Now there’s a Student Air Rifle Program in Iowa!
This expansion is the result of a sustainable grassroots partnership announced this week.
“County Conservation Boards in Iowa, specifically Polk County Conservation, received a REAP-CEP grant to coordinate and offer the Student Air Rifle Program in Iowa as part of community programming at the county level”, noted Lewis Major, Naturalist with Polk County Conservation.
“Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP) grants are coordinated through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources. They offer opportunities for organizations to apply for funding based on program needs.” said Lewis.
“Polk County Conservation, along with the other staff from County Conservation Boards that were trained for the Student Air Rifle Program in Iowa, are now positioned to provide the SAR curriculum to students in their communities. We are excited about the opportunity”, added Lewis.
A total of 18 individuals – some of them featured in our photograph above – were trained as SAR Basic Air Riflery Instructors during the training workshop. Two of the 18 were also trained as Basic Air Riflery Instructor Trainers allowing for more staff to be trained as in the future.
The 18 Basic Air Riflery Instructors, mainly from County Conservation Boards across IA, represent Cerro Gordo, Jackson, Linn, O’Brien, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, and Webster counties. In addition, local staff from the Veterans Affairs in Central Iowa were trained.
The Iowa County Conservation Board system has filled a gap that once existed between community-managed public recreation areas and the state’s outdoor recreation facilities.
The Student Air Rifle Program, developed by the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance, is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. Student Air Rifle Program uses school-aligned units of study, teacher training, universal whistle commands, positive language, and standardized equipment to facilitate an introduction to the lifetime sport of target shooting to school-aged youth in grades 4 through 12.
“We are delighted with the opportunity to partner with passionate individuals in IA to offer SAR to even more students”, mentioned Jake Hindman, President and CEO of Student Air Rifle Program. “To start a Student Air Rifle Program in your state, school, or community, email us at info@studentairrifleprogram.org.”
You can follow the Student Air Rifle Program on Facebook and Instagram by searching “Student Air Rifle Program-SAR”.
For more information about the Student Air Rifle Program in Iowa and elsewhere, visit www.studentairrifleprogram.org.
The post Expansion – The Student Air Rifle Program In Iowa appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.