FLINT, Mich.—More than 500 youths and their families gathered at Bluegill Boat Launch in Flint, Michigan, on Saturday, June 7, for the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) 3rd Annual Get Youth Outdoors Day to dedicate a new pavilion and enjoy a variety of hands-on outdoor activities.
“If we have 200 people register for an outreach event, we might have 150 show up. Nobody expected the massive wave of people who turned out for this event,” said USA Director of Conservation Sam Phipps. “I’ve never seen anything like it—it was, by far, the USA’s largest youth outreach event to date.”
The free event was organized by United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 659 and the USA in partnership with Genesee County Parks.
Volunteer leader and UAW Local 659 Financial Secretary Duane Ballard was equally surprised by the turnout. “Every station was hammered, the parking lot was full, and we ran out of everything,” he laughed, adding that he calculated over 22,000 steps for the day and could have used 30 more volunteers.
Community groups, including Flint River Watershed Coalition, Pheasants Forever, National Wild Turkey Federation, and the Genesee County fire and sheriff’s departments also participated to provide youths and adults with a variety of opportunities to learn about and engage in the outdoors.
Participants enjoyed fishing, kayaking, archery, shooting BB guns, building bird houses, frisbee golf, and field dog demonstrations. Flint native and retired NFL linebacker Dan Skuta, who has volunteered at USA youth events around the country, joined the fun with his wife and two kids.
More than 275 youths received free fishing rods and reels before they ran out, and everyone enjoyed a free picnic-style lunch.
“My favorite part of the event is leading the bird dog demonstrations,” said Ballard, “but last year, this kid brought his fishing pole back over thinking we were just lending it. When we told him that he could keep it, he was about in tears. That was my favorite moment.”
This year’s event featured a new 32 feet by 48 feet pavilion, constructed by 15 UAW Local 659 volunteers and the Genesee County Parks special projects crew in May, which was dedicated with a ribbon cutting and plaque unveiling during the event.
According to Nicole Ferguson, a naturalist for Genessee County Parks, Bluegill Boat Launch was highly unknown and underutilized just a few years ago, and it didn’t have a sheltered area other than the restrooms. To revitalize the boat launch, park leaders identified necessary improvements, including a pavilion, but most of the park system’s budget goes toward maintaining existing facilities.
After the USA’s first Get Youth Outdoors Day in Flint, Ballard also recognized the need for a pavilion and approached park staff about using funds from the USA’s annual UAW Region 1-D Conservation Dinner for materials and organizing union volunteers to construct it. It was an easy yes, and volunteers completed the pavilion in time for last weekend’s event.
“We have about 25 programs planned for the summer season, so we will use the pavilion a lot,” said Ferguson. “Most importantly, we host programs for individuals with special needs, and having a shaded area is huge. Many times, when those individuals have trouble, it’s because it’s too sunny or hot.”
The USA’s Get Youth Outdoors Day in Flint 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.
“My favorite part of the event is seeing how it evolved from about 150 attendees the first and second years to more than 500 this year and how much exposure the event has brought to Bluegill Boat Launch,” Phipps said, “and it’s all thanks to the incredible UAW Local 659 volunteers and the Genesee County Parks staff. They are top notch.”
Though Ballard said his “feet, head and back” felt the event this year, he still has ambitions to make it “bigger and better” next year, and he’s working with park staff and the USA on plans to build a new fishing dock at the park using USA dinner funds and volunteer union labor.
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 youths 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.
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