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"Fishin' Buddies!"
Fishing for a Brighter Future
They learn things that few other kids know.

STORY BY BOB LONG, JR.
PHOTOS COURTESY OF "FISHIN' BUDDIES!"

"Look, I caught one! I got one! I got a fish! I got a fish!" The first time you hear a child yelling this, it thrills your heart to bursting. The 1,000th time you hear this, if there is blood in your veins, it stills fills your heart to bursting.

It's such a scream of unbridled joy and sheer discovery that one never tires of hearing it. I've probably heard it more than 20,000 times in my life. In fact, I've known many adults who've wanted to scream with joy upon catching a fish, but were too restrained, too much in control, to yell for all the world to hear.

Thank goodness, kids will allow us to share in their senses of joy and wonder.

When one child catches a fish, the others gather around to see the catch, to touch it, to "soak in" the moment. Then, they all want to catch one too. This is what "Fishin' Buddies!" is all about.

"Fishin' Buddies!" takes kids fishing. Thousands of kids. It provides an opportunity to learn something new, to rediscover something old, to experience joy, to laugh out loud and to appreciate the beauty of it all.

"It's a simple thing to do," says John Kidd, Jr., founder and president of the "Fishin' Buddies!" Youth Club, Inc. "You get a rod, a reel, a hook, a float and some bait. You find some water, you find a kid, and you put them

Richard Wilborn and Andrea Kidd teach bank-fishing techniques on a fine spring day.

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(Left)"Fishin' Buddies!" Core Kids planting trees at Beaubien Woods in Chicago. (Below) Adults and children find common ground at the side of a lake.

together. What comes out is magic— memories that will last a lifetime."

Philosopher Cesare Pavese said, "We do not remember days, we remember moments." And "Fishin' Buddies!" has created thousands of moments that will stay with these kids for the rest of their lives. Moments that will flash into consciousness from time to time. Moments that will bring a soft and gentle, deeply felt smile.

"Fishin' Buddies!" was founded on Sept. 27, 1991, when John Kidd, Jr. and members from the South Suburban Bassmasters, along with a host of friends, held a fishing derby at Wolf Lake (William Powers Reservoir) on Chicago's far south side for 137 Chicago-area kids, aged 6 to 16.

Although it was a cold and blustery early autumn day, the mood was light and festive.

And why not? There were fish being caught," Kidd said. "There's no better tonic for a blue mood than a brightly colored bluegill, perch or crappie in the hand."

Most of the children had never gone fishing before, much less caught a fish.

"I thought that was a shame," said Kidd, a lifelong fisherman who soon saw to it that things changed.

Since 1991, "Fishin' Buddies!" has involved more than 2,000 kids in fishing derbies and contests. It has shown them how to fish in ponds and lakes, river and streams, from the shore and from boats. They've caught bluegill, green sunfish, rock bass, largemouth bass, smallmouth bass, channel catfish, white and yellow bass, black and brown bullhead, perch, carp and black and white crappie.

With a simple rod and reel, some bait, a little patience and mentoring by a caring adult, there's very little that can't be caught," said Richard Wilborn, longtime secretary and original founding member of "Fishin' Buddies!"

That's the key," Kidd said, "Caring adults. Children are waiting—willing to follow wherever the adults will lead. And we lead them to water and fish."

The Adoption

In 1993, "Fishin' Buddies!" incorporated as a not-for-profit organization with the State of Illinois and expanded its mission to introduce children to environmental and ecological issues. It appealed to the Forest Preserve District of Cook County to be allowed to "adopt" Beaubien Woods—a seldom-used piece of county property with a less than savory reputation—along I-90/94 on the far southern tip of Chicago.

Like many isolated urban areas at that time, Beaubien Woods was mostly being used by gangs," said Andrea Kidd, wife of John and co-founder of the organization. "But, in actuality, it was a precious living laboratory—a rare bit of urban green space secretly tucked

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"Fishin' Buddies!" Conservation Kids work to distinguish native from non-native Illinois prairie plants.

away amongst concrete highways, landfills, refineries and brownfields."

On its 45 acres you could find a lovely 15-acre lake, woodlands, prairies and wetlands populated with owls and hawks, coyotes and deer," she said. "It was also one of the few city locations with large amounts of native Illinois plants and grasses. It was a perfect place to take kids and adults. So we asked to adopt it and start rehab work there."

Sensing a sincere interest from a local community group with business, personal and professional ties to the area. Forest Preserve District General Superintendent Joseph Nevius simply said, "When would you like to start?"

Backed by a grant from the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, "Fishin' Buddies!" started immediately. It hired the first of many "Fishin' Buddies!" Conservation Kids to begin work as park site stewards. The youth they looked to hire were drawn from southside Chicago communities.

Working with instructors from The Nature Conservancy, the task of the Conservation Kids was to learn as much about the ecology of Beaubien Woods as they could in 10 weeks. Not only that, they were there to make positive changes to the land. The kids, aged 14 to 18 were paid $12 an hour. From 1994 to 1997, 55 young adults worked as "Fishin' Buddies!" Conservation Kids on spring, summer and autumn projects.

