In recognition of International Women’s Day, we spoke with BCWF Vice President, Darlene Clark, on why being a woman in the outdoors community is so important to her and why she has taken an active role encouraging other women to embrace an outdoor lifestyle.
I am excited to see more and more women participating in hunting and angling. It’s a great opportunity to spend quality time with your family in nature. Sharing in the excitement of catching fish or harvesting your first game animal to provide food for your family is the most exciting opportunity a women could experience. We love passing on the knowledge we have to young family members so they can share in that experience.
My late husband was a hunter and angler, so we joined the local fish and game club as a family, kids included, and we all got involved in competitive shooting. It was the beginning of a life-long journey for me as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated space. I became a club official and took on dozens of roles over the years and now I am a Vice President of the B.C. Wildlife Federation.
My husband was not the type to take on political challenges, but he supported me when I took on roles with the club. I am the kind of person that jumps in, gets involved and help if I can. It’s been challenging sometimes as a woman working with so many men, but I’m up for the challenge and have persevered.
The more women get involved, the more families will get involved in the outdoor life and join the community of hunters and anglers. Women offer a different perspective on things and having them on board or organizations creates a more diverse discussion.
At my local fish and game club I served as a director and a committee chair and then became club president for 10 years. I ran for the BCWF Region board of Directors and was the Firearms Committee chair and successfully ran for Region President. I really felt that was a place I felt I could do a lot to help with fish and wildlife conservation.
I served in many roles, but I spend 10 years as coordinator of BCWF’s Becoming an Outdoors Woman program (then BOW, now Women Outdoors Weekend, or WOW). I took a few years off after my husband passed, but I knew the BCWF was where I needed to be and came back as a director, now a VP and in my second tour as CORE Committee chair.
When I first got involved in conservation you did not find many women in leadership roles. At one time there were three women on the board with about 20 men. At one time when we felt overlooked, we bought fluorescent t-shirts and wore them to the board meeting. We were well noticed after that.
If you are new to hunting and angling, or you need a new challenge, join your local fish and game club. You will soon learn about the great conservation work they do and find exciting ways to contribute. You will also find experienced people who share your interests. Form a women’s meet-up to share your experiences, gain confidence and then the sky is the limit.
As a woman who participates on many levels with hunting, angling and conservation organizations, I am very pleased and proud to see more women participating in hunting and angling.
It was thrilling for me as the BOW Coordinator to have a single mom with two small sons taking the fishing session so she could learn how to tie and bait a hook so she could take her kids fishing. It was great to see her excitement when she caught a fish and shared the experience with her sons over the phone.
Start out small. The BCWF organizes loads of programs for women who want to get started or hone their skills.