THE 2026 YOUTH WILDLIFE CONSERVATION EXPERIENCE (YWCE) IS ONCE AGAIN TAKING PLACE AT THE RENO-SPARKS CONVENTION CENTER ON JANUARY 24, 2026
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The Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE) takes place annually at WSF’s premiere fundraising event and convention, The Sheep Show, in Reno, Nevada. This program, run by WSF Youth Education Coordinator Dr. Ryan Brock, has seen attendance grow annually.
The 2026 Youth Wildlife Conservation Experience (YWCE) will take place at the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on January 22-24, 2026. School groups will attend a private experience on January 22nd and 23rd, which will include wildlife conservation presentations, outdoor career seminars, and hands-on educational inspiration for encouraging youth to get outside through taking up or furthering their knowledge and skills in a variety of outdoor hobbies. On January 24, we open the YWCE to the public, for FREE. The goal is simple, to excite and inspire the next generation of outdoor enthusiasts.
Bring your family down to the Reno-Sparks Convention Center on January 24th for hours of educational fun. Event runs from 10 am to 4 pm. This is the youth component of the Sheep Show, which occurs just down the hallway. A parent who brings a youth to the YWCE can receive a wristband to get into the Sheep Show exhibit hall for free.
Over 40 hands-on stations for youth, including: kayak pool, duck calling, hover archery, trap archery, 3D archery, stick-it archery, BB gun range, Laser Shot, rock climbing wall, soil tunnel, nature crafts, CSI Wildlife, hands-on hides/skulls, taxidermy, science of darting wild sheep, make plaster tracks, telemetry, fly tying, Operation Game Thief trailer, tour amazing bass fishing boats, casting challenges, learn to fletch arrows, entomology (try eating bugs), and more!
SPECIAL KEY NOTE PRESENTATIONS
Saturday, January 24
Main Stage YWCE from 12:00 – 12:15
Seeing is Believing! Insights into the Secret Lives of Desert Bighorn Sheep
Dylan G. Stewart, Department of Rangeland, Wildlife and Fisheries Management, Texas A&M University,
Travel through a visual journey from the eyes of desert bighorn sheep of Sonora, Mexico…literally! Thanks to cutting-edge GPS animal tracking technology, Dylan will share rare and captivating video footage of the secret lives and daily adventures of bighorn sheep.
Saturday, January 24
Main Stage YWCE from 1:15 - 1:45
Wild Sheep and Wildlife Conservation
Ryan Brock, Ph.D. Youth Education Coordinator for the Wild Sheep Foundation
Come learn about the unique adaptations and fascinating facts of the different species of wild sheep located in North America. Next, Ryan will discuss some of the many conservation efforts that are being done to put and keep wild sheep on the mountains for all of us to enjoy.