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Backcountry Hunters & Anglers name Land Tawney Executive Director

April 28, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers announced this week that Land Tawney will lead the organization. Tawney is one of the rising young stars of the conservation world and a top-hand. He will provide BHA with strong leadership and a can-do attitude that will surely move BHA into the big leagues of  hunting and fishing conservation groups. Tawney is a close friend and ally and I am rBHA logoeally excited to see him take charge!

PRESS RELEASE

MISSOULA — The national sportsmen’s group Backcountry Hunters & Anglers today announced the hiring of longtime Western conservation leader Land Tawney to be the organization’s new Executive Director.

“We are very excited to have a sportsman of Land’s caliber and experience to take the helm of Backcountry Hunters & Anglers and lead this growing and influential organization forward,” said Ben Long, the group’s co-chairman. “Land exemplifies the hunting and fishing lifestyle and boots-on-the-ground conservation ethic that makes Backcountry Hunters & Anglers special.”

Backcountry Hunters & Anglers bills itself as “the sportsmen’s voice for our wild public lands, waters and wildlife.” Born around an Oregon campfire in 2004 the organization now boasts members in nearly all 50 states and chapters in nearly all Western States.

“As someone who was raised hunting and fishing the backcountry of Montana, Backcountry Hunters & Anglers is a great fit for me personally and professionally,” said Tawney. “I’m excited to help this group of passionate public land sportsmen reach its full potential.”

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Backcountry Hunters & Anglers seeks to ensure America’s outdoor heritage of hunting and fishing in a natural setting, through education and work on behalf of wild public lands and waters.

 

Filed Under: Conservation, Fishing, Hunting Tagged With: ,

Change

April 5, 2013 by 5 Comments

Time to turn the page in the Sadler career book.

As you will see below, I have joined the Outdoor Writers Association of America as their new executive director. This is a very exciting opportunity for me, aligning both personal and professional interests and creating a chance to help this storied organization move forward.

OWAA’s mission “…is to improve the professional skills of our members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources, and be mentors for the next generation of professional outdoor communicators.”

I bet you can see why I am really looking forward to working for them.

Our headquarters is in Missoula, Mont. and while I will be traveling there often, will remain based here in Virginia.

OWAA is comprised of nearly 1,000 individual outdoor communicators from the broad, modern spectrum of outdoor beats, from shooting to camping, fishing to kayaking, wildlife watching to backpacking. From these diverse backgrounds and disciplines, members gather beneath the OWAA banner to hone skills, share philosophies, develop profitable business strategies and network with peers, conservation policymakers and industry trendsetters.

Want to join us?

Dispatches will continue. I will continue to beat the Habitat = Opportunity = Economic Activity drum, talk about tenkara, and share some insights into of life’s more entertaining moments.

Change is good and this is a good change!

OWAA taps Sadler as executive director

MISSOULA, Mont. — The Outdoor Writers Association of America announces the hiring of Tom Sadler as the organization’s executive director.

Sadler is a lifelong outdoorsman and has worked for years in both the conservation and outdoor recreation arenas. A former U.S. Navy Reserve officer and an avid angler and hunter, he lives in Verona, Va., in the heart of the Shenandoah Valley. Sadler replaces Robin Giner, who left OWAA at the end of 2012.

“OWAA is fortunate to find someone of Tom’s caliber to lead our organization into a demanding new era,” said Mark Taylor, OWAA president and outdoor writer for The Roanoke Times. “This era requires that we adapt to an ever-changing media landscape in order to best serve our existing membership and attract new members. Tom is more than equal to the task at hand.

“We had a number of excellent candidates, but Tom’s experience in the outdoor and conservation arenas — complemented by his vast professional network — best positions him to lead the OWAA,” continued Taylor. “I believe he will guide our group to new heights.”

Sadler owns and runs a consulting firm, The Middle River Group, where he focuses on advocating outdoor recreation and conservation. He launched the company in 2008 after moving to Verona from Washington, D.C. Prior to that, Sadler was the director of program development for the Trust for Public Land. He also served as the conservation director for the Izaak Walton League of America and was president of the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation.

