TELL CITY, Indiana - The Hoosier Division of the $8.8 million Wal-Mart Bass Fishing League® will visit the Ohio River in Tell City, Indiana, June 28 for the third of five regular-season events. As many as 200 boaters and 200 co-anglers are expected to compete in the tournament, which will award as much as $45,000 in cash, including a top award of $6,000 in the Boater Division.

The Lincoln Longbeards Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will host a Women in the Outdoors event, June 21, at the Spencer County Memorial Forest in Fulda.

"Here's your chance to rekindle old outdoor interests or learn new skills, said Women in the Outdoors regional coordinator Cindy Spillman. "You don't have to be in tip-top shape or handy with an ax. This event is a chance to spread your wings and try something new in a beautiful outdoor environment." Women in the Outdoors events are open to females age 14 and older. Expert instructors will teach outdoor skills such as self defense, basic handgun use and safety, recreational shooting, scrap booking, outdoor photography and outdoor cooking. The day's activities cost $40. Registration deadline is June 16.

For the third year in a row, the Indiana State Fair will feature a free fishing pond to help children learn how to fish. The DNR needs various types of volunteers to make this effort a success once again. Each volunteer will receive a free fair ticket for each day they work and a T-shirt to wear for their shift. No experience is necessary.

Selected fishing regulations at 145-acre Starve Hollow Lake in Jackson County will be relaxed to encourage fishing and enhance sport-fishing opportunities during the summer, starting May 23.

All size limits for fish in the lake, which is located in Starve Hollow State Recreation Area, will be waived and bag limits will be doubled.

"It's too hot!"
"It doesn't look cool."
"I know how to swim."
"Nothing is going to happen to me. "

Hoosiers can come up with every excuse to not wear a life jacket. But the truth is, it is imperative that you wear a life jacket at all times while you are on the water. So, the DNR is partnering with the National Safe Boating Council and the United States Coast Guard to encourage you to WEAR IT INDIANA!! You will hear public service announcements on tv and radio encouraging you to use your life jacket while boating or recreating near the water this summer. Indiana Conservation Officers will also carry the message statewide to boaters as they launch and recover their watercraft at selected ramps during high boating weekends.

Spring Mill State Park hosts its annual heirloom plant and seed exchange SundayApril 27, from 1 to 5 p.m. Park visitors are invited to bring their heirloom plants or seeds to the pioneer village to trade them for seedlings grown in the pioneer garden.

The Indiana spring hunting range will remain the same as in 2007 with 91 of 92 counties open to spring turkey hunting. Henry is now the only county closed during the spring turkey season. The DNR released turkeys in Henry County in 2004, but there were several early mortalities among the released birds. "The Henry County closure will allow additional time for these turkey flocks to grow," Backs said.

Indiana DNR wildlife research biologist Steve Backs expects about 60,000 hunters will take to Hoosier woods and fields for the 2008 Indiana spring turkey hunting seasons, resulting in a harvest of between 11,000 and 13,000 birds.

Get ready for spring fishing by learning how to make the most of your catch. The Purdue Cooperative Extension Service is presenting three fish cleaning and preparation workshops this spring. Learn fish filleting skills and practice your technique. Discover practical methods and recipes to improve the quality and taste of common Indiana fish species while sampling some delicious fish dishes. Gain a better understanding of what the Indiana fish consumption advisory means to you and your family.

Adult largemouth bass numbers have nearly doubled since 1980 in northern Indiana natural lakes and there are more big bass now, according to DNR Division of Fish and Wildlife fisheries biologist Jed Pearson.

The Big Oaks Conservation Society and Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge host the fourth annual Outdoor Women at Big Oaks National Wildlife Refuge in Madison, Saturday, June 7. Outdoor Women at Big Oaks is an event designed to offer women a non-competitive atmosphere in which to gain skills in the out-of-doors.

Bainbridge Island, Washington - The top names in Fly Fishing have joined forces together to put togther a world-class fly fishing outfit as a fundraiser for Trout Unlimited-Alaska to help with their efforts protecting the Bristol Bay watershed.