The numbers are in, and the Arizona Game and Fish Department’s 2010 Outdoor Expo drew 32,000 people last weekend at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix.
The March 27-28 event gave the public an opportunity to learn about wildlife-related and outdoor recreation activities, including wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, archery, shooting sports, camping, and off-highway vehicle and boating recreation.
“We offer this event each year to introduce or reconnect people with the amazing outdoor resources and activities available in our state,” said Assistant Director Ty Gray. “About 60 percent of our visitors this year were first-time attendees.”
People were also able to visit with more than 100 exhibitors, including sportsmen’s and conservation organizations, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services.
The Gold Sponsor for this year’s Outdoor Expo was the American Red Cross, Grand Canyon Chapter. Silver Sponsors were Weatherby Foundation International, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, White Flyer Targets, Winchester Ammunition, and Diamond Ridge Development Corporation (Diamond Ridge partner contributors include Eagle Plumbing Services, Kat CSI Construction Services, Sunshine Painting, and Valleywide Plumbing).
The Arizona Game and Fish Department is operated on a “user pay, user benefit” business model, and the Outdoor Expo promotes wildlife-related and other outdoor activities to current and future customers who support the department’s mission and funding through their engagement in those activities. The department receives no Arizona tax dollars, and no tax dollars were used in conducting the Expo.
Next year’s Outdoor Expo will be held March 26-27, 2011, at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility. More information will be posted at www.azgfd.gov/expo as it becomes available.
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The Arizona Game and Fish Department prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, color, sex, national origin, age, or disability in its programs and activities. If anyone believes that they have been discriminated against in any of the AGFD’s programs or activities, including employment practices, they may file a complaint with the Director’s Office, 5000 W. Carefree Highway, Phoenix, AZ 85086-5000, (602) 942-3000, or with the Fish and Wildlife Service, 4040 N. Fairfax Dr. Ste. 130, Arlington, VA 22203. Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation or this document in an alternative format by contacting the Director’s Office as listed above.
Contact:
Tom Cadden
(623) 236-7392