Sadler has worked as an outdoor columnist for the New Virginian in Waynesboro and writes about the outdoors and conservation on his blog, Dispatches from Middle River (middleriverdispatch.com). He also works occasionally as a fly-fishing guide for Mossy Creek Fly Fishing in Harrisonburg, Va.

Sadler serves on the boards of the American Fly Fishing Trade Association and the National Fisheries Friends Partnership. He also is a member of the steering committee of the Eastern Brook Trout Joint Venture, a National Fish Habitat Partnership.

“My passion for the outdoors and conservation are exceeded only by my desire to share those passions with others,” Sadler said.

“OWAA members are the best communicators of those passions. To be able to help OWAA do more of that by growing the membership, increasing our supporter base and helping our members and supporters become successful is really an exciting opportunity.”

OWAA is The Voice of the Outdoors®. The Outdoor Writers Association of America is the oldest and largest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. It was organized in 1927 by members of the Izaak Walton League of America and includes professional communicators dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. OWAA’s professionals include writers, photographers, outdoors radio- and television-show hosts, book authors, videographers, lecturers and artists. The association is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For more information, contact Outdoor Writers Association of America, 615 Oak St., Ste. 201, Missoula, Mont. 59801; 406-728-7434, info@owaa.org; www.owaa.org. [LINK]

Filed Under: Business, Conservation, Fishing, Hunting, Reflections, Shooting Sports Tagged With: ,

Our Public Lands (Part 3.1) – Sportsmen in Virginia.

February 27, 2013 by Leave a Comment

Beth at the 2nd ford

In Our Public Lands (Part 3) I wrote about how important our public lands are for the local economy, specifically in Virginia. Thanks to the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation we can see what hunters and anglers in Virginia mean to the economy.

According to the CSF, in 2011 in Virginia, hunters and anglers accounted for:

  • $2.38 billion in direct consumer spending,
  • $1.17 billion in salaries and wages,
  • $242 million in state and local taxes and
  • 39, 164 jobs.

Hunting and fishing are deep-seated traditions in the Commonwealth. Our elected officials love to talk about how they support those traditions and want to see them continue. But what are they doing to protect our public lands, the very venues that allow hunting and fishing to take place? If they don’t have a good answer then it is time to remind them that hunting and fishing are more than traditions, they are economic drivers in the state and to jeopardize those public land venues is to put that economic activity and the jobs at risk.

You can see what outdoor recreation means to your state’s economy and download the report on the CSF Reports page.

I said it before; the outdoor recreation economy is an economic powerhouse, now it needs to be a political powerhouse!

Filed Under: Business, Conservation, Fishing, Hunting, Shooting Sports Tagged With: , , , ,

Our Public Lands (Part 3) – The Local View.

February 22, 2013 by Leave a Comment

OIA OutRecEcon Rpt“All politics is local,” Tip O’Neill once said. So when the Outdoor Industry Association released its 50 state report on the outdoor recreation economy I quickly downloaded the numbers for Virginia.

According to the OIA, Virginia outdoor recreation generates:
• $13.6 billion in direct consumer spending,
• $ 3.9 billion in wages and salaries,
• $ 923 million in state and local tax revenue, and
• accounts for 138,000 direct jobs.

If you spend time in Virginia’s great outdoors, whether it is hiking, biking, camping, canoeing, hunting or fishing you know that many, if not most of the places where you do those things are public lands. Unfortunately recognition of this economic driver by the Commonwealth’s elected officials, at any level is few and far between.

If you like to play outdoors then you just might ask those same elected officials what they are doing to help this important segment of our local economy.
Give them the facts; let them know our public lands provide the venues for many recreational activities that in turn power that economic engine.
Make them tell you why other, more consumptive and less sustainable uses should take precedence over recreation.

You can see what outdoor recreation means to your state’s economy and download the report on OIA’s Outdoor Recreation Economy page.

