First Fish & Lasting Memories at Greater Atlanta Inaugural Kids Nature Day

The cheers echoed across Cooper’s Furnace Day Use Area on April 11, where 44 kids and their families surrounded the pond.

“I caught my first fish! Let’s go!” several kids shouted in excitement.

This joy captured what the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) inaugural Greater Atlanta Kids Nature Day was all about as 100 attendees were introduced to fishing and the outdoors with the help of union volunteers and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers.

USA Conservation Coordinator Maggie Sager witnessed a moment firsthand.

“When one boy reeled in a fish, he was hooting and hollering and jumping around for a solid 5 minutes straight,” she said. “What made it even better was that everyone at the pond stopped what they were doing to cheer. Everyone was having a good time and building each other up. It truly was incredible to watch and be a part of.”

For volunteers like Dee Lee, a Sheet Metal, Air and Transportation Workers (SMART) Local 85 apprentice, it brought back memories.

“I relived the excitement, accomplishment and achievement of catching my first fish,” she said. “It’s special knowing that these kids are going to have something they can look forward to for the rest of their lives.”

The event was part of a series of free, community-based youth outreach events organized under USA’s flagship conservation program, Work Boots on the Ground. Each kid took home a free rod and reel plus a drawstring bag stuffed with goodies.

For the 25 union volunteers representing SMART Local 85 and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 613, it was a day of excitement, pride and solidarity. In previous years, the group installed an AccuDock boat dock just a few miles from the event on Lake Allatoona and organized a 5k race for suicide prevention awareness.

Emily Hull, a member of IBEW Local 613, has been involved in all three events. Kids Nature Day was especially meaningful to her because she grew up saltwater fishing and birdwatching.

“That’s what solidarity means to me,” she said about union volunteers coming together through a shared passion for the outdoors. “This builds a stronger Atlanta labor community. Anything that can build labor support means a lot to me, and it’s especially nice when it’s something like fishing, which I like anyway.”

Renee White saw Kids Nature Day as the perfect local opportunity to connect her nephew Josiah with the outdoors. As Josiah danced in his black cowboy hat and brown boots after catching a fish, she took in the moment and the time they spent together as a family.

“It means everything,” she said. “We’ll cherish the memories forever.”

And when asked if they’d keep fishing, she didn’t hesitate.

“Absolutely. We’re going tomorrow.”