakota Today – it was a warm, foggy morning (with my crazy unintentionally-yellow legs) to talk about a free fishing derby for kids and a beloved elementary school paraprofessional.

The 19th annual Neil Heitkamp Ice Fishing Derby in Wahpeton/Breckenridge is one of the myriad of programs of the Red River Area Sportsmen’s Club and co-coordinated by Gary Page and Jon Hegge of Heitkamp Construction. You can learn more about the organization and the Junior Wildlife program by clicking here. The club hosts four fishing derbies, three family fishing nights, a Minnesota goose hunt, a North Dakota waterfowl hunt, and a North Dakota pheasant hunt every year. They are free, and funded by the smoker held each October by the Club.

A few more words on the Junior Wildlife program from the fishing derby’s coordinator, Cindie Van Tassel:

The Junior Wildlife Club was founded with the first event on May 18, 2002 and is for youth ages 8 through 16. All the events are free to attend and financed by the RRASC. We do ask that people register online for the events each month, as we do sometimes need to limit the number of participants. Over the years, we have traveled to Preserve the Tradition Museum in Dalton, taken nature hikes at Glendalough State Park and Maplewood State Park, and been on educational tours at Prairie Wetlands and Tewaukon National Wildlife Refuge. We have learned how to properly shoot air rifles, how to practice our archery skills, and taken tours and done scavenger hunts at Chahinkapa Zoo while learning about conservation. We have learned about ice fishing, dark house spearing, and summer fishing on lakes and rivers. We have made fishing lures and many bird and duck houses. We have learned about setting up a campsite, what to pack, and how to select camping gear. We have learned about winter camping and outdoor survival skills. We have learned about tracking animals and have had presentations on identification of furs. We have had presentations about hunting turkeys, ducks and geese, deer and other big game. We have used Mooreton pond to do canoe outings and go fishing from the piers and so many more activities with the youth. We do a survey and ask the participants what topics they would like us to present for them so they have a stake in what is happening with the club.

I hope you enjoy this week’s North Dakota Today segment, which you can watch by clicking the image below. Have a wonderful week!