The campy 1980s fantasy classic “Willow” was one of my favorite movies growing up. I’d think it’s more so my brother’s favorite in the genre, as he often quotes a number of the memorable lines from it whenever he feels I need to be put in check on the water or in the field. Beyond those jabs in the film which have become cult classics among its fans, however, there’s an endearing and enlightening moment in the show where the town wizard, known as the High Aldwin, is seeking an apprentice and holds up his hands to the candidates, including the title character, asking each of them in which finger lies the power to control the universe. When at the end of the line, each one of them is disheartened to learn that the finger they selected from his 10 digits was not the correct one.

After the ceremony, Willow asks the High Aldwin about the test, and states that he really thought he should choose his own finger. The High Aldwin explains that indeed was the correct answer before the movie’s main adventure begins.

The same is true in the outdoors. Your own fingers, your own hands, your own intuition guide you on your adventures and provide the tools to make them what you wish them to be. The time you put in, the training you undertake, the practice you repeat over and over again — be it tying flies, target shooting, hiking, scouting, working out, running, or whatever it takes — prepares you for each expedition and the challenges and opportunities it presents. What’s more, those efforts and your ideas to make the outdoors better are controlled by you, and in places where you see a lacking — youth outdoors programs, limited habitat, minimal or no access to huntable areas or fishable waters — can all be changed by your ideas and your work.

But perhaps the greatest benefit of concerned hunters and anglers who start a shooting sports program, a fishing mentorship course, an insect identification class, a pollinator planting system or any other endeavor that bolsters our hunting, fishing and conservation heritage in the upper Midwest, is that it inspires others. Not just those who enroll as students in such a curriculum, but those around it that see those people learn, grow and become successful, building on the lessons learned and spreading the benefits of a program you create. For it is that success that is contagious, and in a very good way.

From one program comes another, and another, and another. The mentored pheasant hunt becomes an add-on waterfowl day. The fly tying and lure making course becomes an on-the-water experience. The track identification class becomes an in-the-field lesson in predator hunting or trapping. From your initial efforts springs forth a world of possibilities and the inspiration for additional efforts of others who either participate or observe and then wonder “in what direction can I point my finger and make a difference in my community, in conservation, or in the worlds of hunting and fishing?”

Beyond belief in yourself and a little bit of planning, it really doesn’t take much to make a difference and get the ball rolling into something bigger. It could be a set of old rods with some slip floats and the establishment of an annual or monthly fishing day at a stocked community pond. Whether backed by a local organization or done of your own accord, pointing the way toward a better environment and opportunities to explore it comes down to you and selecting the right finger to direct the future … of our outdoors.