How funny/cool is this? The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation has classes on teaching women to be self-reliant in the great outdoors.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman (BOW) and Beyond BOW are programs designed to teach women outdoor skills. These national programs provide women with information, encouragement and hands-on instruction in outdoor skills such as fishing, shooting, archery, hunting, trapping, outdoor photography, map and compass, survival, camping, canoeing and outdoor cooking.

Paddling a kayak
Becoming an Outdoors-Woman workshops are designed primarily for women who have little or no experience with outdoor activities. These are three-day workshops that offer many different classes over the course of a weekend.

Beyond BOW workshops are another opportunity for women to learn outdoor skills and are anything we offer that is not the traditional three-day BOW workshop. They may be “next step” classes for women who have completed a beginner class at a BOW workshop. They may be one day, one subject classes. They may even be an actual hunt, canoe trip or camp-out.

BOW and Beyond BOW workshops are open to anyone aged 18 and over – past participants have ranged in age from late teens to the mid-eighties!

Upcoming BOW workshops:
September 18 – 20, 2009 – Silver Bay YMCA on Lake George, Warren County. Registration materials will be available in June 2009.

Upcoming Beyond BOW Events:
The following Beyond BOW events will take place in the Saranac Lake / Lake Clear region of the Adirondack Mountains. For information on all 2009 Beyond Becoming an Outdoors Woman programs, view or download the 2009 Beyond BOW Schedule (230 KB PDF).

May 29 – 31, 2009 – Beyond BOW
Please choose one class
Cost: Early Bird Registration,
Before January 31st $375*
After February 1st $395*
*Fee includes meals. lodging and instruction.

Firearms in the Forest: Contact Jackie Emslie – (914) -475-4901 or jslie@earthlink.ne

On-Water Canoe/Kayak Interpretive Paddle: Contact Carol Drury (518) 524-2036 or Dryadguide@yahoo.com
Angie Berchielli (518) 797-3747 or AngieBerchielli@MSN.com

Map and Compass: Contact Sheila Young (518) 359-8194 or foothill@capital.net

October 16 – 18, 2009 – Beyond BOW
Please choose one class
Cost: Early Bird Registration,
Before June 30th $375*
After July 1st $395*
* Fee includes meals, lodging and instruction.

On-Water Canoe/Kayak Interpretive Paddle: Contact Carol Drury (518) 524-2036 or Dryadguide@yahoo.com
Angie Berchielli (518) 797-3747 or AngieBerchielli@MSN.com

Adirondack Hiking: Contact Sheila Young (518) 359-8194 or foothill@capital.net

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman Listserv
Sign up for the Becoming an Outdoors-Woman e-mail notification listserve and get notices and registration information for all BOW and Beyond BOW events sent right to your inbox. All you need to do is click on the listserv link below and follow the directions on the screen. You will get a confirming e-mail back. You must respond to the confirming e-mail to activate the e-mail notification service.

Becoming an Outdoors-Woman listserv

For further information on the BOW or Beyond BOW program, contact: NYS Becoming an Outdoors-Woman, 625 Broadway, 5th Floor, Albany, NY 12233-4754 or call (518) 402-8883

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