What is the Colorado 4-H Sportfishing Program?
This program is a cooperative effort between Extension 4-H educators, Aquatic Resource educators and staffs of state and local management agencies. The Colorado 4-H Sportfishing Program is a youth development program that provides a comprehensive curriculum designed to develop life skills while providing information and motivation to youth and adult audiences interested in sportfishing and/or aquatic resource stewardship.

The Vision and Mission of the Colorado 4-H Sportfishing Program
The vision of this program is to develop life shills in young people and adults while educating them to exercise leadership and support for responsible recreational fishing and stewardship of aquatic resources through an internationally recognized 4-H Sportfishing Program. We believe that this can be accomplished by involving youth in a long-term, on-going, community-based sportfishing and aquatic resources education program.

The Colorado 4-H Sportfishing Program Goals

• To enable diverse youth and adult audiences to develop leadership, self-confidence, personal discipline, critical thinking and other life-skills
• To provide young people and adults with a thorough introduction in fishing skills and safety
• To provide training in the use of sportfishing and related equipment
• To foster responsible fishing behavior
• To foster appreciation, understanding, and commitment to natural resource stewardship
• To provide volunteer training in safe and effective instructional techniques
• To instruct volunteer leaders in planning and managing 4-H fishing programs
• To provide volunteer leaders with knowledge, attitudes and skills to teach 4-H fishing disciplines
• To provide volunteer leaders with youth development background to enable them to become effective mentors and role models
• To provide knowledge of the ecological and social bases of fisheries management.