In August, I shared a story about a recent fly-fishing trip with my good friend Dan and the conversation we had while sitting near the water’s edge. Our conversation took the usual twist and turns like the river we were sitting next to. We eventually settled on a subject that is near and dear to the two of us: today’s youth and the future of wild scenic places like the one we were in. We are lovers of wild places and wild trout today because of those who took the time to take us outdoors as youth.
In July I was fortunate to be one of four Ubuntu Fly Anglers who organized a BIPOC Youth Nature Camp held at the Martin Luther King Jr. Community Center. If you don’t know who we are you can check us out at Ubuntuflyanglers.com. The camp was a “dream come true.” We had a handful of youth from across the city for six days straight. The goals of the camp were simple: put as many people of color who love being outdoors in front of the campers; get the campers outdoors; introduce them to some local tribal history; introduce them to the Spokane Riverkeeper staff; introduce them to fly-fishing and, of course, take them fishing. Each morning started with time in the classroom and ended with a field trip or activity.
Thanks to members of the Ubuntu Fly Anglers team who traveled from far and wide to help lead the camp. Fly casting instructor and co-founder of Ubuntu Carl Crawford came from L.A. Fly-fishing Hall of Fame inductee and fly-fishing educator Joyce Shepherd came from South Carolina, and professional fly-fishing guide and business owner Lael Johnson came from the West Side of the state.
A huge amount of thanks to local friends who gladly accepted our invitation to stop by MLK to share their stories and wisdom with the campers. Friends like Jonathan Teeters from Empire Health and the national organization of Hunters of Color; David Whiting from the board of directors of The Lands Council; Erin Lipsker from District 81 and a member of the Ubuntu Fly Anglers team; Margo Hill-Ferguson, the director of American Indian Studies at EWU and Spokane Tribal member; and April Eberhart the editor of this paper. Three members of the Spokane Riverkeeper staff also came by and spent a morning with us – Waterkeeper Jule Schultz; Water Protector Katlyn Scot; and River Cleanup and Outreach Lead Liv Kindl.
Classroom time was followed by field trips. Monday, we travel to the Turnbull Wildlife Refuge near Cheney where we met with a USFWS person who took us on a short hike in the Refuge and afterwards gave us a tour of their Wildlife Educational building. Tuesday, we traveled south of Spokane to Spangle then to the Hanging Tree Monument. There we met Spokane Tribal member Ricky Sherwood Jr. who told the story of what happened there in 1858 to Yakama Sub-Chief Qualchan and other warriors.
There was a Fly Fishing 101 course Thursday morning and then we practiced casting in the gym with specially designed rods meant to teach timing. Friday was spent casting real 9-foot-long fly rods with yarn on the end of the line instead of a fly. Casting a nearly weightless object and placing it where you want it is not as easy as it looks! It was incredibly heartwarming to see the young ones learn the basics and do it well.
On Saturday we traveled to Clear Lake west of the town of Medical Lake for some fishing. My fishing buddy Dan helped us gain access to the military resort on the lake. He, along with the other camp leads helped a few campers actually catch their first fish on the fly. We returned to the MLK Center for a catered dinner. Each camper was then given a certificate of completion by the program leads.
Thanks again, to the Empire Health Foundation and the North East Community Center ZONE for providing the necessary funding so that we could offer this camp totally free. Thanks to them, each camper received a camp t-shirt, their own binder and a copy of black nature photographer Dudley Edmonson’s latest book People the Planet Needs Now. The book tells the individual stories of others across the country who look like us, who are working to protect their neighborhoods from toxic waste dumping, and protecting our natural world. Thanks to the Black Lens for publishing our story and for promoting the camp. Also, a special thanks to Heather Hodson-Neufield with iFishiBelong for all of her behind the scenes work and providing a cozy home for two of our camp leads.
We owe a great deal of thanks to the parents who signed their youth up and faithfully delivered and picked them up each day–it starts with you! And, a huge, heartfelt thanks to the tireless efforts of MLK Executive Director Freda Gandy, her assistant Kamryn Richardson and the entire staff of the center.
Community engagement is one of the most valued mission pillars of the Ubuntu Fly Anglers Network. We are dedicated to embracing, educating and supporting the current and next generation of fly anglers and environmental activists who look like us. What a pleasure it was! This was the first but not the last of what we plan to be an annual event in Spokane. Dreams do come true!
Dr. Bartlett is a retired educator. He retired from Gonzaga University in 2007 and Eastern Washington University in 2020.