Imperial, MO – The Student Air Rifle Program (SAR) is thrilled to expand to Iowa with a sustainable grassroots partnership.

“County Conservation Boards in Iowa, specifically Polk County Conservation, received a REAP-CEP grant to coordinate and offer SAR as part of community programming at the county level”, noted Lewis Major, Naturalist with Polk County Conservation.

“Resource Enhancement and Protection Conservation Education Program (REAP-CEP) grants are coordinated through the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and offer opportunities for organizations to apply for funding based on program needs. Polk County Conservation, along with the other staff from County Conservation Boards that were SAR trained, are now positioned to provide SAR curriculum to students in their communities. We are excited about the opportunity”, added Lewis.

A total of 18 individuals were trained as SAR Basic Air Riflery Instructors (BARI) during the training workshop. Two of the 18 were also trained as Basic Air Riflery Instructor Trainers (BARIT) allowing for more staff to be trained as BARI in the future. The 18 BARI staff members, mainly from County Conservation Boards across IA, represent Cerro Gordo, Jackson, Linn, O’Brien, Polk, Poweshiek, Story, Tama, and Webster counties. In addition, local staff from the Veterans Affairs in Central Iowa were trained.

“We are delighted with the opportunity to partner with passionate individuals in IA to offer SAR to even more students”, mentioned Jake Hindman, President and CEO of SAR. “To start SAR in your state, school, or community, email us at info@studentairrifleprogram.org.”

About the Student Air Rifle Program (SAR):

SAR, developed by the Missouri Youth Sport Shooting Alliance (MYSSA™), is a 501(c)3 nonprofit. SAR uses school aligned units of study, teacher training, universal whistle commands, positive language, and standardized equipment to facilitate an introduction to the lifetime sport of target shooting to school-aged youth in grades 4 through 12. Follow SAR on Facebook and Instagram by searching “Student Air Rifle Program-SAR”.

About Iowa County Conservation Boards:

In 1955, the 56th General Assembly passed the "County Conservation Law" - Chapter 350 of the Code of Iowa (then Chapter 111A). This law created a conservation-outdoor recreation program that was unique at the time, and required the voters of each individual county in Iowa to establish their local county conservation board. In 1956, the first 16 boards were approved, and in 1989 - Allamakee County was added as the state's 99th county conservation board. Today, county conservation boards own and/or manage nearly 200,000 acres of parks, natural areas, preserves and trails in over 1,850 areas across Iowa! The County Conservation Board system has filled a gap that once existed between community-managed public recreation areas and the state's outdoor recreation facilities.

For more information about the Student Air Rifle Program (SAR), visit www.studentairrifleprogram.org.

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