Photographer Chris Castiglione; 6/7/08; Hype Park,Niagara Falls, NY; Winners of the Youth Fishing Contest

Photographer Chris Castiglione; 6/7/08; Hyde Park, Niagara Falls, NY; Biologist Ray Li demonstrates the importance of habitat.

Photographer Kofi Fynn-Aikins; 6/7/08; Hyde Park, Niagara Falls, NY; Biologist Mike Goehle gives kids an up close look at local fish species.

The Lower Great Lakes Fishery Resources Office (LGLFRO) celebrated National Fishing and Boating Week by holding its 7th Fish and Wildlife Festival on Saturday, June 7, 2008 at Hyde Park in Niagara Falls, NY.  The LGLFRO and the Friends of the LGLFRO partnered with the City of Niagara Falls and the Niagara River Anglers Association (NRAA), to sponsor a youth fishing contest in conjunction with the Festival.  Corporate sponsors included AES Somerset, Lawley Service Insurance Group, Niagara's Choice Federal Credit Union, The Summit, BlueCross BlueShield of Western New York, ModPac, Wegmans, Tops Friendly Markets, Gander Mountain, and Gerry's Service. State Senator Antoine Thompson provided funding for hot dogs and drinks for all the kids participating in the fishing contest.  The event was a tremendous success with approximately 267 kids participating in the fishing contest and over 2760 people attending the Festival.

With 25 government and non-government partners participating, attendees were treated to many interactive and educational displays.  Other participating U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service partners included the Allegheny National Fish Hatchery (Warren, PA), Sea Lamprey Assessment and Control Unit (Marquette, MI), Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge, and Amherst Law Enforcement.  In addition, the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, New York Sea Grant, Niagara County Health Department Environmental Division, NY Power Authority, and the Niagara Aquarium also participated.  The 2008 Festival also attracted local conservation groups such as the Trout Unlimited, Custom Trout and Salmon Flies, Association for Wild Animal Rehabilitation and Education (AWARE), SPCA, Niagara County Federation of Conservation Clubs, First Hand Learning, Inc., Western New York PRISM, and Niagara County 4-H.

Displays and presentations of live animals from Buffalo Zoomobile, Institute for Environmental Learning (birds of prey), the Primate Sanctuary, AWARE, and the SPCA captivated attendees.  The 2008 Festival emphasized developing awareness and fostering stewardship among the youth through hands-on activities and opportunities.  Besides fishing, the LGLFRO encouraged children of all ages to participate in many interactive displays developed by the LGLFRO.  A mini Fish Population Study helped kids learn about sampling populations of fish and let them make conclusions about the population of fish in the pool based on their catch.  The touch tank of local fish and invertebrates let many kids touch their first fish and hold a crayfish.  Habitat displays including a stormwater and fish passage landscape model helped kids understand the impacts of pollution at the community level.  The urban wildlife display focused on wildlife they might see in their own neighborhood, including identifying and making track molds.  The "Aquatic Bugs Don't Bug Me" display let kids get their hands wet and slimy as they scrubbed the bottoms of rocks and examined tiny invertebrates once hidden on the rock in handheld microscopes.   In addition, the youth activities tent featured hands on activities such as interactive computer "fish games", crafts, and face painting.