The outdoor recreation economy is an economic powerhouse, now it needs to be a political powerhouse!

Filed Under: Business, Conservation Tagged With: , , ,

Time to Join the OWAA

January 29, 2013 by 9 Comments

If you are an outdoor blogger you should join the Outdoor Writers of America Association.

My friend Chris Hunt’s recent post for the Outdoor Bloggers Network: “Outdoor Writers Association of America: Outdoor Bloggers Welcome” rekindled the notion of rejoining the OWAA and I submitted my application for membership shortly thereafter.

Since I am writing this post for my blog I am thrilled OWAA has opened the membership to qualified bloggers. More importantly I am delighted that my fellow outdoor bloggers can know take advantage of the myriad resources OWAA has to offer.

During my tenure at the Izaak Walton League of America I had been a member of OWAA, a venerated organization that dedicates itself to helping outdoor communicators improve their craft and the profession. When I left the League I let my membership lapse because I was not engaged as outdoor communicator enough to meet the requirements of membership. Having returned to the journalistic fold a few years ago I began to think I should rejoin but never seemed to get around to it. When I gave up my outdoor column at the News Virginian (Waynesboro), I dropped the idea.

I won’t repeat the many reasons Chris gave for joining, they are compelling in and of themselves. I will happily add my voice to his and say that as outdoor bloggers this is an important opportunity to improve your work and enhance the view of our corner of the blogging community.

Why should outdoor bloggers join?

Do you care about your craft as a blogger or do you just bang away at the keyboard and call it good?

Look at the OWAA’s mission “…to improve the professional skills of our members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources, and be mentors for the next generation of professional outdoor communicators.”

If you are passionate about the outdoors and see your blog fitting somewhere in that mission statement than join OWAA. You will join others who care about professional skills, ethics, conservation and mentoring others. You will benefit from shared experiences, going back 85 years, from the best outdoor communicators in the game.

Was that too highfalutin a reason for you? Do you want to make a little money as well?

For example, OWAA was an invaluable resource for me to find writers for the League’s magazine, Outdoor America. It was the best place to find writers on a wide range of topics. They were part of an organization with professional standards. As a blogger, if you want to be on that list of potential resources, join OWAA. You will be on the same list of the storied veterans of the genre.

Need help with your craft?

As Chris points out, “The friendships I’ve made through OWAA are lasting relationships that are more special to me than any paycheck I might garner from writing about the outdoors.” If you want to build those relationships, join OWAA.

At the League I looked to OWAA members to get some different perspectives on policy issues or to keep a finger on the pulse of the views of outdoor community. After I left, and even today those OWAA members I met or communicated with still are important resources for getting a wider-angle view on issues. If you are looking for background information, help with understanding the complexities of a subject or need to see who has written what about it before, your fellow OWAA members are wonderful, credible resources.

Would you like to visit some trade shows?

The American Fly Fishing Trade Association and the American Sportfishing Association have combined trade shows this year. At a recent board meeting the issue of media credentials for bloggers came up. If you are a member of OWAA you will not have a problem getting media credentials for ICAST or IFTD. I can’t speak for other trade shows but I am sure you will have an easier time proving your bona fides for credentials if you are an OWAA member.

You will make OWAA better!

The outdoor blogger genre is still young but it is growing. You are the early adopters and first followers. As part of OWAA you will become the storied veterans who paved the way and mentored others. You will help sort out the conundrums that will surely face us. You can help OWAA continue its important mission and make outdoor blogging better by your efforts.

 

Filed Under: Business, Conservation, Fishing, Hunting Tagged With: , ,

Our Public Lands (Part 2.1)

January 26, 2013 by 2 Comments

In Our Public Lands (Part 2) I wrote “In coming posts I will write about what the agenda might include…”

Well between guiding, holidays and year end business commitments I haven’t had a chance to give it the attention I wanted. But I have been seeing some lists pop up that offers some great suggestions.

