Support sought for program for ages 12-15

DOVER – If you are a student aged 12 to 15 with an interest in natural resources and law enforcement, applications are now being accepted for the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police’s second annual summer Youth Academy. Designed to teach students boating safety, hunter safety and how to protect our natural resources, and to nurture the relationship between our law enforcement officers and the community, the Youth Academy is held free of charge, with lunch provided for all participants.

Following its inaugural success last year, the summer program has been expanded this year to offer two sessions of the Basic Youth Academy, one each in New Castle County and Kent County, and an Advanced Youth Academy session in New Castle County. Students who complete the basic program will receive both their hunter safety and boating safety certifications.

The Advanced Youth Academy is open to anyone 12 to 15 years old who has either completed the 2016 Basic Youth Academy or has previously acquired his or her hunting safety and boating safety certifications. Participants will continue their education on the duties of a natural resources police officer, as well as learning additional outdoor skills. The advanced program includes a camping excursion with mandatory parent/guardian participation.

The three sessions will be held as follows:

• Natural Resources Police Basic Youth Academy Session I – 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, June 26-30, Little Creek Hunter Education Training Center, 3018 Bayside Drive, Dover, DE 19901; Application deadline: Friday, May 19
• Natural Resources Police Basic Youth Academy Session II – 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Monday through Friday, July 10-14, Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center, 1205 River Road, New Castle, DE 19720; Application deadline: Friday, June 2
• Natural Resources Police Advanced Youth Academy – 8 a.m.- 4 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday, August 1-5, Ommelanden Hunter Education Training Center,1205 River Road, New Castle, DE 19720; Application deadline: Friday, June 2

Each session is limited to the first 20 qualified applicants.

For the Basic Youth Academy, priority is given to those who have not already completed a hunter safety course or boating safety course. Applications must include a 250-word essay written by the applicant explaining why he or she wants to take part in the academy and what Delaware’s natural resources mean to him or her.

For the Advanced Youth Academy, priority is given to those who have already completed the Basic Youth Academy. Applications must include a 500-word essay written by the applicant explaining what the applicant learned from the 2016 Youth Academy or, if he or she did not attend the academy, what the applicant learned from hunter and boating safety courses.

“The Youth Academy is an excellent opportunity for our future outdoors men and women to obtain their boater and hunter safety certifications, learn about Delaware’s great outdoors and gain insight into what it’s like to be a Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Officer,” said Captain Brian Pollock, Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police. “The advanced academy builds on the fundamentals learned from the basic academy and gives the students additional skills and training that would assist them in becoming the future guardians of Delaware’s natural resources as well as becoming a better hunter and angler.”

Applications for the Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police Youth Academy are available online at http://de.gov/fwenforcement and at the Delaware Fish & Wildlife licensing desk in DNREC’s Richardson & Robbins Building, 89 Kings Highway, Dover, DE 19901.

Opportunities to support the Youth Academy are available, with the success of last year’s inaugural program made possible through the generous support and donations from various businesses, private organizations and individuals.

For more information regarding the Youth Academy or to inquire about supporting the program, please contact Captain Brian Pollock at 302-365-8703 or email brian.pollock@delaware.gov.

Like Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Facebook, www.facebook.com/pages/Delaware-Fish-Wildlife-Natural-Resources-Police.

Follow Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police on Twitter, https://twitter.com/DE_FW_NRPolice.

This project is part of Delaware’s Children in Nature Initiative, a statewide effort to improve environmental literacy in Delaware, create opportunities for children to participate in enriching outdoor experiences, combat childhood obesity and promote healthy lifestyles. Delaware’s multi-agency initiative, which partners state and federal agencies with community organizations, is part of the national No Child Left Inside program.

Media contact: Sgt. John McDerby, Delaware Fish & Wildlife Natural Resources Police, 302-739-9913 or 302-354-1386, or Joanna Wilson, DNREC Public Affairs, 302-739-9902.

Vol. 47, No. 59

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