Becoming An Outdoors-Woman (BOW) is a program designed to give women introductory experiences and instruction in various outdoor activities. Three-day weekend workshops include classes ranging from outdoor recreational activities to shooting sports to outdoor crafts and hobbies. Program instructors emphasize the basics in instruction while providing information on equipment, associated clubs and/or organizations, and additional training opportunities. Workshops are open to women 18 years and older. Meals, lodging, transportation during workshops, giveaways, and use of class equipment & supplies are all included in the workshop registration fees. Workshops fill up very quickly so keep an eye on this website for updates and workshop registration materials.
JUNE 24, 2020
The Department of Natural Resources is reviewing the possibility of going ahead with the BOW workshop scheduled for September 25-27 at Touch of Nature / Giant City State Park. At this point, the workshop would probably not be the same size as previous workshops and would adhere to all state guidelines established by Gov. Pritzker. More information and updates will follow on this website within the next few weeks.
September 2019 BOW Workshop at Touch of Nature Environmental Center
We had the largest group at this workshop since moving the southern location to Touch of Nature ... 93 participants signed up for the workshop. There are so many events and fun things to do in southern Illinois in the fall that we are really happy with the rising numbers at this workshop. Not to mention, we had more first timers at this workshop than we've had for several years. Good job getting the word out ladies! We had several new instructors join in who maintained our reputation of having top notch instructors at our workshops. THANK YOU to all of our instructors and Touch of Nature staff for assisting with another quality workshop. It's really satisfying to see all of the smiling faces on Sunday when everyone is wrapping up and heading home. Have a great fall season and I hope to see you all at a BOW workshop in 2020!
June 2019 BOW Workshop at Lorado Taft Field Campus
As you can see from the above pic, there were a lot of participants at the June 7-9 workshop......95 to be exact! We received a window of good weather which was out of the ordinary for what northern Illinois had been receiving for the last three months. We certainly had a fun and enthusiast bunch again, not only in the classes but everyone stepping up in the raffle as well. The workshop raffle brought in close to $2,800 for the program. Great job ladies! Registration for the Sept. 27-29 workshop at Touch of Nature in Carbondale, IL will begin sometime in early July. Please pass the word on that and look for the registration materials on this website. I hope all of you participants enjoyed the June workshop as much as I did. THANK YOU to all of our workshop instructors, raffle donors, Lorado Taft staff, and Joel & Taylor for their contribution to this workshop. Hope to see you all at a future Illinois BOW workshop!