Land Tawney of Hellsgate Hunters and Anglers did outstanding job of getting the ball rolling in Sportsmen’s Priorities for 2013 on their Montana Bully Pulpit blog. Tawney writes in the intro:

“This past year hunters and anglers enjoyed the spotlight in congress; something we rarely realize.  The Sportsmen Act of 2012 became a political football and didn’t come to fruition.  While I enjoy the fact that our issues were front and center, ultimately we didn’t get it done.  It’s time to capitalize on the attention and double down on our efforts.  Together, we can protect our heritage for our children’s future.  Just think if we could get it all done….”

Here is Tawney’s list, be sure to read his post to learn more about the issues and why they are important to sportsmen.

  • Passage of the Sportsmen Act
  • Restoration of the Gulf of Mexico
  • Full Funding of the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF)
  • National Sodsaver and Conservation Compliance
  • Passage of an Omnibus Public Lands Bill
  • National Flood Insurance Reform
  • Restoration of Free Roaming Bison
  • Protect Bristol Bay
  • Expand Conservation Funding Revenue
  • Climate Change

The Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership released their 2013 Conservation Policy Agenda recently. This is a comprehensive look at policy challenges. You should read the entire document as it provides a well-written justification for action. Download the 2013 Conservation Policy Agenda. In the press release they called out some priorities:

  • developing new incentives to safeguard precious natural resources and fish and wildlife habitat – and to sustain and expand public access for hunting and fishing – through strongly funded conservation programs in the federal budget;
  • defending disproportionate cuts to the funding of – and the elimination of existing funding to – key federal conservation;
  • facilitating passage of a full, five-year farm bill as swiftly as possible;
  • advancing the BLM’s work to administratively conserve high-value backcountry fish and wildlife habitat through land-use planning processes in consideration of input from Western sportsmen and other stakeholders;
  • securing the passage of climate change legislation that provides secure, long-term funding for state fish and wildlife agencies to address the impacts of climate change on fish and wildlife by protecting and improving habitats and maintaining healthy, connected and genetically diverse populations;
  • influencing development of policy guiding renewable energy development, particularly solar and wind energy, on public lands.

There is a lot more in the report so be sure to give it a read. Here are the topics and items they cover:

  • Access
  • Climate
    • Climate Change
  • Conservation Funding
    • America’s Voice for Conservation, Recreation and Preservation
  • Energy
    • Responsible Development Issues
  • Watersheds
    • Bristol Bay, Alaska
    • Chesapeake Bay
  • Marine Fisheries
    • Recreational Marine Fisheries Conservation
  • Private Lands 
    • Agriculture
    • Tax Incentives for Conservation Easements
    • Wetlands and Clean Water Protections
  • Public Lands
    • Backcountry Lands Conservation
    • Forest Service Planning Regulations
  • Water (new policy area for 2013)

Clearly there are some important issues in these two lists and there are other issues that should be included as well.I will be on the look out for more lists and post them when I come across them.

What do you think is missing from these lists?

Let me know what they are and why it is important. I wille on the look out for more lists and post them when I come across them.

Of course we are early in the policy process and the issues on the field and the ability to make progress with policy will no doubt change, so stay tuned.

Filed Under: Conservation, Fishing, Hunting, Politics Tagged With: , ,

Thinking About 2013

January 2, 2013 by 7 Comments

This quote sits under the plexiglass on my desk and I read it pretty much every day. Seems a fitting way to start the new year.

“One final paragraph of advice: do not burn yourselves out. Be as I am — a reluctant enthusiast… a part-time crusader, a half-hearted fanatic. Save the other half of yourselves and your lives for pleasure and adventure. It is not enough to fight for the land; it is even more important to enjoy it. While you can. While it’s still here. So get out there and hunt and fish and mess around with your friends, ramble out yonder and explore the forests, climb the mountains, bag the peaks, run the rivers, breathe deep of that yet sweet and lucid air, sit quietly for a while and contemplate the precious stillness, the lovely, mysterious, and awesome space. Enjoy yourselves, keep your brain in your head and your head firmly attached to the body, the body active and alive, and I promise you this much; I promise you this one sweet victory over our enemies, over those desk-bound men and women with their hearts in a safe deposit box, and their eyes hypnotized by desk calculators. I promise you this; You will outlive the bastards.”

