PINEWOOD, S.C. The South Carolina Waterfowl Association’s Gary Dietrich Wildlife Apprentice Program is a 2-year graduate program with the goal of improving habitat management throughout the Southeast. For one of the apprentices, his time with SCWA has come full circle.

Riley Robino of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, is one of the program’s newest apprentices. Robino attended Camp Woodie at eleven years old and was invited back for his first duck hunt. He harvested his first duck and became hooked. Robino quickly realized that he wanted to work for a duck club, so he attended Clemson University and received his degree in Wildlife and Fisheries. Between summers, he worked for Camp Woodie as a shooting instructor and learned about the Gary Dietrich Wildlife Apprentice Program.

Robino said, “I am so grateful for the opportunity to learn more about what I love to do. I hope to be able to turn my passion into a full-time profession.”

SCWA’s Habitat Manager, Blake Huddleston, shared, “What goes on behind the scenes is a lot more than what people suspect when they arrive to hunt. We need more habitat managers so we can continue educating others on why conservation is so important and what that exactly means.”

To find out more about the Gary Dietrich Wildlife Management Apprentice Program, please go to our website https://scwa.org/about/.

The South Carolina Waterfowl Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that exists to enhance and perpetuate South Carolina’s wildlife heritage through education and habitat conservation.