"It was a real job," says Wilborn, "not play time. We started at 8:30 a.m. and worked until 5 p.m. There were only standard breaks and lunch. The work was physical and mental. Reports had to be written, a daily journal kept, and invasive plant and tree species identified and removed. We worked rain or shine."

"Fishin' Buddies!" on teamwork

Tyree Major was 17 when he started as a Conservation Kid.

"The words restoration, rehabilitation, rehabitation, woodlands, wetlands, savanna had no meaning to me when I started," said Major, now 23. These words do not fall easily from the lips, especially for those whom our schools may have left behind. But I learned them and much more. I also learned that (in areas) where you are weak, you work with someone strong. Where you are strong, you assist those who need your hand. Together we can make it work."

Special instructors visited to teach forestry, botany, biology and water studies. The Conservation Kids assisted the Cook County fisheries biologist with fish tagging studies.

There are many philosophies reflecting various cultures and times in history at "Fishin' Buddies!" One revolves around work.

"Working with the mind ennobles the intellect and connects us to the universe. Working with the hands ennobles the spirit and connects us to the earth and each other," reads a sign at the organization's headquarters.

Marilyn Malone, one of the original Conservation Kids who worked from age 16 through 19 noted, "My workmates and I learned more science, completed more science projects, and wrote more reports during my three 10-week summers, than we did during the same three years of school.

"It was intense and intensive," says Malone, now aged 22, "but most of all, it was fun. The camaraderie, the learning,

"Fishin' Buddies!" Conservation Kids Marilyn Malone and Tyree Major work with the Cook County Forest Preserve District Fisheries Biologists Scott Bullard (left) on fish tagging studies.


Information you can use

"Fishin' Buddies!"
9946 S. Halsted St.
Chicago, IL 60628 Telephone: (773) 233-3250
FAX: (773) 233-8902
Web: http://www. fishinbuddies.org


Avery Patillo(left), National Park Service, and Richard Wilborn teach Conservation Kids how to survey land for management.

the discipline turned out to be some of the most precious moments of my teen years. I found myself missing the work terribly after it was all said and done. I hope I find other work as meaningful in my life."

Concluded Wilborn, "One of the best lessons taught is the value of doing the job right. If mistakes are made on the job, the work is redone.... There's only right and wrong—and it can't be wrong if you wish to work for long."

"Fishin' Buddies!" and More

In 1999, the Conservation Kids split off into the "Fishin' Buddies!" Core Kids for children age 6 to 14. This program was designed to teach much of the same material as the Conservation Kids, getting the children involved at a younger age and giving them a head start. It also combined fishing with environmental studies.

"Even the younger kids can absorb so much," Kidd said. "They quickly learn to fish, collect bugs, do cleanup work, create science reports, master various computer software skills and to identify and plant trees, flowers and grasses."

Fun for all

"Fishin' Buddies!" will host a Free Fishing Day Expo on Saturday, June 8 from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Montrose Harbor, Chicago. Held in conjunction with the Department of Natural Resources and the Chicago Park District, the expo will be open to children and adults at no charge.

Seminars will be offered on "Hooked on Fishing, Not on Drugs," fishing techniques, equipment, knot tying, and cleaning and cooking fish. There will be casting booths and prizes, boat rides and lunch. For more information, call John Kidd, Jr. or Julian Kidd at "Fishin' Buddies!" (773) 233-3250.

For example, one Saturday the Core Kids converged on Beaubien Woods. As the sun warmed the earth and awakened morning life, there was a nature scavenger hunt. The kids were asked how many different forms of plants they could find in a marsh, wetlands, prairie or woodlands. Twelve of them found 25 different types of plant life. Notes were taken, plants were collected to go into books back at the "Fishin' Buddies" lab.Then, there was work to be done.

Fishin' Mission

To introduce children to nature
To introduce children to science
To show learning can be fun
To show children the magic of life that lives all around us
To mentor those in need
To laugh, giggle and play
To catch some fish along the way.

Using seeds from bags donated by the Chicago Botanical Gardens, the Core Kids spread native Illinois prairie grasses and flowers and planted several pin oaks. They now will be able to watch a field transform itself just as adults will watch the kids grow. The wild quinine, goldenrod, bush clover, milkweed, big blue stem, and little blue stem seeded that day will help to create a lush new prairie carpet.

The kids will return each month to chart the progress of the plantings.

"The great outdoors and its issues and pleasures are rapidly becoming second nature for these children," Kidd said. "It is a whole new world out there for city kids, and contrary to many opinions, they really wish to learn about it.

"'Fishin' Buddies!' is in this for the long haul," he continued. "We're 10 years old already, and I intend to pursue this as long as I'm alive. After all, I'd love to see how these kids are doing 25 years from now. Perhaps I will."

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