Children and the outdoors are made for each other.
One has boundless energy, the other offers endless opportunities to explore and experience
the world.
Sadly it seems in today’s technologically enhance world, heading outdoors is not the
first impulse for children.
Thankfully the Iowa DNR is here to right this behavior and give kids a hands-on opportunity
to see everything the outdoors has to offer.
For seven years, the DNR has teamed with outdoor conservation and recreation organizations
from across the state to hold the Iowa Outdoor Expo.
Held in Des Moines’ Waterworks Park, there’s no way a kid can walk away from the Expo with
anything but excitement for heading outside.
Who could say no to an afternoon of shooting, rowing, fishing, and exploring?
Well apparently no one, as the DNR has proved; if you host a free, hands-on event like the
Iowa Outdoor Expo, practically everyone and their grandma will want to check it out.
It’s everybody from your two year-old granddaughter to your 80 year-old grandmother.
We get everybody and anyone.
It’s wonderful.
Some have been shooting and hunting all their life and some are trying it for the first
time.
For seven years the DNR has been putting on the Expo, exposing Iowans to virtually every
activity that can be held out in nature.
But it’s not just the DNR that wants to show-off the wonders of the outdoors, there’s
a whole slew of conservationists and outdoor recreationist working together to share their
passion with others.
The combination of about 35 different organizations; the izaak walton league, polk county conservation,
the Iowa DNR, DM Park & Rec work all work real hard to get different entities out here.
Iowans who see themselves as casual outdoor adventurers most likely recognize the DNR,
county conservation boards, as well as community parks and recs offices as guides to outdoor
recreation, but the Izaak Walton League is just as knowledgeable and inviting to nature
enthusiasts.
We’re a bunch of hunters and fisherman.
WE love the outdoors.
We protect the woods, the wildlife, the trees, and the water.
Affectionately referred to as “the Ikes,” the Izaak Walton League is a nationwide organization
that prides itself on educating others on the value of our natural resources and wildlife.
So teaming up with the DNR to host the expo was a natural fit.
Well like the league this is a family event.
So we want anybody to come, it’s our effort to get the kids back outside.
They spend a lot of time inside with their technology which is important, but we’re
helping them look for balance.
So we have things like building bird houses, shooting events out here, We’ve got fishing
events.
So it’s the whole family.
It’s learning that you can appreciate things and get outside to do that.
More than a learning experience, the Expo quickly converts attendees into full fledge
outdoor enthusiasts.
For examples look no further than kids.
Addie is a Des Moines kid who wasn’t looking forward to the Expo, that is until she saw
Paddle Boarding.
After getting out on the water, she quickly learned how fun and easy it is.
You just have to stand up on the board or kneel and paddle.
Every year kids like Addie fall in love with one activity or another, with many having
a hard time picking their favorite.
We did the archery, we shot some arrows at these flying disk things.
We to the bird show and got some food.
We did the minnow racing, mine didn’t cooperate.
Mine went really well.
I never wanted to touch the minnows.
Never!
My favorite part of the Iowa Outdoor Expo is just seeing the smiles of people trying
something for the first time.
Someone that’s heard about trap shooting but never actually tried holding a shotgun,
and then they hit their first clay.
Or to pick up a bow for the first time and to actually hit that arrow right where they
were aiming it.
It's pretty amazing just to see the smiles out here.
Of course, an afternoon shooting, rowing, and throwing is one thing, but the real sign
of the Expo’s work is visitors enjoying the outdoors after the event has ended.
That’s where organizations such as the Ikes come in, ensuring nature will continue to
be enjoyed for generations to come.
We hold water riverrun cleanup, fishing tournaments, fishing clinics, roadside cleanups, and we
have fishing expeditions through the chapter.
A couple every year.
So it’s kind of, making sure that some of your ideals stick around a few more years.
See what has worked, what might work.
But also to meet with other like minded people, and that’s a better Facebook when you’re
Face-to-Face.