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OWAA bestows highest honors
25 Jun
Five earned special recognition June 13 during the concluding banquet at OWAA’s 83nd Annual Conference in Rochester, Minn.
At its recent annual conference in Rochester, Minn., the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA), The Voice of the Outdoors, honored five with its most distinguished awards.
Michael Levy, of Williamsville, N.Y., received the 2010 J. Hammond Brown Memorial Award. The award is OWAA’s most prestigious recognition of a member “for devoted past service to the organization over a period of continuous years.” Freelance writer, editor and book author, Levy served as OWAA president in 1993-94 and is a Life Member, with his membership originating in 1982.
Glen Lau, of Ocala, Fla., received OWAA’s Excellence in Craft Award. The award honors an OWAA member “for outstanding effort in upholding the OWAA Creed and continued excellence in craft.” An OWAA member since 1969, Lau is a film maker and producer of several national TV series and documentaries. He is producer and host of “Quest For Adventure” TV series on TNN and also produces commercials and infomercials. Lau also has a still photography library specializing in underwater photos.
Terry Brady of Zieglerville, Penn., deputy press secretary for the Pennsylvania Department of Cnservation and Natural Resources, received OWAA’s top conservation award. The Jade of Chiefs award represents an affirmation of OWAA adherence to and support of the principles of conservation. An Active Member of OWAA since 1986, Brady is also a freelance saltwater fishing columnist. Prior to his current position with the Pennsylvania DCNR, Brady spent 28 years working for daily newspapers, writing outdoors columns.
The recipient of the 2009 Jackie Pfeiffer Memorial Award is Joan Turner of Columbia, Mo. “Joan Turner represents these qualities as a recipient of the Jackie Pfeiffer Memorial Award – genuine warmth, radiance, good will, helpfulness, generosity and kindness to others. She also has the rare quality of grace,” said last year’s recipient, Kay Richey, when presenting Turner with the award.
Mary Nickum of Fountain Hills, Ariz., received the Outstanding Board Member Award. A member since 2000, Nickum is a retired librarian who is now an editor and freelance writer. Her primary focus is on science for the public. Nickum is editor-in-chief of the Intermountain Journal of Science and currently edits World Aquaculture magazine.
Since its inception in 1927, OWAA has become the largest and oldest association of professional outdoor communicators in the United States. OWAA’s mission is to improve the professional skills of its members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources and mentor the next generation of professional outdoor communicators. The national headquarters is located in Missoula, Mont.
For more information on the OWAA conference, these awards and award winners, visit the organization’s website at www.owaa.org.
Further information about the award recipients and conference will appear in the August issue of OU.
For a list of the 2010 Excellence in Craft contest winners, click here.
Winners of the 2010 OWAA Excellence in Craft contests
16 Jun
At its recent annual conference in Rochester, Minn., the Outdoor Writers Association of America (OWAA), The Voice of the Outdoors, recognized winners of the 2010 OWAA Excellence in Craft contests.
