Are you looking for a new activity to get your family outside and enjoying nature in a safe way? Are you interested in learning about fishing from the comfort of your  home?  Then join Rural Action as we take our annual  Passport to the Outdoors event online. 

Starting Saturday, May 30, at 1 p.m.,  we will be hosting a four-part Passport to Fishing webinar series with a live video event each  Saturday at 1 p.m., culminating on June 20,  which is Ohio’s free fishing weekend. This will give participants a no-cost opportunity to use their new skills and knowledge. 

Passport to Fishing is part of the Passport to the Outdoors event that Rural Action  offers every spring. It’s a family outdoor day with activities such as canoeing, fishing, archery, and stream exploration. Passport to the Outdoors was canceled this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources/Division of Wildlife Aquatic Education and other funders, Rural Action is offering Passport to Fishing via online video.

Passport to Fishing will take place via Zoom, and registration will be required for each live session. Registration details will be posted to the SE Ohio Young Naturalist Club Facebook group and other Rural Action social media outlets. Registration is free and the videos will be recorded.  

This workshop series is open to children of all ages. Participants who attend all four weekly  live videos will  be eligible to pick up free fishing gear at the end of the four-part series. 

Distribution of fishing gear, which will be contactless and follow safety guidelines,  will take place at two locations: Strouds Run State Park Dow Lake beach area in Athens, Ohio, and in Tuscarawas County, Ohio. Fishing gear will be distributed on a first-come first-served basis and will be available while supplies last.

Please send any questions to Kylee Nichols at kylee@ruralaction.org

Rural Action is a regional community development organization with a 29-county footprint working with members and community leaders on a range of quality of life, environmental, and economic projects across rural Appalachian Ohio. Its mission is to build a more just economy by developing the region’s assets in environmentally, socially, and economically sustainable ways. Learn more about Rural Action at www.ruralaction.org