Most of us have seen the CBS television show “Survivor” that pits people against one another in nature while trying to survive in less-than-ideal conditions (in places such as Guatemala, Samoa and secluded spots in Africa).
If a contestant is in real danger, of course, one of the program’s crewmembers makes sure they’re OK – so it’s not really a matter of life of death. In the end, the last man or woman standing wins $1 million.
Missouri has its own version of Survivor, and you can learn how to win in nature through a class hosted by the Missouri Department of Conservation called Emergency Outdoor Preparedness. The teacher is MDC outdoors skills specialist and Houston native Brian Flowers.
“This class deals with the basics of how to find shelter, build a fire, find water, identify edible plants, those type of things,” Flowers said. “It’s been equated to Survivor, but most people don’t spend the night out there.”
Not on purpose, anyway.
“It happens sometimes,” Flowers said. “Of course, there a lot of people who enjoy spending a few days and nights out there.”
Emergency Outdoor Preparedness is one of many classes taught by Flowers and offered by the MDC. “My job is to teach conservation through the hands-on teaching of outdoor skills,” he said. “We teach the shooting sports – rifle, pistol and shotgun – and we teach archery. We also teach all the fishing activities – from basic fishing classes to the more advanced fishing techniques – and we teach camping, backpacking and canoeing.
“We teach folks how to be safe and responsible and how to appreciate conservation and enjoy the outdoors when participating in outdoor skills.”
There are numerous classes taught at MDC venues around the state, and a list is available online at mdc.mo.gov. Perhaps the most important classes deal with hunting and guns – classes that could literally be a matter of life and death.
“These courses are designed to teach folks how to be safe and responsible with firearms and give them those skills that they need to handle firearms safely in the field,” Flowers said. “We teach them everything from how to load and unload firearms safely, to crossing a fence, to how to be safe in a tree stand.”
Mandatory classes for hunters in Missouri started in 1988.
HHS graduate Brian Flowers has worked for the Missouri Department of Conservation for 14 years.
“Our program has been very successful in reducing the number of hunting incidents,” Flowers said. “These incidents have dropped considerably.”
By “incidents,” Flowers really means “accidents,” right? No, not even close.
“We use the term incident because we feel like they were all preventable,” Flowers said. “An accident maybe implies that it was not preventable, but if folks will follow the basic safety rules, then they are preventable.”
Although these are usually male-dominated endeavors, more women are getting involved all the time, and there are classes designed specifically for them.
“A lot of times they just enjoy learning around other women,” Flowers said. “We see different kinds of folks from various backgrounds covering a range of ages in our programs. There was a time that there seemed to be a disconnect, and these things weren’t being passed along to children. But now we’re seeing more parents and grandparents getting involved and wanting to bring their kids to classes, to brush up on their own skills and teach their children.”
Flowers has been with the MDC for 14 years. He’s an avid outdoorsman who loves to hunt wild turkeys and fish for trout and smallmouth bass. After he graduated from Houston High School (where he lettered in football and golf), he earned a degree in natural resources and recreation management from the University of Missouri in 1994.
But Flowers’ love for nature blossomed long before that.
“I can remember picking up books at the library about Missouri fish and wildlife when I was in the first grade,” he said. “And being in the Ozarks, we had a lot of opportunities to hunt and fish and enjoy the outdoors.”
Now Flowers is one of the lucky few in life whose work is also his love.
“Missouri has so much to offer in the way of fishing and hunting and other outdoor activities, and Missourians care deeply about those type of things,” Flowers said. “They care deeply about their connection with the land. Naturalist Aldo Leopold, who was from Wisconsin and known as the father of modern wildlife management during the ’20s and ’30s, said if conservation would work anywhere in this world, it would work in Missouri because Missourians have such a great connection to the land.
“And that’s still true today.”
Jefferson City Magazine writer Tom Loeffler and MDC photographers contributed to this story.