Columbia Fishery Resources Office participated in a cooperatively sponsored teaching event by the Missouri Department of Conservation and the U.S. Forest Service.  The event called "Wonders of Wildlife (WOW)" took place in Southern Missouri at Roaring River State Park. 

WOW was the final event of the year with more than 200 participants enrolled in paid instuctional classes designed to teach outdoor skills to those who want to learn.  Wyatt Doyle and Andy Plauck taught the first Lake Fishing Course on Table Rock Lake, over two days to 20 participants.  They used donated boats by State Park Marina and donated tackle from Bass Pro Shops to take participants on the lake for four hours, teaching intermediate and advanced skills of bass fishing.  

One woman best summed up the day by saying, "you just can't learn this kind of information anywhere else... this is great"!  Tracy Hill and Lee Erickson were also busy teaching outdoor skills to kids including: fishing, archery and camping.  Erickson continued the second day solo, teaching archery skills and whitetail deer hunting to eager kids and adults alike.  

Columbia FRO staff offered their services as a host to a brand new WOW in Columbia and the director of events was excited to pursue the opportunity.  Additionally, staff pledged to begin teaching additional river catfishing courses in the St. Louis and Kansas City events. 

WOW is an incredible opportunity to show the Service uniform and represent our agency in its mission to get people connected to the resource and teach them the skills they need to enjoy the many wonderful opportunities the outdoors provides.