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The Trailblazer Adventure Program will hold a Trailblazer Adventure Expo Challenge during the first annual North Texas Outdoor Expo at Elm Fork Shooting Sports in Dallas on November 14.  Kids 17 and under get in free and adults can get in for $5 dollars.  Parking cost $5 dollars. For more information about the event, visit www.outdoorexpo.blogspot.com. 

Trailblazer Adventure, a program of the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance Foundation (USSAF), is designed to introduce families to outdoor activities and promote an outdoor lifestyle.  Thousands of youth and their families will participate in the upcoming Trailblazer Adventure Expo.  Youth are invited to participate in activities including archery, shooting, and fishing. Attendees will also learn about hunting dogs and wildlife conservation, as well as leading a healthy and active life. 

“Trailblazer Adventure Expo Challenge allows youth to go to each village and experience many different new and exciting  activities,” said Derrek Shively, USSAF director of education.  “Youth get their form signed by each village, and upon turning it in they receive the complementary Trailblazer Adventure patch and are entered into a drawing for a bb gun, or fishing pole combo.”

The USSAF Trailblazer Adventure Program has been honored with the Take Pride in America® award by the Dept. of Interior for its leadership in recruiting youth and families to the experiences of hunting and fishing and for teaching them about outdoor activities and conservation. The USSAF is one of the Take Pride in America Charter Partners, who work to improve public lands, historic sites and other recreation areas.

Trailblazer is also endorsed by the National Shooting Sports Foundation’s (NSSF) STEP OUTSIDE Program and NSSF is a major sponsor.

Groups involved include the Youth Target Foundation, Start Caring Wellness, and the Texas Parks and Wildlife.  Other event sponsors include Dallas Safari Club and Bass Pro Shops. 

“These partners give young people the chance to experience a variety of outdoor activities including firearms, fishing, and wildlife management and many other conservation education programs,” said Shively.  “Trailblazer’s success is possible because of the many groups working together to give this opportunity to youth and their families.”

Youth-serving partnerships include:  Boy Scouts of America, Girl Scouts of the USA, Campfire USA, Big Brothers Big Sisters, Boys and Girls Club, Girls Incorporated and YMCA.

Conservation organization partnerships include: National Shooting Sports Foundation, Masters of Foxhounds Association, Fur Takers of America, National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), its state chapters and the NWTF JAKES program, Ohio Division of Wildlife, West Virginia Division of Natural Resources- Wildlife, Wild Sheep Foundation, ESPN BASS, Kentucky Fur Takers Association, Safari Club International Foundation, Safari Club International Golden Gate Chapter, United Taxidermist Association (UTA), Hidden Haven Hunting Preserve, local sportsmen’s clubs, and the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit.

Special partnerships: Three of the aforementioned organizations have signed agreements to provide leadership at Trailblazer events.  These groups are the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), its state chapters, and the NWTF JAKES program, BASS, and the United Taxidermy Association.

Also indispensable to the success of Trailblazer are generous financial sponsors including the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies, Ohio Division of Wildlife, Bushnell Performance Optics, Cabela’s, Charles Daly and the Crosman Corporation.

Additional support: The Lee and Ramona Bass Foundation, Shikar-Safari Club International Foundation, Mrs. Mary A. Cabela, William H. Flowers Jr. Foundation, Alan & Barbara Sackman, McBean Family Foundation, Bicknell Fund, Hampe Family Foundation, Inc., Mr. Richard C. Hampe, JCK  Foundation, U.S Fish and Wildlife Service, West Virginia Trophy Hunters Association, and the Big Game Hunters Foundation.

For more information about the Trailblazer Adventure program, e-mail trailblazer@ussportsmen.org or visit www.trailblazeradventure.org.

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