AMES, Iowa--Rick Rosburg gave his son Alex a mounted pheasant for a Christmas gift in 2005. This gift sparked Alex’s interest in taxidermy, so it was only logical that Alex was chosen to be on stage with Outdoors Dan Young for the 4-H Celebrity Showcase on August 11 at the Iowa State Fair.
Young is a radio and television personality who promotes youth involvement in outdoor activities. His main mission is to reach out to kids and encourage then to get involved in the great outdoors.
“I’m a big hunter and fisherman, and I taught myself about taxidermy,” said Alex who entered his mounted fox squirrel in the agriculture and natural resources 4-H exhibit at this year’s fair.
Alex started shooting with a Mossberg 500 20-gauge shotgun when he was 10 or 11 years old. Today, he hunts with a Beretta 390, but he used a 22 rifle to shoot the squirrel he entered in the fair.
“I learned about taxidermy from the Internet. I bought a Van Dyke squirrel taxidermy kit, skinned the animal, preserved the pelt and put it on a foam body,” Alex explained. He finished the detail work on the squirrel by painting around the nose and positioning the ears and eyes so the animal looked realistic. The entire project took him six months to complete.
Alex’s younger brother Jake also has an exhibit on display in the 4-H Exhibit Building at the fair. Jake decided to do research about lady beetles commonly called ladybugs and created an educational poster that tells fairgoers about this beneficial insect. While doing his research, Jake discovered that ladybugs eat a common garden pest: the aphid. “They are good for the crops,” he said.
Alex also belongs to the Emmet County 4-H Shooting Sports club, a part of an Iowa State University 4-H Youth Development program called Safety and Education in Shooting Sports (SESS).
SESS teaches young men and women in 4-H about the safe and responsible use of firearms. Young people learn to make sound decisions and use self-discipline while they demonstrate sportsmanship and ethical behavior when they use their firearms.
As members participate in SESS activities, they are exposed to a broad array of vocational opportunities in the environmental science and natural resources fields.
SESS also encourages its members to understand the natural environment and develop a respect for various ecosystems and the plant and animal life that can be found in the state.
Alex is the son of Rick and Deb Rosburg of Estherville in Emmet County. He is a member of the Elsworth Everyready 4-H Club and has been active in the organization for six years. He attends Estherville Lincoln Central High School and enjoys track and baseball.
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