Final 2010 Wonder of Wildlife school coming to Missouri State Park Oct. 8-10

WOW is a National Outdoor Recreation and Conservation School that introduces families and individuals to a variety of outdoor activities including archery, camping, fishing, hunting, natural history, shooting sports, fly fishing, primitive skills, outdoor cooking, outdoor adventures and more family fun.

WOW teaches through hands-on learning experience in an outdoor setting attracting a wide range of ages, interests and abilities making it an affordable family outing with an educational experience.

The final WOW School for 2010 is coming up soon — Oct. 8-10 at Roaring River State Park. Click here for more information, including a catalog of WOW activities, registration form and Kids Camp registration form.

The WOW School is part of the Wonder Of Wildlife (WOW), whose mission is to educate, inform, and entertain visitors concerning the value of fish and wildlife, to help them appreciate our heritage of hunting, and fishing and to motivate their personal involvement in the conservation of our outdoor resources.

Wonder of Wildlife believes that successful conservation begins with education.

The organization's education department is in full swing, traveling across the state educating about conservation and wildlife. The education department provides many opportunities for families, schools and individuals to learn about conservation.

WOW museum and offices are located next to the Bass Pro Shops world headquarters in Springfield, Missouri. The offices are undergoing a dramatic transformation, set to be completed in 2011. Rob Keck, WOW board chairman, says the project will take the WOW Facilities from "an outstanding educational and entertaining facility into a world-class attraction."

According to the WOW website, the new museum will feature exhibits modeled after the great nocturnal exhibit at The Henry Doorly Zoo and the Rain Forest Exhibit at The Dallas World Aquarium. The new museum will also include some new surprises not found in any of the major aquariums. Many world-class exhibits and displays are planned for the museum including several interactive displays that will heighten the visitors’ experience. Many of these are aimed at entertaining and educating young visitors. Some of the displays and features include a flooded rain forest exhibit, shark and ray touch tanks, sturgeon touch pool, a large living coral tank, a bird aviary and a nocturnal swamp just to name a few. The Museum will increase in size from 126,100 to more than 200,000 square feet with many new exhibits. WOW is also planning a new Conservation Education Center for the WOW educational programs and WOLF school to provide a fun and educational space for young people in the Springfield Public School System.

Remarkably, the $25 million project has received private cash donations of over $24 million.


For more information, contact the Missouri Department of Natural Resources at 1-800-334-6946 or Wonders of Wildlife at 1-877-245-9453 or www.wondersofwildlife.org.