Imagine growing up within a few miles of the Grand Canyon and never hiking down into the canyon or rafting the Colorado River. Imagine spending your life just outside Yellowstone National Park and never going to see the geysers. Imagine living within a few miles of Lake Michigan and never going out on the lake in a boat. The first two seem unthinkable. Why should the third of these scenarios be any different?
Last Saturday I had the opportunity to participate in the 19th annual Whitey Wegner Take A Kid Fishing Day in Pentwater. The event is co-sponsored by the Pentwater Sportfishing Association (PSA) and – you guessed it – Oceana County 4-H. George Cornell, retired director of the MSU Native American Institute, and his wife Pamela invited me to join them in hosting two boys on their boat for a morning of fishing on one of the most amazing lakes in the world. Kevin and Andrew are regulars on the Cornell boat for Take A Kid Fishing Day, and I enjoyed becoming part of the group. They clearly enjoy being on the lake – even on a day with less than ideal conditions – and George and Pamela clearly enjoy spending time with these young men.
A total of 38 youth participated in the event, with 13 boats provided by the PSA. Becky Freeman, 4-H volunteer (for 23 years) has provided her organizational skills to the event for all of its 19 years. Kathy Walicki, office manager for the Oceana County Extension office, cooked the hot dogs and brats for lunch, and helped Becky with logistics early in the morning (imagine showing up for a Saturday morning event at 5:30 and as you’re getting your bearing with kids circling all around, the Director walks up and says “hi” – that’s how Kathy started her day).
I commend the PSA members and our 4-H volunteers and staff for their efforts to make sure that kids who live a few miles from one of the world’s greatest lakes doesn’t have to say “yeah, but I’ve never been on it or fished in it.” And with any luck, some of those kids will someday decide they’d like to have a career working to make sure that Lake Michigan and our other natural resource gems are managed in a safe and sustainable way. I knew a kid in Iowa once who had that experience.
