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March 29, 2024 3:23 am

UMO hosts Outdoor and Wildlife Symposium

As part of an Outdoor and Wildlife Symposium hosted at the University of Mount Olive, students learned how to tie their own flies for fishing.

MOUNT OLIVE – The University of Mount Olive recently hosted the first-ever Outdoor and Wildlife Symposium at the UMO Kornegay Student Farm in Duplin County.

The event was sponsored by the University of Mount Olive School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences and the First Bank and Trust Company of Virginia in cooperation with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. More than 80 students from Triton High School in Harnett County, Lumberton High School in Robeson County, Richlands High School in Onslow County and Clayton High School in Johnston County attended the event.

Attendees participated in various courses including outdoor cooking, fly tying, archery, leather making and mammals and reptiles. Experts in multiple fields from the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission served as instructors for the various breakout sessions.

Participants received hands-on training to expand their knowledge and appreciation of North Carolina’s natural resources. Those in attendance also gained insight into the industry’s career opportunities and agricultural degree programs at the University of Mount Olive.

Participants in the outdoor cooking workshop prepared brownies in a cardboard oven heated with only seven charcoal briquettes, fish cooked in a foil packet, and venison sloppy joes. Students enjoyed sampling their primitive cooking at the end of the workshop.

, said, “There are unlimited opportunities for students interested in wildlife and natural resources to work in enforcement, state and national parks, forestry, and education. UMO’s Environmental and Natural Resources BS degree is an excellent academic choice to prepare students for these career pathways,” said Dr. Mickael Cariveau, associate professor in the UMO Environmental and Biological Sciences Department.

— From University of Mount Olive Public Relations