The FWC is offering the following BOW Workshops for the 2009-10 fiscal year:

October 9-11, 2009 - Tallahassee (near Quincy)
November 20-22, 2009 - West Palm Beach
March 12-14, 2010 - Ocala

A new brochure and registration form is available at the website: www.MyFWC.com/BOW .

BOW is an outdoor skills program that offers women a chance to grow. BOW means becoming more competent, more confident and more aware.

More than 80 weekend-long workshops are held all across North America with over 20,000 women attending. The workshops introduce women to a variety of activities equally balanced between hunting and shooting, fishing, and non-harvest sports like canoeing and camping. Participants choose from a list of over 20 activities.

BOW welcomes women from all backgrounds to enjoy camaraderie with other women in a supportive, non-competitive learning environment. Participants span the ages of 18 to 80+.

In addition to learning new activities, BOW participants are also treated to a variety of evening entertainment including outdoor clothing fashion shows, bird shows featuring live hawks and owls, outdoor storytelling, prizes and more.

Traditional multi-course BOW workshops are generally held at camps. Participants stay in air-conditioned/heated cabins that may be rustic, but have basic modern amenities including hot showers. Meals are provided. The focus for the weekend is learning in a comfortable atmosphere.

The workshops begin around noon on Friday and end about noon on Sunday.

For more info contact
Lynne Hawk

Regional Hunter Safety Coordinator
FL Fish & Wildlife Conservation Commission
8535 Northlake Blvd., West Palm Beach 33412
Phone (561) 625-5122 Fax (561) 625-5139
Lynne.Hawk@MyFWC.com

September 8 Tuesday P/L  Apalachee Chapter Meeting Program: “Hiking Florida’s Western Panhandle.”

From meanders through pitcher plant bogs to hikes on the dunes, author Sandra Friend shares a virtual walk in the woods along hiking trails west of the Apalachicola River. While the Western Panhandle isn’t as well known as the rest of Florida, it offers a wide variety of hikes - from easy nature trails to rugged climbs - with spectacular scenery, unusual geology, botanical diversity, and the opportunity for backpackers to get out and stretch their legs on the Florida Trail. 7 p.m. at Woodcrest Office Park, 325 John Knox Rd., Bldg. F (first bldg. on the right). Look for Florida Trail signs on wooden door at east end of building. Free. Contact: Linda Patton 850-668-4334.

September 13 Sunday P/L Wacissa River Canoe or Kayak.

Enjoy a relaxing day paddling the Wacissa River. We will paddle approximately 10 miles. You must provide your own canoe or kayak and wear a PDF. Limit 10 canoes. Gwen Beatty (850) 942-7165

September 26 Saturday P\M Aucilla River Trail Care Hike.

Come out and help maintain a section of the 8 miles of trail along this scenic river. Tools will be provided. Bring a lunch and plenty of water. Barbara Donner (850) 766-7493 or Lee Bonninghausen (850) 223-2660

September 27 Sunday P\M Aucilla Sinks Trail Care Hike.

Come out and help maintain this popular 4-mile section of trail. Tools will be provided. Bring a lunch and plenty of water. Barbara Donner (850) 766-7493

All activities are free unless otherwise noted.
Codes:
“P” Public welcome to participate
“M” Limited to FTA members only
“L” Leisurely
“M” Moderately difficult
“S” Strenuous

Please read the GUIDELINES FOR OUTING PARTICIPANTS before signing up for an activity. This will make for a better outing experience for all concerned. Click here for a copy of the Guidelines.

October 3, Saturday P\L Sopchoppy River Hike.

Enjoy fall colors on this easy, 5-mile hike on the Florida National Scenic Trail along the Sopchoppy River in the Apalachicola National Forest. Limit 15 people. Galen Moses (850) 926-9476 galenmoses@aol.com

October 10, Saturday P\M Trail Care Hike on River Bluff – Torreya Trail Loop, Torreya State Park.

Help maintain the Torreya-River Bluff Trail. We’ll cut back vegetation, remove fallen limbs, and enjoy being out in the woods. Bring water and lunch. We will meet in Tallahassee for carpooling. Jerry Herting (850) 878-3426, Bob Gilley (850) 592-5985

October 13 Tuesday P/L  Apalachee Chapter Meeting Program: “Exploring Lost Worlds In Northern South America.”

