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A beautiful day for fishing at the Steve Harvey
Mentoring Program. Photo credit: USFWS. |
On Friday, June 12, 2015, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s Arlington Ecological Services Field Office, working with staff from the Service’s Dallas/Fort Worth Office of Law Enforcement, Inks Dam National Fish Hatchery, Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, the Southwest Regional Office, staff from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, and volunteers from the Dallas Woods and Waters Club participated in the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for Young Men. Southwest Regional Director, Benjamin Tuggle, also attended the event.
In preparation for the fishing event that is hosted by the Service and TPWD, staff from the Inks Dam Fish Hatchery stocked over 350 channel catfish in the pond on June 9th. The majority of the stocked fish were less than a pound and about 16 inches long. However, to make things even more exciting for the young men, the Hatchery also stocked ten larger fish that were close to 6 pounds each and over two feet long.
Service staff and partners arrived early on the morning of the event to get the fishing poles and other gear ready for the young men. Before they started fishing they got a quick lesson on baiting hooks and casting. For many of them, today was the first time they had fished. It was great to see the joy and amazement on their faces when they reeled in their first catch! The boys also learned to fillet the fish and were to enjoy some fried catfish. The fishing event provided a great opportunity to spend time with the young men and talk with them about the work of the Service and encourage them to pursue careers in natural resource conservation.
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Regional Director Tuggle, Debra Bills and Erik Orsak
getting catfish ready to fry. Photo credit: USFWS. |
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Regional Director Tuggle speaking with a group of young men about the USFWS. Photo credit: USFWS. |
After the fishing event, Regional Director Tuggle joined the young men for lunch where he had the opportunity to interact with them in several small groups. He spent time talking with them about a variety of issues including how he became interested in conservation, people who influenced him as a young man, characteristics needed to succeed, the mission of the FWS, and opportunities for young men to work/volunteer for the FWS. “Kids today are often disconnected from nature. They simply don’t experience the unstructured time outdoors that many of us enjoyed when we were growing up.” said Dr. Tuggle. “The Service applauds programs like the Steve Harvey Mentoring Program for providing kids an opportunity to get outside and connect with nature.”