NEWS
For Immediate Release: 5-29-25
Contact: Ruth Ann Lee
608-358-1708
MOHEE Connects Kids with Nature
Growing more than 300% from the first Midwest Outdoor Heritage Education Expo in 2014, this May’s free MOHEE youth events in Milwaukee and Poynette reached 4,265 students, parent chaperones, and teachers.
Busloads of mostly 4th-7th grade students were treated to nature-based educational activities where they tried first-hand to call wildlife, cast, shoot bows and BB guns, tie flies, work with hunting dogs, identify animal tracks and scat, plus learn about bat species, turtles, forestry, aquatic species, fish cleaning, bowfishing, firefighting, and more.
Friends of Poynette Game Farm had live pheasant chicks and Ducks Unlimited had live ducklings along with key messages about habitat and conservation.
“Everyone had fun and learned a lot again this year,” said Ruth Ann Lee, Executive Director of the Wisconsin-based charitable nonprofit Outdoor Heritage Education Center (www.OHECyes.org) which owns and operates MOHEE. With critical support from dozens of sponsors and more than 100 volunteers we were actually ready to host 4,591 guests that pre-registered, but four Milwaukee schools were no shows. There’s no bigger free outdoor skills field trip in the country that we could find.”
The first MOHEE (pronounced “MO’-hee) in 2014 hosted 1,420 at the Wisconsin Dept. of Natural Resources’ MacKenzie Center in Poynette and was two days, according to OHEC Founder & Chief Volunteer Mark LaBarbera. He said OHEC has continued to offer transportation stipends, but he has seen an increase in bus driver shortages, which can cause last minute cancellations.
OHEC added the Milwaukee event in 2023 at the DNR’s Havenwoods State Forest.
With two venues, plus the growth in attendance and inflation, Lee said OHEC has covered rising costs for transportation by adding sponsors and partners, most recently Pheasants Forever, including its SE Wisconsin and Columbia/Marquette Chapters.
Founding Sponsors who continue to provide major funding include Friends of the Wisconsin Conservation Congress, National Wild Turkey Federation, Dane County Conservation League, Safari Club International’s Badgerland, Wisconsin, and SE WI Bowhunters Chapters. Ongoing funding from Izaak Walton League of America, Wisc. Trappers Assoc., Wings Over Wisconsin’s Coulee, Fox River, Denmark, Black River, Beaver Dam, Northeast, Kettle Moraine, and TriCounty Chapters, plus Wisc. Bowhunters Assoc., Wisconsin Bear Hunters Assoc., Friends of Mackenzie, and Friends of Poynette Game Farm In recent years, NE WI SCI, Wisconsin Wildlife Federation, and Blackhawk Bowhunters have joined Wisconsin Waterfowl Assoc., Manitowoc Co. Fish & Game, Field & Stream Sportsmen’s Club, Pumpkin Center Sportsmen’s Club, 4imprint, NRA Foundation’s Friends of NRA, Lafayette Co. Sportsman Alliance, Dodge Co. Sporting Conservation Alliance, Sally Schoenike, and Mike Fuge in providing funding for the event.
DNR Secretary Karen Hyun and her team attended the Poynette event, continuing the agency’s legacy of supporting environmental education and helping partners recruit, retain, and reactivate license buyers and other outdoor participants, including future conservation leaders and stewards of healthy natural resources.
Hyun and Lee praised DNR staff who work year-round at the MOHEE venues, Havenwoods State Forest in Milwaukee and MacKenzie Center, as well as the DNR fish, wildlife, parks, forestry, law enforcement, and natural heritage conservation professionals who helped introduce MOHEE students, parents, and educators to life-long outdoor activities. They and volunteers from other sporting conservation groups not only create awareness, interest, and opportunities to try these activities, but they also share information about where to go for on-going mentored experiences, safety classes, and “learn to” events.
The first thank you notes that arrived in May from students shared their gratitude and enthusiasm, despite the spelling mistakes:
“Evre thing was SO MUCH FUN!!!” wrote Joyce.
Jackson’s note said, “Thank you again for letting us come.”
“One of my ‘fav’ field trips. Thank you!” wrote another student.
Averie shared, “I’m very grateful that you let us have a blast.”
“We had an awesome field trip! My favriot part there was fish sticks. Also the fire tower and BB guns.”
Brynn wrote, “Thank you for hosting such an amazing event! I loved all the animals and activities.”
And Jacob said, “My favrate thing was the fly fishing and lure making.”
Almost every note from students thanked the volunteers.
Teachers, school administrators, and others who would like to participate in 2026 MOHEE youth events in Poynette May 6-7 and Milwaukee May 13 can email RuthAnn@OHECyes.org.
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About Outdoor Heritage Education Center
OHEC, a 501(c)3 charitable nonprofit organization based in Wisconsin was founded in 1998 by Mark LaBarbera to connect people and resources. OHEC volunteers and donors have helped launch archery and clay target teams in a number of Wisconsin schools along with scholarships, nature trail signage, and FFA career development. OHEC is an active leader in recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) efforts that fit with its mission to help pass along our outdoor heritage to future generations who are losing touch with the natural world, and to increase the public’s understanding, appreciation, and sense of stewardship for natural resources and related activities like fishing, hunting and other shooting sports. For information about its youth expos, Touch of the Wild education trailers, OHEC Mobile Closet, and other conservation and education programs, visit www.OHECyes.org or email questions to RuthAnn@OHECyes.org.
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Photo Credit: R.Lee, OHEC
