Outdoor Insights: New nonprofit, the Outdoor News Foundation, working to create permanent outdoor enthusiasts

At Outdoor News, we have an exciting new effort we have launched as 2024 winds down: the Outdoor News Foundation.

For years, you’ve read about declining hunting and fishing license sales and the ramifications that holds for the future of natural resources management, not to mention the potential loss of the outdoors pastimes we hold dear. That’s a culture unique to this country and one damn well worth fighting to preserve.

Legions of fine people indeed are working to stem the tide via a variety of programs. Countless outdoors mentoring efforts expose young people to nature or traditional sporting activities with one-off clinics or events. Kids have an experience, take a picture, then return to their lives of youth sports and video gaming.

Our philosophy with this new nonprofit is to take the next step: Outdoor mentorship requires more than a four-hour fishing derby or a once-in-an-adolescence wild turkey hunt. It requires familiarity and immersion into America’s outdoors scene.

The Outdoor News Foundation aims to create those lifelong connections old-school: with information and dollars. Donations to this nonprofit will fund scholarships for students enrolled in collegiate fish and wildlife biology studies, environmental learning centers, and outdoors journalism programs.

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In addition, there’s no better connection to the outdoors lifestyle than having Outdoor News dropped into your mailbox, or email in-box, every week. Knowledge is power, and many generations have been connected via the content of this newspaper.

Outdoor News was and remains the forum where hunting, fishing, and conservation culture commiserates and forges a path for the future. We aim to expand that community to a new generation of youth.

In 2018, this operation launched its Junior Pro Team. Over the years, more than 9,100 kids have signed up –  youth who frequently post their success afield via photos on the JPT Instagram page and other social media platforms.

Some of them subscribe to Outdoor News, but many of these kids come from single-family or lower income households who cannot afford a print or digital subscription to any media outlet. This new foundation will finance subscriptions for these kids, and others, so they become permanent members of our outdoors fraternity.

How can you help? For starters, see details about the Outdoor News Foundation at our website. You can nominate a young person for a Foundation subscription or scholarships via that website.

No one to nominate? You also can donate to fund subscriptions or scholarships for youth. A $25 donation covers a young person for one year, but any donation is welcome. If you’re a subscriber whose hunting spouse recently has passed away, consider leaving a legacy by paying the balance of your subscription forward so that youth can benefit from digital access to our content.

Larger personal and corporate donations are welcome, too. Make them via the website, or call our office at 763-546-4251.

Natural resources agency leaders and politicians regularly project about finding new natural resources funding mechanisms. It usually comes down to higher fees or more taxes.

After decades of covering the outdoors scene, Outdoor News suggests another path: Grow the base. Recruit the next generation and make license buyers and gear spenders (read: excise tax payers) out of them. Every person reading this has seen the decline in hunters and anglers afield. The Outdoor News Foundation is asking you to cast a legacy for tomorrow’s hunters and anglers by donating yet in 2024.

Help us expand the unique American outdoors heritage we hold so dear.