Delaware Nature Society Program Guide and Newsletter September - December 2017 | Page 22

Young
Waterfowlers
Connecting The Next Generation to the Outdoors
By Derek Stoner
Eyes squinting into the bright sunrise and
the cold December air, two teenagers peer
above the tall brown grasses and look
across the scene before them: an expansive
wetland, full of chattering ducks, honking
geese and soaring Bald Eagles. The entire
Bear Swamp impoundment at the legendary
Bombay Hook National Wildlife Refuge is
full of life and awakening at sunrise. Their
parents beside them, these young adults
are full of anticipation as they prepare for
their first-ever waterfowl hunt.
In these days of smart phones and digital life keeping
us tied to screens indoors, one of the best shows
on Earth is watched each year by a special group of
people. These are the Young Waterfowlers, a group
of youth who connect deeply to the outdoors and
continue a grand American tradition.
Delaware Nature Society’s Young Waterfowlers
program is a comprehensive curriculum that
introduces youth to waterfowling through a broad
array of topics such as wildlife management, wetland
enhancement, waterfowl identification, and hunting
ethics. For the past two decades, the program has
evolved and expanded to keep up with modern
changes in the world while still keeping with the
traditions of the waterfowling lifestyle.
Photography by Derek Stoner
22
NATURE EXPLOR ER
Sep – Dec 2017