Education staff met in early August to discuss changes to education programs at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center (CEWC). One item discussed were prices of the programs.  CEWC is offering new items to students this year.  In an effort to make these new programs more available to the students, the decision was made to lower prices for some programming.

The reduced price for an outreach program is $120 per day (with up to three programs available in a day). Topics can include: Reptiles, Vertebrates, Birds of Prey, Endangered Species, and now Georgia’s 5 Eco-regions.

Brooke Ager Discovery Field trips are now $5 per student with a $120 minimum charge for groups of fewer than 30 students. Teachers can choose from 3 rotations during their field trip.  See our website for details.

Public programming at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center begins September 20. Kicking off this year’s programming is a night of wholesome family fun. We are hosting a giant family campfire.  S’mores, stories, games and even a live animal presentation are all part of the evening. Our story teller for the evening will be Anthony Vinson. Anthony is a comedic storyteller and humorist. Combining an open, interactive performing style with wordplay and a sharply-honed wit. Anthony crafts a variety of stories including variations on traditional folk tales, animal trickster stories, original tall tales, and whimsical anecdotes. Anthony sometimes accompanies himself on guitar, and has been known to sprinkle his performances with a little magic. The night will be a hoot! The program begins at 7 p.m. and will be held rain or shine at our Brooke Ager Discovery Area. For more information, please refer to our program calendar here.  

Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center and the Hunter Development Program offers a variety of firearm training courses.  These courses are designed to provide participants the opportunity to learn firearm safety and proper shooting techniques. Introductory and Beyond the Basics training days are provided so the novice or beginner can learn the fundamentals of the various shooting disciplines.

Introductory Training Courses:

Family Day at the Range series offers “introductory trainings” for individuals who wish to learn basic firearm safety and have the opportunity to shoot a variety of firearms. These introductory trainings are for ages 10 and older.

Beyond the Basics:  

The Family Day at the Range series offers “Beyond the Basics” trainings for individuals 13 and older  who want to increase their knowledge, skills and abilities with firearms.  To register for these trainings, participants are required to have a thorough knowledge of firearm safety and experience with shooting firearms.

The cost is $3 per person. For more information and for dates please visit the new website for this very popular program: www.georgiawildlife.com/FDR.

Archery enthusiasts have a new range to visit now that the Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center has an archery range that officially opened on August 2.  Several noted conservation and political officials, archery enthusiasts, and up-and-coming archers attended the event.

Speaking at the event Wildlife Resources Division director Dan Forster said, “The shooting sports are safe, high-quality activities for families to enjoy.  The Wildlife Resources Division’s program helps cultivate a life-long love of shooting and fosters a sense of conservation for generations to come.” The CEWC range, which has eight static targets and 33 3-D targets, is one of 13 archery ranges available on public land in Georgia.  Funding for range construction came from the Federal Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program. Use of this range requires possession of a Georgia Outdoor Recreational Pass (GORP) or other qualifying license.  Please be sure you have the appropriate license before visiting. 

Women interested in the outdoors, but perhaps with little to no outdoor knowledge, can discover hunting, fishing, boating and other recreational skills through a program series provided by Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center.  Becoming an Outdoors-Woman is a non-profit, educational program offering hands-on workshops to women of all ages and fitness levels. Casual-styled classes enable women to learn about everything from shooting clays to birding. No experience is necessary. Sessions led by outdoors professionals give novices and more experienced participants enough knowledge to pursue their outdoors interests when the workshop is over. Jody Rice, DNR Becoming an Outdoors- Woman coordinator, said the program often referred to as BOW is designed to encourage women to get outside and enjoy outdoors activities. “BOW offers women this chance by providing various classes in outdoor skills, and teaches these skills in a fun, non-threatening environment,” said Rice. For more information on this event or to register, go to http://www.georgiawildlife.com/BOW.

Project WILD workshops are back at Charlie Elliott Wildlife Center. These workshops provide in-depth opportunities for educators. Throughout the year CEWC will offer workshops on Project WILD, Aquatic WILD, Flying WILD, and the newest Georgia favorite, Growing Up WILD. The first workshop is set for December 14 with a Project WILD/Aquatic WILD educator workshop. For more information and for registration forms, go to www.gaprojectwild.org.  If you are interested in Growing Up WILD, we are conducting a workshop as part of the Outdoor Learning Symposium in Savannah on October 4, 2013.  Learn more about the symposium by going to the Environmental Education Alliance of Georgia website.