WEEKS BAY, Ala. — Weeks Bay Foundation officials are putting the finishing touches on plans for the annual Weeks Bay Kid’s Fishing Day, to be held Saturday, May 3, from 8 a.m. until 2 p.m., at Safe Harbor Pond. Stocked with more than 1,000 pounds of freshwater catfish for the event, the nearly two-acre pond is on U.S. Highway 98, just west of the Fish River Bridge. Signs will be posted to help participants find the site.

“This is our ninth year of doing this. It’s hard to believe,” said Walter Ernest IV, the foundation’s executive director. “It’s a family fun day you can take your children to. We hope to have around 200 kids.”

Anyone age 15 or younger may take part in the informal event. A parent or responsible adult must accompany each junior angler, and they should bring with them a rod and reel, catfish bait, stringer and cooler for the fish. Fishing gear and bait will be provided if needed. Free Cokes and hot dogs will be served, and children will learn how to clean a fish while there.

Full rules will be posted at the pond the day of the event. All kids must register, but there is no charge to take part.

Registration forms are available at the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve Interpretive Center, the main office of Faulkner State Community College in Fairhope and on the Weeks Bay Foundation’s Web site, www.weeksbay.org.

Ernest expects it will be a great experience for parents, and he hopes it will encourage children to spend less time indoors playing electronic games and surfing the Internet.

“Children need to get outdoors,” he said. “That’s a problem today. Children don’t get outdoors, and when they do, they don’t know what to do. There’s more to life than video games.”

Ernest said when he was young, it wasn’t uncommon for kids to build tree houses or forts in their backyards or neighboring woods, but now with more deed restrictions and convenants, that’s often forbidden. He added, “They’re not used to the outdoors, and it’s very important we appreciate our natural resources as residents of Baldwin County. You miss a whole lot of life if you don’t get outdoors.”

Ernest believes making sure that children spend time exploring nature is the first step toward encouraging them to become friends of the environment.

“If you get children involved at an early age, they’ll remember it and they’ll get involved in protecting our resources,” he said. “These children are our future generation — the future stewards.”

Ernest said the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) holds similar fishing days across the state, and they partner with several organizations that are more than willing to help.

He pointed out, “They want to educate folks on what they’re doing to protect the environment, and educate them about Alabama’s natural resources. This event helps us recognize and appreciate our resources. It increases public awareness of the foundation and the reserve. Some may not have any idea what they do at the Weeks Bay Reserve. But, lots of people end up across the street at the Interpretive Center (after they have fished).”

There’s a relatively new national conversation about encouraging children to spend more time outdoors discovering nature and less time inside gripping a mouse or joystick.

Ernest mentioned Last Child in the Woods: SAVING OUR CHILDREN FROM NATURE-DEFICIT DISORDER. The book by Richard Louv describes the phenomenon involving the disconnection between children and nature. Three years after it burst on the scene, it began inspiring “Leave No Child Inside” initiatives throughout the country.

“I’d recommend this book to anyone who has children and loves the outdoors,” he said.

The Weeks Bay Kid’s Fishing Day is well-received each year, according to Ernest. He said, “They always want to come back. They really enjoy it. You see a lot of smiling faces, and they don’t want to leave because they’ve had such a good time. If you roll your window down (when passing by), you can hear them scream when they catch a fish.”

The event is sponsored by the Weeks Bay Foundation, the Weeks Bay National Estuarine Research Reserve, the ADCNR Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries, the ADCNR State Lands Division Coastal Section, the Baldwin County Commission, Wal-Mart in Fairhope, Danny’s Fried Chicken and Coca Cola Bottling Consolidated.

For more information, contact the Weeks Bay Foundation office at (251) 990-5004.