Public invited to grand opening on September 6
Alabama’s newest community archery park will hold its grand opening on Friday, September 6, 2019, at Pike County Public Fishing Lake located at 200 Pike County Lake Rd., near Troy, Alabama. The event will take place at 10 a.m. The public and media are invited to attend.
The archery park will be open year-round during the lake’s operational hours for recreational shooting, competitive tournaments and outdoor educational programming. The facility features an eight-target adult range from 15 to 50 yards and a four-target youth range of 5 to 20 yards.
Dan Smith, Director of Troy Parks and Recreation, encourages residents of the Wiregrass and central Alabama to visit and utilize the new archery park.
“We are very proud to have this archery park at Pike County Lake,” Smith said. “There are many avid hunters in Pike County and central Alabama who can use this facility to sharpen their archery skills before bow season. Additionally, our local school systems have a number of students who compete in the National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP). This park offers a great opportunity for those students to practice for the various state and local tournaments each year.”
Troy Parks and Recreation plans to offer a series of archery classes for all ages in the future. For more information, call (334) 566-4031.
Jonathan Thompson, a former NASP archery coach for the Banks School in Pike County, echoes Smith’s enthusiasm for Troy’s new archery park.
“Since the day archery was implemented at Banks, I saw students improve in multiple areas,” Thompson said. “Their overall skill level and confidence improved very quickly after entering the sport. Even their social skills improved. Archery is also a lifelong sport that students can participate in even after graduation.”
Thompson, who is currently a Health Education, Physical Education, and Adapted Physical Education Specialist with the Alabama Department of Education, also sees the new archery park as an excellent way to offer people of all abilities access to outdoor recreation.
“This archery park will be a great resource for getting kids, families, and the community outside to participate in a common interest,” Thompson said. “I feel the park will bring families and the community closer together and provide an opportunity for everyone, no matter their ability level, to experience personal fulfillment.”
Use of the archery park is free for those under 16 years of age or over 65. Alabamians ages 16 to 64 must have a hunting license, fishing license, Wildlife Management Area (WMA) license, or Wildlife Heritage license to use the range. For non-residents, an annual WMA license or non-resident hunting license is required. Licenses are available from various local retailers or online at www.outdooralabama.com.
Pike County joins 16 other community archery parks currently in operation throughout the state. These facilities are one component of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ (ADCNR) effort to increase awareness and participation in the life skill of archery.
The new archery park was made possible by the following agencies and organizations: The City of Troy, the Archery Trade Association and ADCNR’s Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries with funding through hunting license sales and federally matched Pittman-Robertson Act funding.
For more information about Alabama’s community archery parks, visit www.outdooralabama.com/activities/archery-parks.
For more information about Pike County Public Fishing Lake, call (334) 674-2480.
The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through four divisions: Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR, visit www.outdooralabama.com.
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