MISSOURI — Often, being resourceful is the key to success in outdoor pursuits.  One never knows when they might need to create something out of nothing for comfort or survival.  The key to concurring such obstacles might just be some rope or cord, and a bit of knowledge.

The Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) wants to help you prepare for any potential outdoor challenge.  MDC’s August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center will hold a Knots and Lashings program Tuesday, July 19 from 5:30-7:30 p.m.  It will teach helpful—maybe even essential—skills.  Whether you go camping or floating, hiking or hunting, learning how to create knots and using them to make useful things is important for outdoor adventurers.

The program will cover different types of knots and what can be built with them using branches. Instructors will build items using rope and branches and discuss the different uses and materials needed.  Students will learn a brief history of lashing through the ages then learn how to tie a clove hitch, a tripod lashing, and a square lashing. They will also learn the many uses of tripods for camping and wilderness survival.  The class will help outdoor enthusiasts of all experience levels become “outdoor MacGyvers”.

“This program will teach various knots and how to use them lashing branches together to make useful outdoor items,” said MDC’s Busch Outdoor Education Center Manager, Bryant Hertel.  “Lashing is good to know if you ever get stranded in the woods.”

Knots and Lashings is a free program open to ages 9 and up.  Online preregistration at https://short.mdc.mo.gov/4S5 is required to attend.

The August A. Busch Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center is located at 3550 Route D in Defiance, approximately five miles west of Highway 94.