Teaching children a lifelong hobby, instilling appreciation for our marine environment and providing fun, family outings are the goals for the upcoming Kids’ Fishing Clinic in Panama City.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will offer the free Kids’ Fishing Clinic for children between the ages of 5 and 15 on Saturday, May 19. The clinic is from 9 a.m. to noon at the Panama City Marina, 1 Harrison Ave. Advance registrationis not required.

Participants will learn the basics of environmental stewardship, fishing ethics, angling skills and safety. In addition, participants will be given a unique chance to experience Florida’s marine life firsthand.

The objective of the program is to create responsible marine-resource stewards by teaching children about the vulnerability of Florida’s marine ecosystems. Organizers hope to teach fundamental saltwater fishing skills and provide participants a positive fishing experience.

Fishing equipment and bait will be provided for kids to use during the clinic, but organizers encourage children who own fishing tackle to bring it. A limited number of rods and reels will be given away to participants upon completion of the clinic.

If conditions allow, participants will have the opportunity to practice their new skills and fish from the pier. This event is a catch-and-release activity, and an adult must accompany all participants.

Individuals or companies interested in helping sponsor this event or volunteering at the clinic should call the FWC’s Nancy Fisher at 850-487-0554 or Tom Putnam at 850-234-2621, ext. 1001.

To find out more on taking a kid fishing, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing.

The course will be at the Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, 9194 South Jefferson Hwy. in Monticello. Instruction is from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. May 19 and 1 to 5 p.m. May 20.

Students who have taken the Internet course and wish to complete the classroom portion must bring the online-completion report and attend only the May 20 session from 1 to 5 p.m.

An adult must accompany children under the age of 16 at all times. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.

The hunter safety course is required for people born on or after June 1, 1975, to purchase a Florida hunting license. The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.

People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at 850-265-3676.

During “hunt camp,” participants will learn about Florida’s great hunting heritage and be taught such skills as wildlife identification, survival, first aid and tree-stand safety. Campers also will learn conservation, land stewardship and about hunting laws and ethics.

Participants will spend extensive time on several gun ranges, shooting shotguns, rifles and muzzleloaders, and have the option of earning their hunter safety certification while they’re at camp, if they choose to do so.

There will be four weeks of camp, all during the month of June, and the sessions are June 4-8, June 11-15, June 18-22 and June 25-29. Hours are 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. – 2 p.m. on Fridays.

The cost for each weekly session is $175, and parents may register their children at BTYCC.org. For more information, contact Kelly Langston at Kelly.Langston@MyFWC.com.

Eastern chipmunks are thought to live in only a few locations in Northwest Florida but researchers with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) are asking anyone who has spotted one to report the sighting.

Wildlife biologist Chris Winchester said information may be recorded at https://public.myfwc.com/hsc/chipmunk/getlatlong.aspx. Smaller than a gray squirrel, the Eastern chipmunk is slightly reddish in color and has white and black stripes running down its back and light stripes above its eyes. 

Winchester said researchers are especially interested in new sighting data, but would like information on older sightings as well.

He said chipmunks appear to be rare in Florida but historically have been found along the Escambia, Blackwater, Yellow and Choctawhatchee rivers. There are also reports of chipmunks observed in back yards, and in forested lots within urban areas. The species is more common in forested areas in the eastern half of the United States from Alabama north to Canada.

Chipmunks are a species of special concern in Florida. He said the sighting study will be useful for a look at the species’ distribution, abundance and preferred habitat.

The will be held in the second-floor conference room of the Farris Bryant Building, 620 S. Meridian St., Tallahassee. Instruction is from 6 to 9 p.m. May 15, 18, 22 and 24. The range portion of the class is May 26.

An adult must accompany children under the age of 16 at all times. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.

The hunter safety course is required for people born on or after June 1, 1975, to purchase a Florida hunting license. The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.

People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at 850-265-3676.

At its meeting in Crystal River, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) presented Lex Thompson of Tallahassee with the 2011 Landowner of the Year award for its Youth Hunting Program – a program aimed at providing quality hunting experiences for 12- to 17-year-olds to increase the number of youths involved in the tradition of hunting.

Thompson and members of the Gator Hammock Hunt Club in Wakulla County on the St. Marks River have provided the opportunity for FWC youth hunts for deer, wild hog and turkey on the property for the past four years, providing 10 hunts to 50 youth, and he already has three hunts scheduled for next season.

Thompson and members of his hunt club really enjoy giving opportunities to youth on their 3,000-acre Gator Hammock Hunt Club for the pure pleasure of seeing the kids’ smiling faces after their first hunt and harvest.

“Thank you for getting the next generation in the woods,” said Chairman Kathy Barco. “Landowners like you, who give time and resources to create these opportunities for our youth, are appreciated.”

“The property is really first-class and known for holding large populations of quality game, and it offers such amenities as lodging, a gun range, cleaning shed and comfortable shooting stands,” Youth Hunting Program Coordinator Kenny Barker said.

