A SCHOOL of FISH

BY WENDY TODD

Education at its best is often a holistic venture. From that perspective, the Missouri Department of Conservation is offering four Discover Nature Fishing workshops for teachers in the St. Louis region. The workshops are geared to help their students discover and connect with the outdoors.

Dan Zarlenga, media specialist at the MDC, explained the intended benefits of the program.

“Spending time outdoors and in nature is essential for our health and the development of our children,” he said. “Fishing is an excellent way to introduce young people to the outdoors because it’s fun, accessible and kids tend to love doing it, even if they’re not always wild about putting worms on hooks. As fishing is part of MDC’s mission, it’s also a good way to welcome the new anglers of the future. Fishing provides an activity that promotes bonding among friends and family,” he said.

The program includes four progressive lessons that move newcomers through all the basics of the sport. The workshops teach students about fishing equipment, casting, rigging a fishing rod, baiting a hook and how to properly handle a fish. Fish education including identification, fish habitat and stocking a tackle box is also a part of the lessons.

Participants in the workshop will be eligible to obtain DNF teaching kits, including fishing poles and equipment used in the four lessons. By the end of the program, students should have all the skills needed to fish on their own.

Lesson outlines are as follows:

Lesson one: Equipment, casting, and proper fish handling

Lesson two: How to tie a knot and bait a hook

Lesson three: Five common Missouri fishtheir anatomy, habitat and life cycle

Lesson four: Fishing with lures and fishing regulations

The free workshops, that run through June, are also a great way to recognize May, which is Mental Health Awareness Month, as fishing can help with emotional health.

“Learning to fish for students is acquiring a life skill that people can do at any age and almost any physical condition,” Zarlenga said. “There are also innumerable places to pursue fishing close to home in the St. Louis area, or across the state, so it’s a very accessible activity. Spending time in nature with activities like fishing has been shown to lower blood pressure, reduce stress, encourage creativity and selfreliance.”

The Discover Nature Fishing workshops take place through June. Equipment and bait are provided. For more information go to www. short.mdc.mo.gov/Zty

CINDY MOORE

I’m a peeper. I’ll admit it’s weird, but there it is. And no, not the pervy creeper peeper type, that’s sick. I’m the curious peeper type.

The other day I sat in the waiting room at the dentist office waiting to be drilled and filled and over-billed when a fellow waitee pulled out a book and started to read. Since I’m an avid consumer of books myself, right away I got this weird compulsion – I had to know what book she was reading. It was a physical need; like an itch that needed scratching.

The situation raised urgent questions: Was it a new book I should be reading and add to my list? Was it something wonderful I’d already read and could form an immediate connection with her? Or was it a slog of a book, which would change my opinion of her and put an end to what could have been a nice friendship?

I strained my eyes, but couldn’t get a bead on the title page. I then pretended to scratch my ankle which gave me an excuse to stretch my neck further in her direction to get a better look. Of course, she looked up and our eyes met. Busted. She scootched back into her chair and gave me a “back-off” look. I hurriedly stifled a fake cough and quickly looked the other direction.

I still I had to know what she was reading. I need a different vantage point. I got up and went to chat with the receptionist.

Receptionist: “Yes, may I help you?”

I couldn’t think of anything right off which presented an awkward moment.

“Hi, umm yes, well I was just wondering if I should brush my teeth every day or if that’s just a myth?”

Her eyes bugged out, which meant I should probably leave.

I went back and took a seat next to the book reader. I stretched my arms and fake yawned which allowed me to sneakily lean over her shoulder and get a look at the page she was on; I could then scan the title on top.

She caught me. My eyeballs were two inches from her eyeballs.

She snapped her book shut, grabbed her purse and moved to the opposite side of the room.

I noticed the title as she walked away, “Cat People the Growing Menace.” We could never be friends anyway. Her loss.

AVALANCHE