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Northern Michigan University

Program Design RE 362
SAIL Fishing and Plant ID Program Outline

Group Facilitators: Audrey Waterman, Cecilia Bachman, Deanna Leddick, Jeanie Weinrich,
Kaylin Byer and Megan Jakubiak
SAIL Leaders: Maureen Sullivan, Nancy Uschold

SAILs Mission/ Vision: SAIL assists individuals with disabilities and promote accessible Upper
Peninsula communities for all. All individuals with disabilities make their own choices in
communities that provide opportunities and supports to achieve their goals.

Our Mission: Our goal is for SAIL participants to have fun and learn while we facilitate a
program in which participants leave with the basic knowledge of fishing and native plant species
of the Porcupine Mountains.

Program Overview:
We will take participants to the union river campsite to lead a 2 hour program. For the first hour,
the program will include how to bait a hook, how to cast, catch/release practices, fish species,
as well as different types of fishing (fly and bait cast). Once our participants seem ready to move
on to a different activity, (roughly after an hour) we plan on taking them on a guided hike. During
this hike we will periodically stop and talk about plant species in the area.

Location:
Porcupine Mountains, Union River Outpost. The Locations has parking and bathrooms. To get
to the river, participants will have to walk on uneven surfaces. There is a bridge for those who
do not wish to go down on uneven surfaces to the river.

Time/Date:
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Program being delivered April 21st, Friday. If the weather is bad April 28th, Friday. 11:00am to
1:00pm

Intro:
To begin the program, we will hand out name tags for the group members. Seeing that some
participants are non verbal this will help us as well as them. Next we will go into a bit of
information about the area and safety precautions to keep in mind. These precautions will
include being careful around the terrain.

Body:
For the program itself, we will start by talking about who has been fishing before and the
experience that they previously have
gotten. We will start off by talking about the
different types of fishing such as fly and
bait casting. We will next identify the fish
species that they are likely to catch such as
Rainbow trout, (Top Picture) and Brook
trout (Bottom Picture). Rainbow Trout can
be identified by by a muted pink/silver
stripe running down the length of the body.
They can be hard to identify. Brook Trout
can be identified by the white edges of their
pectoral, pelvic and anal fins. They can
also be identified by the yellow squiggly
lines by their dorsal fin. This helps them
with camouflaging. Next we will distribute,
gummy worms and paper clips to
demonstrate how to bait a hook properly. To do this we will slide the worm through its middle
about of the way down the worm. Once everyone has a grasp on how to properly bait the
hook, we will move on to real bait and real worms. To help the process go a bit faster, we will be
using swivels on the end of each line. Once everyone has access to a pole, we will discuss how
to properly cast their bait into the stream. We will let them do that for a couple minutes while
we walk around and help the participants with pointers. We will emphasize that we are strictly
practicing catch and release methods. If anybody happens to catch a fish, we will assist in
taking the fish off the hook and releasing it.
Once/if it seems that the group members are losing interest in fishing, we will ask if anybody
would like to go for a guided hike. Throughout this hike we will talk about the various plants
native to the area. These plants include douglas fir, paper birch, wintergreen, white cedar,
hemlock tree, white pine, balsam fir, and reindeer lichen. To keep participants interested, we
have created a bingo sheet with all of the plants and pictures on it. Each person will be given a
sheet with the same plants but with a different order. Once a participant gets three in a row, they
can raise their hand and receive a piece of candy! If they dont end up with a full card by the end
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of the hike, we will offer candy anyways. As well as to the participants who chose to opt out of
the hike. With accessibility being an issue, the hike will be short with many breaks in between to
talk about the various species of plants.

Knowledge of participants:
How many: Estimated 6-10
Age: Mid 30s to late 60s
Skill levels:
Accessibility:

Maslows
Needs:
Physiological:
Bathrooms on site
Water will be provided
Food will be brought by participants
Blankets and hot water will be
brought due to colder temperatures
Safety
We have 5 Wilderness First
Responders
2 certified lifeguards
The site was chosen due to its easy accessibility
Participants will also have personal helpers with them at all times
Love and Belonging
We aim to create a welcoming environment where everyone feels comfortable
and accepted.
Self-Esteem
We hope that this is a new experience for the participants so that they are trying
a new activity for fun. It doesnt matter if they succeed at catching a fish we hope
they have fun either way.
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Self- actualization
Being able to take a skill away from this experience will hopefully help enable
them to be more independent in their daily lives

Materials:
Gummy worms (Jeanie)
Paper clips (Kaylin)
Real worms (SAIL)
Fishing poles ( SAIL, and Megan-2 Audrey-1 Kaylin-1 Deanna-1)
Chairs (SAIL, and various camping chairs from us)
Name tags (Kaylin)
Case of Water (Audrey)
Bingo sheets (Deanna)
Trash Bags (Jeanie)
Hooks (megan)
Fishing line (megan)
Blankets in case people get cold
Hot water?
First aid kit

Medical Information:
Medical forms: Provided by SAIL
No known allergies

Safety Precautions/ Risk Management:

With the knowledge that accessibility is an issue with some participants, we have chosen a
location that is easy to get to. The terrain is firm and it is easy to access the stream as well as
hiking trails. The site will be examined on the day of the program to determine if any changed
need to be made in order to make the area safer. In the case that ice is still on the hiking trail,
we have many options for hiking all in the same area. To prevent the situation where
participants get too cold, we will have blankets and warm water for tea. There is a risk with
everyone dealing with hooks, therefore, there will be a first aid kit on site. That is also why we
plan on all participants practicing with gummy worms and paper clips. If they do not feel
comfortable dealing with the real hooks, we as facilitators will be walking around to provide any
assistance needed. If they dont want to bait a hook then they do not have to.

Conclusion:
We hope that all participants have a fantastic time and are able to take a lifelong skill away from
the experience. We look forward to working with the group members from SAIL.

Post Program Survey

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1. This program was implemented smoothly and as expected:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

2. This program was enjoyable:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

3. The participants learned independent living skills:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

4. This program fell in line with SAILs missions and goals:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

5. The planning, communication, and events leading up to this program went smoothly:

Strongly Disagree Disagree Neutral Agree Strongly Agree

6. Additional Comments:

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

Thank you!

Information on the tree species: reason why we have many pines: we have sandy soils, pines
do better in more acidic, droughty, and low nutrient soils such as sand. (Sugar maple and
hemlock trees do well in shade)

Flat-needled conifers:
Douglasfir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) -The name literally means false Hemlock
Acts as a natural deer deterrent. Its needles are flat and have two white strips
underneath them, what separates them from Hemlocks are there cones. 3-4 long
Cones hang down
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Balsam Fir (Abies balsamea)- trunks are characteristically scared with resin blisters,
Cones stick straight up and are over 1.5 long
Hemlocks (Tsuga canadensis)- Have short needles and cones that are smaller than 1 long
-cones hang down

Clustered needles:
White pine: Needles in clusters of 5

http://www.michigan.gov/dnr/0,4570,7-153-10370_22664-61596--,00.html#Development

Pine, Spruce or Fir?

Pine= needles are in clusters
Spruce/fir trees= needles are attached individually to branches
Fir needles are flat and cannot be rolled between your fingers
Spruce needles are have four edges and can be rolled
Cedar tree: Deers love cedar trees, they have scale shaped needles, can live for hundreds of
years and are rot-resistant

Paper birch trees (Betula papyrifera)=