Spring Hill, Tennessee—Seventy youth and their families, totaling nearly 150 campers, spent the weekend experiencing the outdoors in new ways at the inaugural Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Campin’ in the Park at Fischer Park in Spring Hill , Tennessee.
The free public event included a variety of engaging outdoor activities including archery, fort building, conservation trivia, backyard bass fishing, a Leave No Trace scavenger hunt, as well as lessons on the elements camping/backpacking gear essentials.
Organized by the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance and the United Auto Workers (UAW) Local 1853, the event was supported by the City of Spring Hill and The Bearden Group. U.S. staff along with 13 volunteers from UAW Local 1853, The Bearden Group, the City of Spring Hill, and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA) donated more than 100 hours to provide instruction and assistance to participants throughout the event.
“Most of the participants were first-time campers and experienced a little bit of everything, from great weather during the day to thunderstorms at night,” said US Conservation Coordinator Cody Campbell. “Some of the campers got a little wet, but they said they still had a great time and couldn’t wait to come back next year.”
The event was part of Work Boots on the Ground, America’s flagship conservation program, and a series of community events that aim to instill an appreciation and passion for the outdoors in the next generation.
On Saturday night, families enjoyed free hotdogs, donated by Food Lion, and youth also received goody bags from the USA.
“We received a lot of praise from parents, who appreciated that the event was close to home and within the community. Their kids wore them all week in advance,” said Mike Lewis, vice president of UAW Local 1853, who helped organize the event and assisted the youth with Backyard Bass. “Our organization is all about community outreach, and we are very happy to have been asked to be a part of this fantastic event. Our payment was to see the children smile and have a good time.”
“Hands-on, interactive events like this inspire love, respect and a sense of responsibility for the outdoors,” said Walt Ingram, USA CEO and CEO. “We are proud to provide youth and their families with these rewarding experiences. and extremely grateful to all of the union members and partners who make them possible.”
Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA): USA is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to unions whose members hunt, fish, shoot, and volunteer their skills for conservation. America is uniting the union community through conservation to preserve North America’s outdoor heritage. For more information visit www.unionsportsmen.org or plug in Facebook, Twitter Y in syouagram.
Ground Work Boots (WBG): WBG is America’s flagship conservation program that brings together union members willing to volunteer their time and expertise for conservation projects that enhance and enhance public access to the outdoors, conserve wildlife habitat, they restore America’s parks and mentor youth in the outdoors. The U.S. Work Boots on the Ground program works closely with federal, state, and local agencies and other conservation groups to provide the labor needed to complete critical projects that might otherwise go undone.