Becoming an Outdoors Woman

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources announced today registration is open for this winter’s “Becoming an Outdoors Woman” program, which is set for Feb. 22-24 in Marquette County.

This annual winter BOW gathering is for women, 18 and older, who are seeking an opportunity to improve their outdoor skills in a relaxed, noncompetitive atmosphere.

“Registration for this popular program always fills up fast, so don’t delay,” said Michelle Zellar, BOW program coordinator in Newberry. “We’ve had as many as 100 women attend the weekend’s activities.”

The BOW program is sponsored by the DNR and offers instruction in more than a dozen different types of indoor and outdoor activities, including cross-country skiing, archery and arrow building, winter camping and shelter building, ice fishing, fly tying, winter biking, wilderness first aid, wood-burning, snowshoeing and more.

Instructors provide basic and advanced teaching tailored to each participant’s individual ability. The program also includes special evening programs during the weekend.

BOW participants stay and take their classes at the Bay Cliff Health Camp, a universally accessible facility overlooking Lake Superior, which is situated about 30 miles north of Marquette near Big Bay.

Participants will be housed in a dorm-style facility with amenities including a sauna and hiking trails with access to northern hardwood forests and Lake Superior.

The $200 registration fee includes all food and lodging, as well as most equipment and supplies, except as noted in the registration materials. Scholarships are also available on a limited basis.

Class information, registration materials and scholarship applications, are available online to print at michigan.gov/bow. Payment and registration materials should be sent to the address on the registration paperwork in Newberry.

For more information on the winter BOW program, contact Michelle Zellar at the DNR office in Newberry at 906-293-5131 or by e-mail at DNRBOW@michigan.gov.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is committed to the conservation, protection, management, use and enjoyment of the state’s natural and cultural resources for current and future generations. For more information, go to www.michigan.gov/dnr