Baztec Fishing & Outdoors

About

Baztec Fishing & Outdoors provides underserved and underrepresented communities access to outdoor activities by offering free education programs, workshops, and seminars to bilingual and BIPOC youth in Minnesota through community outreach.

Categories Program Adaptive Sports BIPOC Children & Youth Educational / Vocational

Program Details

Baztec Fishing & Outdoors mission and goal is to create safe green spaces for BIPOC youth to enjoy fishing events and other engaging educational outdoor activities.

Our BIPOC outdoor programs consist of a series of fishing events, seminars, and workshops that help to educate participants on rod and reel anatomy, proper knot tying, appropriate casting techniques, identifying fish species, and various fishing techniques to help catch and harvest specific fish species.

Each event is designed to cover a range of topics intended to enhance participants’ understanding of fishing and aquatic resource management. Key educational topics include:

Minnesota Fishing Rules and Regulations: An overview of the state’s fishing regulations, including harvest and possession limits as well as specific rules governing different types of fishing.
Fish Ecology and Techniques: How the ecology of different fish species affect fishing strategies. This includes discussions on techniques and tools tailored to catch and land specific fish species.
Preventing the Spread of Aquatic Invasive Species: Best practices for identifying and preventing the spread of aquatic invasive species. This includes practical steps anglers can take to protect the state’s aquatic ecosystems.
Fishing Access and Resources: Information on fishing locations and resources for finding accessible fishing locations in Minnesota.
Angler Etiquette: Being courteous to other anglers, respectful treatment and handling of the fish, and care for the environment.
Resource Management: Educating anglers on the benefits of fishing to support the management of Minnesota's aquatic resources and ways to uphold these efforts.

Additionally, each event is followed by a questionnaire that gathers feedback used to refine the content and delivery of future events.

In the future, Baztec Fishing and Outdoors plans to expand its offerings by introducing new and exciting outdoor activities, including combined camping and fishing excursions as well as hunting, archery, hiking, birding, kayaking, canoeing, and biking.

Services Offered

Community Outreach
Youth Fishing Programs
Family Fishing Programs
Adult BIPOC Fishing Programs
Seminars
Workshops
Birding
Hiking
Hunting

Staff Composition
1 Executive Director - male, BIPOC, bilingual
4 Professional Staff - 3 males, 1 female. All are BIPOC and bilingual

Cost to Participate
All of our organizations’ fishing and outdoor education programs and activities are free to participants and community members.

Contact Ray Ruiz — Executive Director ray@baztecfo.org (612) 296-2641 Website

Two youths and two adults proudly hold up fishing poles as they stand on a wooden dock overlooking the lake on a partly sunny day. A forest surrounds the lakes’ borders in the background, with deep green trees lining the horizon. Everyone smiles for the picture, and the two youths are giving a thumbs-up sign.

Standing on a wooden dock overlooking the lake, three children grasp their fishing poles, with two of them showing off the small fish they caught. In the background, a photographer peers at the children from behind their camera with a smile on their face.

Under an overcast sky, a large group of adults wearing fishing hats stand around a long rectangular table covered with a red tablecloth. On the table are fishing materials that the participants are using to learn how to bait hooks. The area they are in is lush with greenery, from the grass they stand on to the tall trees that frame the background.

On an overcast day, a group of nine youths and adults stand in a line along the rocky, grassy bank of a lake. They cast their fishing poles and wait patiently for fish to bite. Some are fishing individually while some adults are paired with youth, instructing them on how to cast. Tall, verdant trees in the background can be seen from a distance.

An older man in a wheelchair holds up a small fish and fishing pole, with a bearded Baztec staff member crouching behind the man and smiling in encouragement. They are both on a dock, with several people in the background gathered at the dock’s edge. The sky is overcast with clouds, but that doesn’t stop participants from enjoying the lake scenery.

Under a clear blue and sunny sky, a group of youth and Baztec staff pose as they smile for a photo. They stand on a wood dock with the lake spanning out behind them; the orange and brown trees in the far distance show signs of the autumn season.

Baztec Fishing & Outdoors Collaboration with Minnesota Law

Recent Case Studies

People walk along a gravel path with benches and a waterway in the background.

Place

Muscota Marsh

The restoration of Muscota Marsh in New York City created public waterfront access through land owned by Columbia University while restoring habitat, increasing biodiversity, and improving stormwater management.

People walking and riding bicycles on a path with tall grass on either side of the path and mountains in the background.

Place

Story Mill Community Park

Encompassing 60 acres, Story Mill includes 40 acres of nature preserve with restored wetlands, aspen groves, open meadows, and the East Gallatin River, and 20 acres offering educational and recreational opportunities to engage community members and accommodate gatherings.

Nighttime aerial view shows the illuminated park with a crowd of people sitting on the lawn and the city skyline in the background.

Place

SoundScape Park

The space was transformed from a parking lot into a multi-use park that hosts a busy schedule of social events, including world-class audio-visual experiences, concerts, and film screenings.