When it comes to kids and things-to-do-in-the-outdoors, people tend to think of the most familiar pastimes, fishing, hunting, hiking, and plain old wildlife watching. Add to that list a few of the more esoteric events like 4-wheeling, rock climbing, gold panning - and let’s not forget bow and arrow action.

A new partnership between the Archery Trade Association (ATA) and the Arizona Game & Fish Department (G&F) will put more emphasis on archery and bow hunting programs for youngsters throughout the state while enhancing facilities in both Tucson and Phoenix.

“The new affiliation will help expand interest in archery events,” says Mitch King, an ATA director. “Our members as well as archery manufacturers and archery shops across the state are anxious to help G&F reach out to youth to provide them with a safe and fulfilling recreational outlet.”

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Additional staffing support will allow for continuation and growth of community-based programs such as the Archery in the Schools program.  ATA already works with state wildlife agencies, parks and recreation personnel, and archery shops and clubs to present a physical education curriculum designed to teach target archery in grades 4-12.

“There are more than 122 schools already participating in this program and now we can highlight other opportunities, such as 3-D archery, bow-fishing experiences, and outdoor skills workshops,” says Assistant G&F Director Ty Gray.

There are lots of benefits involved in shooting a bow and arrow, according to the Game & Fish Wildlife News report: “Although bow shooting is a physical activity, conditioning is not a limiting factor.  Shooting sports develop concentration and mental focus, improve self-confidence, teach respect and accountability, and provide a healthy low-impact activity.”

Visit www.azgfd.gov/shootingsports to learn more.

Outdoor outtakes

• Originally placed on the Endangered Species List in 1967, final restoration and recovery efforts for Arizona’s state fish, the Apache Trout, have now been published. “We’re on the right path and if a recovery plan is a map to restoration, we’re well on our way to bringing this fish back from the brink of extinction,” says Benjamin Tuggle, southwestern regional director for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. “We have the road map, know what needs to be done, and we feel confident that the Apache trout will become the first fish in the nation to be proposed for down-listing,” adds Arizona Game & Fish Fisheries Chief Kirk Young. The final recovery plan goal is to have 30 self-sustaining populations within the fish’s historic range in the White Mountains of east-central Arizona. Pure strains of the golden colored ‘hook snout trout’ are now found in 28 populations in Apache-Sitgreaves National Forest waters and on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

• This column observed the 37th annual National Hunting and Fishing Day last month, and appropriately so according to its sponsors. “Eight out of 10 Americans approve of hunting and more than 9 out of 10 approve of fishing,” says spokeswoman Denise Wagner. “That’s strong support, but when viewed in the context of a recession, the sporting traditions look even better. There’s no bailouts needed here as hunting and angling together represent an economic force worth $76 billion a year.”

• Work has resumed removing a riparian ecological threat from Sabino Canyon. Initiated last fall (when volunteers contributed over 2,800 work hours), public work days to remove the non-native invasive plant known as Giant Reed will continue through March 2010. Giant Reed chokes stream channels and riverside by forming a dense thicket that crowds out native plants and alters stream flow, modifying wildlife habitat in the process.  “We’ve made significant progress in eradicating this ecological threat,” says Ranger Stan Helin, of the Santa Catalina District. Volunteers will cut, bundle, and haul roots, rhizomes, and canes from the Arundo donax plant on the first Sunday of each month.  Call (520) 971-2385 or e-mail Tucson.arundo@gmail.com to be a part of the project.

Contact Lee Allen at editor@azbiz.com. Allen’s Outdoor Observations column appears the third week of each month.