Backcountry Sportsman Contest
Sponsored by Sierra Club
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Jack Ballard, Red Lodge, Mont., “Into the outback,” Montana Headwall, Oct.-Dec. 2010
2nd Place: Gene Hester, Springfield, VA., “Drake Wood Duck on log,” Wildlife in North Carolina, October 2009
1st Place: Tim Christie, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, “The last pack out,” Wyoming Wildlife, October 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Give me a home,” Wyoming Wildlife, April 2009
2nd Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Moonstruck,” Wyoming Wildlife, February 2009
1rd Place: Kirk Deeter, Pine, Col., “In search of the river gods,” Field & Stream, July 20099
TV Category
3rd Place: Kris Millgate, Idaho Falls, Idaho, “Fish packers” KPVI News 6
2nd Place: Dave Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis., “The big ‘W’,” WQOW
1st Place: Chris Dorsey, Littleton, Colo., “Pirates of the flats 101: The Cast,” ESPN2
Big Game Hunting
Sponsored by The Outdoor Channel
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Jack Ballard, Red Lodge, Mont., “Into the outback,” Montana Headwall, Oct.-Dec. 2010
2nd Place: Tim Christie, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, “The last pack out,” Wyoming Wildlife, October 2009
1st Place: Gary Kramer, Willows, Calif., “Success at last!” Gray’s Sporting Journal, September/October 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: P.J. Reilly, New Holland, PA., “Make mine a combo,” Sports Afield, November/December 2009
2nd Place: Tim Christie, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, “Trophy hunting,” Wyoming Wildlife, October 2009
1st Place: Chris Batin, Virginia Beach, Va., “Grizzly Country,” Outdoor Life, February 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Glenn Sapir, Putnam Valley, N.Y., “Big game hunting in Newfoundland yields wiser perspective,” The Journal News, November 24, 2009
2nd Place: Mark Freeman, Medford, Ore., “A memorable spot on the ‘bragging wall,’” Medford Mail Tribune, October 8, 2009
1st Place: Paul Smith, Wauwatosa, Wisc., “Teen was truly a dear,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, March 6, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Jeff Kelm, Sheboygan, Wisc., “Super slam,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
2nd Place: J.K. Ferguson, Colby, Kan., “Matea Huggins, Oregon mountain goat hunt,” Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine
1st Place: J.K Ferguson, Colby, Kan., “Kelly Holmin, Minnesota moose hunting,” Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine
TV Category
3rd Place: Jack Abrams and Dan Small, Milwaukee, Wis. and Belgium, Wis., respectively, “Handicapped deer hunt,” WMVS-TV, Miwaukee, Wis.
2nd Place: Chris Dorsey, Littleton, Colo., “John Paul – Morris, New Mexico,” Versus
1st Place: Dave Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis., “Bucking the trend,” WQOW
Boating/ Paddlesports
Magazine Category
3rd Place, Gregg Patterson, Little Rock, Ark., “John Ruskey’s Life on the Mississippi,” Front Porch, July – August 2009
2nd Place: Ryck Lydecker, Alexandria, Va., “Fast-water fly fishing,” BoatU.S. Magazine, January 2009
1st Place: Tom Watson, Appleton, Minn., “The light within the darkness,” Ocean Magazine, Vol. 6, Issue 23, 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Brent Frazee, Kansas City, Mo., “Paddling into autumn,” The Kansas City Star, Oct. 25, 2009
2nd Place: Howard Meyerson, Grand Rapids, Mich., “Clearing a happy trail,” Grand Rapids Press, July 18, 2009
1st Place: Rich Landers, Spokane, Wash., “Paddling Option,” The Spokesman – Review, Nov. 22, 2009
Camping/Backpacking/Outdoor Recreational Travel/Biking/ Climbing
Sponsored by Coleman Company Inc.
