CLEAR LAKE, Minn. — The 2025 Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Roofers Twin Cities Get Youth Outdoors Day drew its largest crowd yet as 190 participants — including 96 kids — gathered at Wild Marsh Sporting Clays on Sunday, Sept. 8.
Youths and their families enjoyed a day of hands-on outdoor activities such as a .22 rifle stand, archery, and a shotgun course featuring .410, 20-gauge, and 12-gauge shotguns.
Now in its 13th year, the free event is staffed by union volunteers trained in firearms safety and instruction. Volunteers represented the United Union of Roofers, Waterproofers & Allied Workers, Roofers Local 96, IBEW Local 292, Cigna, SMART Local 10 and Ironworkers Local 512.
Get Youth Outdoors Day was part of a series of free, community-based youth outreach activities organized under Work Boots on the Ground—the USA’s flagship conservation program.
Mark Conroy, business manager of Roofers Local 96, said the day “offers an avenue for people to get outdoors.”
He recalled one mother who attended with her two teenage sons, eager to get into hunting and fishing.
“Her kids wanted to get into hunting and fishing and their father was basically a non-factor,” Conroy said. “She thought the Get Youth Outdoors event was absolutely incredible and found out that Wild Marsh offers a Kids and Clays program. By the time she left with her kids, she was very appreciative. We thought she was going to break down and cry talking about it.”
Maggie Sager, USA’s conservation coordinator, called this event a huge success based not only on attendance, but to see the USA’s mission in action.
“While many were returning participants, we were excited to welcome lots of first timers who experienced shooting a gun or hitting a clay target for the very first time,” Sager said. “This event is a powerful example of our mission at the USA by connecting youths with the outdoors and helping preserve outdoor traditions for future generations.”
The event comes full circle for Conroy.
“One of the questions we asked the group was ‘How many of you have been here before?’ I would say at least half of the group had their hands up,” he said. “We see some of the younger individuals shooting a shotgun for the first time. The next thing you know, they’re shooting at the sporting clays shoot as youth shooters. Before you know it, they are in the trades and shooting as a union member.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): The USA is a union-dedicated, 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information, visit www.unionsportsmen.org or connect on Facebook, X, YouTube and Instagram.
Work Boots on the Ground (WBG): WBG is the USA’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise to conservation projects that improve and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The USA’s Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide manpower needed to complete critical projects that may otherwise go undone.
Read the full article here