“Mr. Thompson and his hunt club members work extremely hard, acting as guides, cooks and, more importantly, mentors, to ensure the kids and their parents enjoy an experience they’ll not soon forget,” Barker said. “These guys are just really passionate about Florida’s great hunting heritage and do their very best to make sure that it’s passed down to the next generation.”

To find out how you can become a volunteer landowner or to learn more about Florida’s Youth Hunting Program, go to MyFWC.com/YHPF.

The course will be at Pilgrim Rest Baptist Church, 5595 Highway 4 South in Baker and is limited to 25 people. Instruction is from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. May 4 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. May 5.

Because of the start times each day, the church will provide dinner Friday evening and lunch Saturday for those students attending the traditional course.

Students who have taken the Internet course and wish to complete the classroom portion must bring the online-completion report and attend only the May 5 class from noon to 4 p.m.

An adult must accompany children under the age of 16 at all times. Students are encouraged to bring a pencil and paper with them to take notes.

The hunter safety course is required for people born on or after June 1, 1975, to purchase a Florida hunting license. The FWC course satisfies hunter-safety training requirements for all other states and Canadian provinces.

People interested in attending this course can register online and obtain information about future hunter safety classes at MyFWC.com/HunterSafety or by calling the FWC’s regional office in Panama City at 850-265-3676.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will offer a free Kids’ Fishing Clinic for children between the ages of 5 and 15 on Saturday, April 21. The clinic will take place at Woolley Park on Mound Street from 9 a.m. to noon. Advance registrationis not required.

This free clinic enables young people to learn the basics of environmental stewardship, fishing ethics, angling skills and safety. In addition, environmental displays will offer participants a unique chance to experience Florida’s marine life firsthand.

Kids’ Fishing Clinics strive for several goals, but the main objective is to create responsible marine-resource stewards by teaching children about the vulnerability of Florida’s marine ecosystems. In addition, organizers hope to teach fundamental saltwater fishing skills and provide participants a positive fishing experience.

Fishing equipment and bait will be provided for kids to use during the clinic, but organizers encourage children who own fishing tackle to bring it. A limited number of rods and reels will be given away to participants upon completion of the clinic.

If conditions allow, participants will have the opportunity to practice their new skills and fish from the pier. This event is a photo catch-and-release activity. An adult must accompany all participants.

Individuals or companies interested in helping sponsor this event or volunteering at the clinic should call Lori Nicholson at 850-925-6121 or the FWC’s Nancy Fisher at 850-487-0554.

To find out more about taking a kid fishing, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing.

Applicants must be at least 19 years of age, possess a high school diploma and should have a love for protecting the outdoors. They must start the selection process by completing both a State of Florida employment application and an FWC supplemental application by visiting peoplefirst.myflorida.com by April 30.

Currently, the FWC has just over 700 officers to patrol more than 34 million acres of public and private lands, 12,000 miles of streams, rivers and canals and 7,700 lakes larger than 10 acres. The agency sends its new recruits through a six-month academy at the Pat Thomas Law Enforcement Center.

“Fish and wildlife law enforcement officers have an incredible job,” said Officer Philip Griffith, the FWC’s Northwest Region law enforcement recruiter. “When they complete the academy, they are fully certified state law enforcement officers and primarily spend their time protecting the state’s fish and wildlife resources and people.”

He said law enforcement officers who are already certified and then hired by the FWC attend a shorter, specialized academy that focuses mostly on state fish and wildlife laws.

Among the qualifying factors, Griffith said, all applicants must pass a background check and be willing to relocate.

“One thing we stress is those who are selected must be in good physical health. The academy is physically demanding, and they need to be in good shape to do the job,” Griffith said. “They never know what they will have to do or respond to on a daily basis.”

Starting pay for FWC officers is $32,836.18 annually.

For additional information, contact FWC Law Enforcement recruiter Philip Griffith at 850-232-9969, or visit MyFWC.com/Get-Involved.

The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) will offer a free Kids’ Fishing Clinic for children between the ages of 5 and 15 on Saturday, April 14. The clinic will take place at Plaza de Luna, 997 S. Palafox St., from 9 a.m. to noon. Advance registrationis not required.

This free clinic enables young people to learn the basics of environmental stewardship, fishing ethics, angling skills and safety. In addition, environmental displays will offer participants a unique chance to experience Florida’s marine life firsthand.

Kids’ Fishing Clinics help to create responsible marine-resource stewards by teaching children about the vulnerability of Florida’s marine ecosystems. In addition, organizers hope to teach fundamental saltwater fishing skills and provide participants a positive fishing experience.

Fishing equipment and bait will be provided for kids to use during the clinic, but organizers encourage children who own fishing tackle to bring it. A limited number of rods and reels will be given away to participants upon completion of the clinic.

If conditions allow, participants will have the opportunity to practice their new skills and fish from the pier. This event is a photo catch-and-release activity, and an adult must accompany all participants.

Individuals or companies interested in helping sponsor this event or volunteering at the clinic should call Earle Rader at 850-380-1739 or the FWC’s Nancy Fisher at 850-488-6058.

To find out more on taking a kid fishing, go to MyFWC.com/Fishing.