BECOMING AN OUTDOORS WOMAN
By Katherine Bentley
Survival is the most basic of instincts. Whether it is mental jousting
with one's business competitors, surviving a freezing blizzard or overcoming
a physical impairment, there is always the challenge and the need to win.
So it was with considerable interest that I learned of Montana's
Becoming an Outdoors Woman program, sponsored by the State's Fish Wildlife
and Parks Department.
While I had some credible experiences in outdoor activities, such
as canoeing the Colorado and horsepacking in the Bob Marshall Wilderness,
I never considered myself the typical "outdoor woman". But I was
challenged by the courses offered--Basic Gun Handling, Maps and Compass,
Kayaking, Mountain Bike Repairs, Backpacking and, most of all, Wilderness
Survival.
I reside in the urban jungle of Los Angeles, but the annual excursions
to my native Montana are part of my "city survival" program. On a
recent summer sojourn, I participated in the BOW program whose mission
statement most clearly identifies its program: "To provide educational
opportunities for persons to better understand, appreciate and take part
in outdoor
pursuits."
Whether you are timid about shooting a gun, awkward about casting
a line, frightened over surviving a storm in the wilderness, or anxious
about handling a canoe, the BOW workshops will make each experience an
adventure. And you will emerge with greater confidence to handle any challenging
situation.
This year's Becoming an Outdoors Woman workshop is from July 27 throug
the 29th at Lubrecht Forest Camp near Clearwater Junction in Western Montana.
Courses to be offered include Shotgun and Rifle, Backpacking, Living with
Wildlife (those to keep out and those to invite in!), Canoeing, Wilderness
Survival, Fly Fishing, "Where in the World Am I?" Maps and Compass, Bird
I.D's and a summer biathlon. There are special evening presentations
such as a canine rescue team demonstration, bear talk (the grizzly or you?),
raptors of the Rockies, and, finally the BOW Olympics, a friendly rivalry
in outdoor kills such as sleeping bag stuffing!
Montana's BOW is not just for women of the West -- attendees have
come from such faraway places as Spain.
The BOW workshop is for you if. . . . .
* You have never tried these activities, but have hoped for an opportunity
to learn
* You are a beginner who hopes to improve your skills
* You know how to do some of these activities but would like to
try some new ones! (*National BOW)
For information write: FWP - BOW, P.O. Box 20070l, Helena,
MT 59602.
BOW
E-mail: Liz Lodman
llodman@state.mt.us .
