05/01/2006
Bass Pro Shops Hosts Women in the Outdoors Event
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — Bass Pro Shops and Women in the Outdoors are hosting an outdoor event designed just for women at the Bass Pro Shops Memphis Outdoor World store on May 6, in Memphis, Tenn.
Women in the Outdoors is an outreach program founded by the National Wild Turkey Federation. A recent study commissioned by the NWTF and funded through a grant from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, found women to be very interested in the outdoors, but for different reasons than men.
"For women, satisfaction from the outdoors tends to be about escapism, rest, relaxation and social issues around friends and family," said Mark Duda, executive director of Responsive Management, whose company specializes in research related to wildlife and outdoor recreation.
The Women in the Outdoors program is a great way for women to learn outdoor skills taught by expert instructors, meet new people and spend time with friends and family. The Bass Pro Shops event will feature fishing, hunting call selection, outdoor decorative design, backyard habitat, Dutch oven cooking and camping.
"This event will allow women from all walks of life — singles, moms, daughters, young and old — to spend a day hanging out together, learning new outdoor activities and having fun," said Kym Abernathy, Women in the Outdoors regional coordinator. "We're really grateful to Bass Pro Shops for hosting this event and helping us create opportunities for women."
The combination of sponsorship and local chapter support allows the NWTF to offer events such as these. Costs associated with the events include a membership in the Women in the Outdoors program and a subscription to Women in the Outdoors magazine, the Federation's full-color, quarterly publication with articles and information on a variety of outdoor adventures and activities.
"The Women in the Outdoors program allows the NWTF to reach an entirely different audience, one that has been overlooked in the past for outdoor sports and conservation," said Rob Keck, NWTF CEO.
According to the study, Women in the Outdoors participants have increased their involvement by more than 40 percent in fishing, hiking, backpacking, camping, wildlife habitat, hunting, shooting, birdwatching and outdoor photography. (Checkout the study, news release and photos at www.nwtf.org/women_inthe_outdoors_report.html)
With nearly 40,000 members across the United States and Canada, the Women in the Outdoors program helps members develop outdoor skills and emphasizes the importance of wildlife management and the role of hunters in conservation.
For more information about participating in the Women in the Outdoors event, contact Kym Abernathy at (865) 882-8303. For more information about the NWTF, call (800) THE-NWTF.
