Mark Stephens believes that it is important to get people outside and engaging with the world around them.
Stephens is an education program coordinator for a program called Project F.I.S.H., Friends Involved in Sportfishing Heritage, an extension of Michigan State University’s Department of Community, Agriculture, Recreation and Resource Studies. He said that essentially what he does is teach adults how to teach kids how to fish.
“When people think of fishing, they think of putting a worm on a hook and basically drowning a worm,” Stephens said. “But fishing is more than that.”
Stephens teaches about the aquatics, the water systems, the macroinvertebrates in rivers and streams, and more importantly, how to engage kids and get them excited about fishing.
“Really what I do is bring communities together around fishing for their local environment and their local ecology and really just to benefit their area,” he said.
Stephens will be hosting a two-day workshop during MSU’s Agriculture and Natural Resources Week. During the workshop on March 8 and 9, Stephens brings adults interested in teaching kids about fishing to campus. He will cover different topics such as aquatic ecology, tackle crafting, cultural elements, and even basic angling skills.
MSU’s ANR Week runs March 4-12.
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