CINCINNATI, Ohio — Olivia Storrs is interested in the outdoors and learning about local foods. Jodi Sparks is getting back to her rural routes. Jemisse Knight wanted to learn something new. All three women took part in the recent Women Sharing the Outdoors event at the Cincinnati Parks’ Caldwell Nature Center.

Women Sharing the Outdoors (WSO), a committee of the Mt. Healthy Izaak Walton League of America Chapter, partnered with the Ohio Dept. of Natural Resources (ODNR) to teach women in a friendly, non-competitive setting, about their kind of local cuisine. 

At three stations, attendees sampled pheasant, venison, and rabbit, all harvested by women, while learning about the history of the game animals and the nutrition of local game.

Also on tap was learning how to fillet a fish and finding animal signs on a hike. 

Storrs said: “I have never filleted a fish before, never even laid my hands on a raw one.”

Sparks has only missed one of the WSO’s previous events; she has taken part in muzzle loading, BB gun, archery, a night walk, crafts, canoeing, and fly fishing sessions. “I used to live in a rural area and I moved to Cincinnati,” she said.

Knight had gone fishing but never filleted a fish, although she had watched her mother do it. “I’ll be 40 in July,” she said. “So my quest is to do 40 new things before I turn 40. Just to keep learning.”

The day started with Erin Morris, retired Cincinnati Park naturalist and a board member of WSO leading the hike.

“We’re not just going to ID the tracks we’re going to learn the story behind them,” Morris told the group. 

She talked about the best time to look for wildlife - early in the morning at sunrise or dusk. She showed them a “ghost tree,” AKA a sycamore, and explained that they grow near water because they drink about twice as much water as other trees.

She showed them how to make a turkey call with an empty yogurt cup and a piece of string and how to imitate the sound of a turkey flapping its wings by brushing a hat cap against your clothing. Finally, she demonstrated how making “owl ears” by cupping your hands around your ears brings in sounds.

Once inside the women were divided into two groups. One group went with Jordan Skates, ODNR Div. of Wildlife (DOW), who first showed them the proper way to hold a live fish so its body is completely supported, and talked about being careful not to wipe off the slime coat. 

Then they got right down to it. Each woman had a crappie to filet; they were fish that the DOW used for research and would be composted. She demonstrated how to filet first, and told them most of the meat was up near the spine, the guts were in the bottom section.

Meanwhile, the other group was listening and tasting. Jon Ankenbauer, DOW, explained how the division develops hunting seasons and regulations and the benefits of that. 

“Sometimes hunters get a bad rap but they are really stewards of the outdoors,” he said. 

As he talked the organizers were bringing out wild game samples for the participants to taste. The meats were simply prepared so the flavor would come through.

The women taking part in the event, as in previous events, were a mixed group of ages, demographics, and skillsets which is just what the organizers wanted, Morris said. 

“Those mixes have been very successful with the camaraderie that’s created and the networking that results,” she said. “These women leave having met new friends and gaining new skills. Sometimes the friend part can be more important than the skill part.”

Linda Bittner and her husband, Todd members of the Mt. Healthy IWLA, are the co-founders of the Women Sharing the Outdoors. They are working on a new website for Mt. Healthy IWLA Chapter which will have a special page dedicated to Women sharing the Outdoors. They’re also developing a social media campaign.

In the meantime, to get on the mailing list for upcoming events email Julie Bittner at feathered.ink@yahoo.com . Note in the subject line: Add Me to WSO Email List.