Taking Abbey’s advice…

-Edward Abbey from a speech to environmentalists in Missoula, Montana in 1978 and in Colorado, which was published in High Country News in the 1970s or early 1980s under the title “Joy, Shipmates, Joy.”

For those of you who have been slogging it out in the trenches, fighting the good fight for conservation and our public lands, you know the fight is only going to get tougher this year. Heed Abbey words from time to time and ramble out yonder!

Filed Under: Conservation, Reflections Tagged With: , ,

US Forest Service Public Affairs Conference

December 10, 2012 by Leave a Comment

A very nice thank you note!

Last month, my friend Steve Bekkrus asked me to come to Atlanta and give a presentation to the U.S. Forest Service’s Southern Region Public Affairs conference. He asked me to give a presentation on the impact of the recent election and also on how to more effectively educate and engage Congress. I was delighted to have the opportunity and really enjoyed the conference.

It was a great opportunity to talk with public affairs professionals who work hard to make our public lands a national treasure. These are sharp professionals and it was a lively discussion.

As a follow up I sent them this list of ‘Take Aways.” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conservation Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

Fly Board at L.L.Bean

December 8, 2012 by Leave a Comment

Chuck Willey the Shooting – Fishing – Archery Program Supervisor for L.L.Bean Outdoor Discovery Schools has been putting together a compilation of flies mounted in a shadow box and displayed in the main room at the Fogg House in Maine as part of our Outdoor Discovery Schools heritage.

Chuck asked past instructors of the L.L.Bean Fly Fishing Schools for a fly that is either a favorite or one that speaks to our personality. This will be a great display and I was delighted to contribute a fly. Recently Chuck sent an update that included a photo and a listing of who has sent flies in so far. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Conservation, Fishing, Tenkara Tagged With: , ,

Our Public Lands (Part 2): Elections Matter

November 23, 2012 by 4 Comments

The reelection of President Obama combined with Democrats gaining seats in the both houses of Congress and a clear repudiation of the extreme views of the GOP provide those of us who treasure our public lands an important opportunity.

The community of sportsmen, outdoor enthusiasts and public land advocates have a chance to press for those things that will secure a legacy for public lands and to defeat the agenda of the remaining right wing zealots who may see the election as a reason to double down on their assault on public lands.

The opportunity lies in showing Congress that public lands are essential to our quality of life, a critical economic contributor and that the American people value them.

Carpe’ing the old Diem

To Carpe this particular Diem public land advocates must present a united front around a common agenda. With that agenda in hand they need to present a clear and compelling message that without our public lands a important part of the U.S. economy is placed in jeopardy and the American public will lose critical recreation, health and environmental infrastructure.

The good news is a lot of groundwork has been done. Coalitions, trade associations and non-governmental organizations have been tirelessly at work gathering and sharing economic and public opinion information, creating messages that give meaning to that data and identifying congressional champions to help transform that information into legislative action.

In addition, the Obama administration has shown its support for public lands. The America’s Great Outdoors initiative is a strategic conservation and recreation agenda and provides important information about public land success and the views of the American people.

Can these groups, with somewhat different agendas, find time to sit down and craft a common and more importantly an achievable agenda? Can they agree that the opportunity to achieve durable public policy is fleeting and that if we don’t speak with one voice then our chances of success is diminished? That remains to be seen.

Now is the time for the leaders of the coalitions, trade associations and NGOs to reach out to each other and commit to a common agenda, sharing resources and working together. If that happens then durable public lands policy can be achieved.

Stay tuned! In coming posts I will write about what the agenda might include and who the champions might be.

Filed Under: Business, Conservation, Featured Tagged With: , , , , ,
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