Landslide of stewardship WLC-11

Making your mark and infecting your kids with environmentalism can influence thousands of others if the right landslide of stewardship is started.

  

The Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center, 30 miles east of Tallahassee, was created to preserve the tradition of ethical hunting and active conservation by introducing Florida's youth to the shooting sports and the great outdoors.  Beau Turner, son of Media Magnate and Environmentalist Ted Turner, formed a partnership with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commissions (FWC) to open the Center in March 2008.

The center, the first of its kind in Florida, encompasses 160 acres that Turner has leased to the FWC.  The goal for the center is to develop a stewardship ethic among youth through programs designed to develop their outdoor skills and to instill an appreciation and knowledge of the longleaf pine ecosystem and wildlife management techniques.

The center offers sporting clays, a .22 rifle range, 3-D and Olympic-style archery ranges, nature trails and a stocked fishing pond.  Events held at the center include hunter safety courses, advanced hunting and fishing classes, volunteer training workshops, as well as youth hunting opportunities.

The BTYCC mission statement “Getting Youth Outdoors” simply means involving kids in outdoor activities to strengthen their connection to nature and wildlife.  At the BTYCC kids learn, play and explore outside through a variety of activities including birding, hiking, fishing, archery, sport shooting, hunting, kayaking and boating.

The idea behind building a community-based center is to give all kids a place to participate in outdoor activities close to home, including (or especially)  those who may not regularly have access to natural areas.  By introducing youth to their local habitats, encouraging their curiosity and providing tools to foster their interests we are helping them develop a unique and personal relationship to the outdoors.

Partnerships between state and federal agencies, non-profits and private citizens are essential in the effort to promote the growth of the outdoor youth center concept and youth conservation programs. It is more important than ever that we make it our common mission to build youth conservation facilities in close proximity to urban areas, giving every kid the opportunity to discover the wonders of the natural world.

Beau Turner created the Beau Turner Youth Conservation Center so that young people would have a special place to discover and enjoy the outdoors. Through the center programs, children learn about Northern Florida's natural landscapes, wildlife management and renewable energy sources, and are given unique opportunities to develop their outdoor skills and respect for nature. Activities include fishing, shooting sports, hiking, viewing wildlife and seasonal hunting on the impoundments, fields and forests of the conservation center.

There is hope that more centers like this can be built in Florida, and maybe across the United States. Beau is a young man for one with such an influence on a center (or centers) like this. But he comes from good stock.  With approximately two million acres of personal and ranch land, Ted Turner is the second largest individual landholder in North America.

 Turner lands are innovatively managed and work to partner economic viability with ecological sustainability. All Turner ranches operate as working businesses, relying on bison and outfitting as principal enterprises. In addition, Turner ranches support many progressive environmental projects including water resource management, reforestation and the reintroduction of native species to the land.  Turner Enterprises also manages over 55,000 head of bison across the various Turner ranches.

According to his bio, Ted Turner has made his mark as one of the most influential philanthropists in the U.S. His foundations are actively addressing some of the world's most important issues and are supporting projects that will help to guarantee a stronger and safer planet for future generations.

The Turner Foundation, Inc. (TFI), founded in 1990, supports efforts for improving air and water quality, developing a sustainable energy future to protect our climate, safeguarding environmental health, maintaining wildlife habitat protection, and developing practices and policies to curb population growth rates.

 Also in 1990, the Captain Planet Foundation (CPF) was founded to educate and empower children on how to make a positive impact on their own lives and the health of their communities.

 In June 1997, the Turner Endangered Species Fund (TESF) was established which works to conserve biodiversity by emphasizing restoration efforts of endangered or imperiled species on the Turner properties.

Looks like Ted and Beau are both starting their own stewardship landslides.