Nashville, TN—Nearly 150 union members, shooting enthusiasts and other guests—including Roofers President Kinsey Robinson, Governor Mark Dayton and Attorney General Lori Swanson—teamed up to support conservation at the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA) 2nd Annual Roofers International Twin Cities Sporting Clays Shoot and Get Youth Outdoors Day on September 15 and 16 at Wild Marsh Sporting Clays in Clear Lake.
Raising more than $62,000—nearly double the amount raised at the 2011 event—to support the USA’s conservation efforts, the shoot also served as the perfect opportunity to introduce Minnesotans to the impact skilled union volunteers are making on conservation projects in the communities where they live work and play.
As part of the weekend’s festivities, 12 volunteers from the Roofers, Bricklayers, Laborers, St. Cloud Building Trades, MN Department of Natural Resources and St. Cloud ATV Club united to host Get Youth Outdoors Day—a Boots on the Ground project aimed at inspiring a love of the great outdoors in Minnesota’s youth.
Twenty-two youth, ages 9-17 received hunting and firearm safety training and supervised, hands-on introductions to trap shooting, rifle shooting and varying Minnesota terrains via an ATV simulator.
Because so many union members supported this year’s events, each child was able to receive personal instruction at the patterning and rifle shooting stations, which were managed by Mike Ganz from the St. Cloud Building Trades. Thanks to the guidance of Roofers President Kinsey Robinson and his wife, Mona, 21 out of 22 participants broke a target at the trap shooting station.
The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s Boots on the Ground program brings together union members from around the country, who are willing to volunteer their time and expertise to tackle conservation projects, like Get Youth Outdoors Day, which improve and enhance public access, wildlife habitat and outdoor experiences for communities across America.
With sportsmen contributing nearly $2.9 billion every year for conservation, and the outdoor industry supporting 9.4 million U.S. jobs, it’s critical that the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance, its partners and Minnesotans continue recruiting and mentoring the next generation of sportsmen and women.
For more information or to find out how you can help, visithttp://www.UnionSportsmen.org or contact Tim Bindl at [email protected] or 608-397-1023.
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The Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) is a union-dedicated outdoor organization whose members hunt, fish, shoot and volunteer their skills for conservation. The USA is uniting the union community to expand and improve hunting and fishing access and wildlife habitat throughout North America. For more information, visithttp://www.unionsportsmen.org or http://www.facebook.com/unionsportsmen.
