Union Volunteers make Salt Lake City Area Take Kids Fishing Day a success

Salt Lake City Area Take Kids Fishing Day © Dan Johnson

Salt Lake City Area Take Kids Fishing Day © Dan Johnson

The waters of Fairmont Park Pond were the backdrop for more than 80 young anglers and their families who gathered on June 8, 2019, for the inaugural Salt Lake City Area Take Kids Fishing Day event, a cooperative effort between the Union Sportsmen's Alliance (USA), Utah Building and Construction Trades Council (BCTC) and Salt Lake City Trails and Natural Lands.

Union volunteers from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 354 and International Union of Operating Engineers (IUOE) Local 3 donated their time and expertise to introduce both kids and adults to fishing and make their time on the water a success. Each youth received a free rod and reel courtesy of Pure Fishing, as well as a gift bag with other items including game calls donated by Plano Synergy.

The Salt Lake City-area event was part of a series of free, community-based youth outreach activities organized under Work Boots on the Groundthe USA's flagship conservation program. It was also supported by national conservation partners Provost Umphrey Law Firm, Pure Fishing, Plano Synergy and the Recreational Boating and Fishing Foundation.

The USA supplied all bait and tackle needed for the budding anglers to bring in plenty of rainbow trout and catfish, which are stocked in Fairmont Park's pond by the Utah Division of Wildlife as part of its community fishing program. After the fishing, all participants and their families enjoyed a picnic lunch at no cost.

Local event coordinator, union organizer and IBEW member Brad Baugh said the inaugural Salt Lake City-area event was a resounding success.

"It went very smooth and was well attended," he said. "We had a whole bunch of people who'd never fished or were coming back to fishing after a long absence, so they were really excited about itespecially about being able to take home a new rod and reel. It was great to see grandparents fishing with their grandkids and taking trout home to eat for dinner."

According to Baugh, events like this do far more than make memories in terms of shaping attitudes.

"A lot of times we talk to people who have negative opinions about unions," he said. "When people have such a positive experience with a union-organized event, it helps them realize we're all the same, and that we're good people trying to make a living."

Baugh also said the positive results of this year's event and the smiling faces of all those who participated laid the groundwork for more Take Kids Fishing Days in years to come. "It was our first time, but we're looking forward to doing a lot more," he said.

USA Conservation Manager Robert Stroede estimated that 60 to 70 percent of the participants had never fished before. "Reaching these children is one of the reasons Take Kids Fishing Day events are so important to us," he said. "Because research shows that youth who are introduced to fishing before the age of 14 are more likely to adopt it as a lifelong pastime.

"This is also a great example of what can be accomplished when local labor unions, union volunteers and partners like Salt Lake City Trails and Natural Lands and the Utah Division of Wildlife join forces with the USA and our national supporters to make a difference in the lives of children and their communities," he added.