Outdoor survival, archery to be taught at upcoming event

Women can learn, laugh and lighten up.

Time is running out to register for the Edgefield chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation's (NWTF) upcoming Women in the Outdoors event, which will take place Saturday at the Wild Turkey Center in Edgefield.

The Wild Turkey Center, the NWTF's national headquarters, is a short drive from Columbia, Greenville and Augusta.

Women can choose from nine classes including archery, canoeing, outdoor survival, self-protection, shotgunning and Dutch oven cooking. Expert instructors will lead all classes in a stress-free, fun-filled environment. Registration for this event includes lunch and costs $30 for NWTF members or $60 for non-members.

"Our program is about encouraging women to try new outdoor activities in a safe environment that makes them feel at ease," said Brenda Valentine, the NWTF's spokeswoman and first lady of hunting. "This event is also an opportunity for women of all walks of life - singles, moms, daughters, young and old - to spend a day outdoors, away from home, having fun and making new friends."

Registration will end at 8:30 a.m. on the day of the event, and after some initial instruction, classes begin at 9 a.m.

NWTF's volunteers raise funds and work daily to improve critical wildlife habitat, increase access to public hunting land and introduce new people to the outdoors and hunting. The NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, raised and spent more than $286 million, and conserved nearly 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.

For more information about the event, call Michael Turbyfill at (800) THE-NWTF or e-mail mturbyfill@nwtf.net.

For more information about the NWTF, visit www.nwtf.org or call (800) THE-NWTF.