DEC’s ‘Become an Outdoors Woman’ Workshop Moves Online

The New York Department of Environmental Conservation's Become an Outdoors Woman program is still a-go for women who want to develop their outdoor skills. However, this year, the courses will take place virtually, from the comfort of participants' own homes.

The Become an Outdoors Woman program is an opportunity for women with little to no experience with the outdoors to get their feet wet and gain information and hands-on instruction. The program includes courses on fishing, shooting, archery, hunting, trapping, outdoor photography, map and compass, survival, camping, canoeing, and outdoor cooking, providing women in the program with plenty of information on a wide variety of outdoor skills.

While in-person courses are canceled this fall because of the coronavirus, the program has moved online to offer free virtual classes for women hoping to learn more about the outdoors.

BOW will go virtual from September 21 to 25, with courses every night at 6:30 p.m. The virtual courses will range from food preservation and bow hunting to wild game cooking and Leave No Trace Ethics. The final day will even feature a panel and Q&A on hunting.

The DEC encourages women of all ages to join the virtual program. Past years' in-person courses were limited to women 18 years or older, and the program has hosted participants anywhere from their late teens to their mid-80s. It's never too late to become an outdoors woman!

Registration is now open for next week's courses through this online form. You can also stay up to date with BOW and watch other informative outdoors videos on the program's Facebook page.