Youth Camps Offer Advanced Outdoor Skills, Conservation

Discovering advanced outdoor skills and conservation techniques, all in the wild grandeur of the Montana Rockies, is just part of the charm of four new youth camps offered by the Wild Sheep Foundation and Boone and Crockett Club.

Another charm: The camps are free for selectees.

"Thanks to sponsor Midway USA, the Wild Sheep Foundation is matching grants from partners who are interested in providing a unique learning experience for young people," said Gray Thornton, president and CEO of the Wild Sheep Foundation.

Thornton said different chapters of his organization are organizing activities such as essay contests and conservation projects as a way to award camp spots to selected youths.

Middle- and high-school students are eligible.

The outdoor adventure camps, slated June 2-6, 9-13, 23-27 and Aug. 18-22, 2014, were developed by the Boone and Crockett Club and will be held at the Club's Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch near Choteau, Mont., on the scenic Rocky Mountain Front. The rugged landscape is home to bighorn sheep, deer, elk, bears, many species of birds, and more.

"The mission of our ranch is research, education and demonstration - and these youth camps are a perfect fit," said Tony A. Schoonen, chief of staff for the Club. "Ultimately, we see them as an experience that could help shape future careers in natural resource management and conservation, as well as a passion for the great outdoors."

Camp curricula will include shooting sports, camping, fishing, wilderness ethics and wildlife management. Presentations from biologists and natural resource professionals will be designed to develop and enhance interest in the great outdoors. The backdrop for the camp is a working cattle ranch coexisting with sustainable wildlife populations.

For more information, contact Ryan Brock, national education coordinator for the Wild Sheep Foundation, at (775) 846-8309 or [email protected], or Luke Coccoli, conservation programs manager for the Boone and Crockett Club, at (406) 472-3311 or [email protected].