The ancient Guiana Shield region supports mesas–called tepuis by local Amerindians–which jut from rainforest up to 10,000 feet in altitude. Come hear Dr. Bruce Means talk about these tepuis, his exciting herpetological and backpacking adventures during two decades of tepui exploration, and discovery of numerous new frog species, a new family of vertebrate animals and giant earthworms. 7 p.m. at Woodcrest Office Park, 325 John Knox Rd., Bldg. F (first bldg. on the right). Look for Florida Trail signs on wooden door at east end of building. Free. Contact: Linda Patton 850-668-4334.

October 20  Tuesday M/L Activities Planning Meeting.

We have exciting new ways to advertise your hike.  Come and learn how the information super highway can help you plan Chapter activities. David Harris (850) 284 -9967

October 23-25 Friday-Sunday M/M Regional Hiker Conference.

Don’t miss this gathering of FTA members from Chapters in North Florida. Camp on scenic Choctawhatchee Bay in the Florida Panhandle near Niceville and explore trails in the area. (See story on page 4 of the Autumn 2009 newsletter for more details.) Tom Daniel perdidotcd@aol.com or Marsha Ankeney msank2@yahoo.com

All activities are free unless otherwise noted.
Codes:
“P” Public welcome to participate
“M” Limited to FTA members only
“L” Leisurely
“M” Moderately difficult
“S” Strenuous

Please read the GUIDELINES FOR OUTING PARTICIPANTS before signing up for an activity. This will make for a better outing experience for all concerned. Click here for a copy of the Guidelines.

November 7 Saturday P/L Wade Tract Birding Hike

This popular hike will take you into one of the best remaining examples of old-growth longleaf pine/wiregrass forests left in the U.S. Jim Cox, noted ornithologist with Tall Timbers Research Station, will provide commentary and show us a red-cockaded woodpecker colony. Fee will be from $7 to $15 / person. Limit 24 people. Kent Wimmer (850) 523-8576 kwimmer@fs.fed.us.

November 10 Tuesday P/L  Apalachee Chapter Meeting Program: “Adventures in New Zealand and Australia”

Diving the Great Coral Reef and flying high above beautiful Milford Sound, Ken and Ginger Loewe traveled from hostel to hostel throughout New Zealand and the metropolitan coast of Eastern Australia, where they enjoyed climbing on glaciers and espying wild kangaroos and rare yellow-eyed penguins, among other adventures that they will share with us. 7 p.m. at Woodcrest Office Park, 325 John Knox Rd., Bldg. F (first bldg. on the right). Look for Florida Trail signs on wooden door at east end of building. Free. Contact: Linda Patton 850-668-4334.

All activities are free unless otherwise noted.
Codes:
“P” Public welcome to participate
“M” Limited to FTA members only
“L” Leisurely
“M” Moderately difficult
“S” Strenuous

Please read the GUIDELINES FOR OUTING PARTICIPANTS before signing up for an activity. This will make for a better outing experience for all concerned. Click here for a copy of the Guidelines.

December 4-6 Friday-Sunday P\M Trail Reroute, F-Troop, Torreya State Park.
The F-Troop crew will be working to re-route a section of trail in Torreya State Park to help minimize erosion as a result of traffic on the trail tread. Volunteers will get to experience construction of a rolling contour trail, a unique experience for our Florida folk who rarely get to work on hilly terrain! Hand tools will be used to remove vegetation for the new tread-way. We will also remove failing wooden steps from the old trail and take measures to encourage natural restoration. Butch Siegel, who has extensive trail-building experience with both the Ice Age and the Florida Trail, will be on hand to explain how to build sustainable rolling contour trails. More information: Jerry Herting (850) 878-3426 and http://www.f-troop.org/?page_id=70.

December 8 Tuesday  P/L  Apalachee Chapter Meeting Program: “Annual Holiday Social”

Bring a covered dish or dessert and an inexpensive wrapped item for the gift-exchange game. Socialize with your fellow hiking and outdoor enthusiasts as we celebrate another year of hiking and outdoor adventures. For more information, call Terry Tenold, Chapter Chair 850-877-1612.

December 20 Sunday P/L Day Hike Fort Braden Trail.

Plan to hike 6 miles, part of which will be along beautiful Lake Talquin Gwen Beatty (850) 942-7165

All activities are free unless otherwise noted.
Codes:
“P” Public welcome to participate
“M” Limited to FTA members only
“L” Leisurely
“M” Moderately difficult
“S” Strenuous

Please read the GUIDELINES FOR OUTING PARTICIPANTS before signing up for an activity. This will make for a better outing experience for all concerned. Click here for a copy of the Guidelines.