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Teens' Pheasants Forever youth chapter second in nation
By Amy Erickson
Two Kingsley-Pierson high schoolers put their heads together and started a Pheasants Forever youth chapter.
Senior Dustin Slota and junior Matt Steffen signed a charter last week establishing a youth chapter of Pheasants Forever, which joins 105 adult chapters in Iowa.
The high school chapter is only the second of its kind in the nation -- the first was established last year by an Oskaloosa student.
"Our goal is to bring back the conservation and get kids interested in the outdoors because a lot of kids stay indoors and watch TV all the time," Dustin said.
Last week he and Matt overcame one of the first hurdles when they received permission from the K-P School Board to hold meetings at the school.
"We had to make a presentation to the school board," Matt said. "We put information into a power point about our plans."
Other than gathering there, their Pheasants Forever youth chapter is not affiliated with K-P School, Dustin said.
In the beginning Plymouth County Pheasants Forever will help with any start-up costs for the youth chapter, but after that it's up to the them, Dustin said.
"Once we get our fundraisers going we won't need money from anybody like that," he said.
The youth chapter will have its first meeting this week.
One of the first pieces of business will be to decide on a name.
"We want to do something that is Kingsley-Pierson related, but we don't know if we can do that or not," Matt said.
He and Dustin plan to discuss that matter with school officials.
In addition to a name, the Pheasants Forever youth chapter will need to elect officers from among its members the same way an adult chapter does.
Mike Slota, Plymouth County Pheasants Forever youth programs chairman, has been helping Dustin and Matt get a youth chapter started.
"What better time to get kids involved with leadership programs and involved with their community," Mike said. "They are going to be our next stewards of the land and our conservationists."
Mike learned of Oskaloosa's youth chapter first and then brought the idea to Dustin and Matt, who are on the Plymouth County Pheasants Forever Youth Council.
"I knew these kids loved to hunt and fish and be outdoors," Mike said. "When I approached them about it, they were really enthusiastic."
Like adult Pheasants Forever chapters, one of the main purposes for the youth chapter is establishing habitat through conservation efforts.
And that's exactly what Dustin and Matt have in mind.
"We're going to be building birdhouses to help bring back habitat," Dustin said. "Every time we meet we will do something, be planning something, finding somewhere to go plant trees, grass for habitat."
When they get some money saved up, Matt said they might also take kids fishing or ice fishing, find a farmer willing to let them plant CRP grass and shoot clays.
"One of the bigger things is teaching them gun safety and how to be around guns," Matt said.
Dustin said gun safety is the No. 1 key kids need to learn when handling firearms.
"We feel very strongly about gun safety," he said.
The youth chapter will have an adult advisor -- Matthew Benson, an industrial technology teacher at at Kingsley-Pierson High School, volunteered for the job.
"I talked to them and I really liked what they thought of and had to say," Benson said of Dustin and Matt's plans.
Conservation and outdoor activities are something people need to learn when they are young and that's another benefit to starting a Pheasants Forever youth chapter, Dustin said.
Teens' Pheasants Forever youth chapter second in nation
By Amy Erickson
Two Kingsley-Pierson high schoolers put their heads together and started a Pheasants Forever youth chapter.
Senior Dustin Slota and junior Matt Steffen signed a charter last week establishing a youth chapter of Pheasants Forever, which joins 105 adult chapters in Iowa.
The high school chapter is only the second of its kind in the nation -- the first was established last year by an Oskaloosa student.
"Our goal is to bring back the conservation and get kids interested in the outdoors because a lot of kids stay indoors and watch TV all the time," Dustin said.
Last week he and Matt overcame one of the first hurdles when they received permission from the K-P School Board to hold meetings at the school.
"We had to make a presentation to the school board," Matt said. "We put information into a power point about our plans."
Other than gathering there, their Pheasants Forever youth chapter is not affiliated with K-P School, Dustin said.
In the beginning Plymouth County Pheasants Forever will help with any start-up costs for the youth chapter, but after that it's up to the them, Dustin said.
"Once we get our fundraisers going we won't need money from anybody like that," he said.
The youth chapter will have its first meeting this week.
One of the first pieces of business will be to decide on a name.
"We want to do something that is Kingsley-Pierson related, but we don't know if we can do that or not," Matt said.
He and Dustin plan to discuss that matter with school officials.
In addition to a name, the Pheasants Forever youth chapter will need to elect officers from among its members the same way an adult chapter does.
Mike Slota, Plymouth County Pheasants Forever youth programs chairman, has been helping Dustin and Matt get a youth chapter started.
"What better time to get kids involved with leadership programs and involved with their community," Mike said. "They are going to be our next stewards of the land and our conservationists."
Mike learned of Oskaloosa's youth chapter first and then brought the idea to Dustin and Matt, who are on the Plymouth County Pheasants Forever Youth Council.
"I knew these kids loved to hunt and fish and be outdoors," Mike said. "When I approached them about it, they were really enthusiastic."
Like adult Pheasants Forever chapters, one of the main purposes for the youth chapter is establishing habitat through conservation efforts.
And that's exactly what Dustin and Matt have in mind.
"We're going to be building birdhouses to help bring back habitat," Dustin said. "Every time we meet we will do something, be planning something, finding somewhere to go plant trees, grass for habitat."
When they get some money saved up, Matt said they might also take kids fishing or ice fishing, find a farmer willing to let them plant CRP grass and shoot clays.
"One of the bigger things is teaching them gun safety and how to be around guns," Matt said.
Dustin said gun safety is the No. 1 key kids need to learn when handling firearms.
"We feel very strongly about gun safety," he said.
The youth chapter will have an adult advisor -- Matthew Benson, an industrial technology teacher at at Kingsley-Pierson High School, volunteered for the job.
"I talked to them and I really liked what they thought of and had to say," Benson said of Dustin and Matt's plans.
Conservation and outdoor activities are something people need to learn when they are young and that's another benefit to starting a Pheasants Forever youth chapter, Dustin said.