Tioga County 4-H Offers Shooting Sports and Environmental Education opportunities for youth

From Tioga County 4-H Youth Development Program:

The Tioga County 4-H Environmental Education Program offers a variety of natural resource project opportunities for youth 9 to 19 years old. Throughout the year, 4-H’ers learn new skills, explore the natural environment, and educate and support their community through environmental education participation. From hiking to firearms, volunteer leaders are available to teach safety, confidence and mastery through participation in these projects.
NYS 4-H certified 4-H shooting sports volunteer instructors teach firearms safety in classes that include .22 rifle, air rifle, shotgun, muzzleloading and living history. Air rifle classes begin in March, shotgun classes are held in June, muzzleloading classes are held in April, and .22 rifle classes begin in August. For youth that qualify there is an opportunity to participate on the 4-H Sporterifle Team which begins its matches in September and continues through March. Members can also learn about living history by working with instructors who will help them with create a “persona” from a by-gone era.
Natural resource volunteers teach youth new skills in projects that include forestry, hiking, fishing, pheasant raise and release, hunting/tracking, and primitive crafts. Forestry, fishing, and pheasant raise and release are projects that begin in the spring, hiking begins in the fall, hunting/tracking is held in the fall, and primitive crafts are held throughout the winter.
Members of the 4-H Environmental Education program keep accurate records of their activities, participate in community service projects, work on fundraising (the 4-H air rifle trailer), and participate in the county fair. During the Tioga County fair (July 6 through 10, 2010), visitors will find a living history area complete with outdoor cooking, a 4-H shooting sports display, the air rifle trailer, and youth giving demonstrations about their projects.
To learn more about 4-H in Tioga County or how to be involved in this valuable program, call the 4-H Office, Cornell Cooperative Extension, Tioga County at 687-4020 or via email at jdt22@cornell.edu 4-H is a community of six million young people across America learning leadership, citizenship and life skills. Open to all youth five to 19 years of age, 4-H utilizes a real-life work experience where the individual sets his/her own goals for achievement.