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Bill Powell, Columbia, MO., “Serengeti sky,” Boone County Journal (Ashland, MO.), Dec. 3, 2009
2nd Place: Kent Dannen, Allenspark, Colo., “Samoyed pack dog,” Dogs USA, Oct. 2009
1st Place: Rich Landers, Spokane, Wash., “Backcountry base,” The Spokesman – Review, March 8, 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Karen Hoffman Blizzard, Austin, Texas, “Dream ride,” Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine, November 2009
2nd Place: Lee Allen, Tuscon, Ariz., “Pathway to paradise,” Arizona Wildlife Views, September/ October 2009
1st Place: Lisa Densmore, Hanover, N.H., “Early Highways in Peru,” Appalachia, Summer/Fall 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Risa Weinreb Wyatt, Seattle, Wash., “China’s middle class takes to the slopes,” Philadelphia Inquirer, Nov. 29, 2009,
2nd Place: Rich Landers, Spokane, Wash., “Senior Moment,” The Spokesman – Review, June 21, 2009
1st Place: Steve Pollick, Fremont, Ohio, “Going wild,” The Blade (Toledo, Ohio), March 1-3, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Mike Walker, Phoenix, Ariz., “Outdoor Gear,” Toyota Outdoors Radio Network
2nd Place: Mike Walker, Phoenix, Ariz., “Take all of these,” Toyota Outdoors Radio Network
1st Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wisc., “Sunflower trout,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
TV Category
3rd Place: Grant McOmie, Forest Grove, Ore., “Black rock mountain biking,” KGW-TV
2nd Place: Bill Sherck, Minneapolis, Minn., “Nightfall,” Minnesota Bound/ NBC Minneapolis
1st Place: Bill Sherck, Minneapolis, Minn., “Mississippi River Dreams,” Minnesota Bound/ NBC Minneapolis
Conservation/Environment
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Eric Hansen, Corvallis, Ore., “Wood duckling,” Arkansas Wildlife, Sept. /Oct. 2009
2nd Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Rooster pheasant in stubble,” Montana Outdoors, Sept. /Oct. 2009
1st Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Flushing rooster pheasant,” Pheasants Forever, Spring 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Craig Springer, Edgewood, NM, “Jurassic Park – no bones about it,” Eddies, Summer 2009
2nd Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Coming of age,” Wyoming Wildlife, June 2009
1st Place: Ben Moyer, Farmington, PA, “Hugh Bennett: crusader for conservation,” Pheasants Forever Journal, Fall 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Richard Hall, Oshkosh, Wis., “Deer management politics get ugly,” The Country Today (Eau Claire, Wis.), May 6, 2009
2nd Place: John Tertuliani, Hilliard, Ohio, “Deer management 101: what does it take?” Ohio Outdoor News, Nov. 6, 2009
1st Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo., “Beetle impact: two part series,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Oct. 17-18, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Gold mine threatens Bristol Bay,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
2nd Place: Mike Walker, Phoenix, Ariz., “The Right Footwear,” Toyota Outdoors Radio Network
1st Place: Tom Stienstra, Weed, Calif., “Drought, or water heist?” KCBS (San Francisco, Calif.)
TV Category
3rd Place: Kris Millgate, Idaho Falls, Idaho, “Weed eaters,” KPVI News
2nd Place: Carol Lynde, Phoenix, Ariz., “Return of the black tailed prairie dog,” Phoenix II
1st Place: Grant McOmie, Forest Grove, Ore., “Bird island,” KGW-TV
Family Participation
Sponsored by RealTree
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Tim Christie, Couer D’Alene, Idaho, “A moment shared between father and son,” Wyoming Wildlife, Nov. 2009
2nd Place: James Smedley, Wawa, Ontario, “Family on a bluff,” Ontario Parks Guide, 2009
1st Place: Joe Byers, Hagerstown, Md., “Make your property family friendly,” Whitetails Unlimited, Summer 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: James Smedley, Wawa, Ontario, “Overnight on Nipissing Ice,” My Ontario, 2009
2nd Place: Ann Hirsch, Smithshire, Ill., “Dear mothers of hunting age children,” Arizona Wildlife Views, May-June 2009
1st Place: Bruce Ingram, Troutville, VA, “Time to take a kid hunting,” Virginia Wildlife, November 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Paul Smith, Wauwatosa, Wis., “The lessons of the hunt,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 20, 2009
2nd Place: Bob Lamb, La Crosse, Wis., “Little one,” La Crosse (Wis.) Tribube, Oct. 22, 2009
1st Place: Mark Folco, New Bedford, Mass., “Sun setting on family hunts?” The Standard times (New Bedford, Mass.), Feb. 15, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Peter St. James, Warner, N.H., “Hawk watch,” Belgium, Wis., WTPL-FM (N.H.)
2nd Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Gary and Carson Lenherr, muskie champs,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
1st Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Sophie’s first deer,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
TV Category
3rd Place: Lawrence Pyne, Cornwall, VT., “Squirrel hunting with Grace,” WETK, Vermont Public Television
2nd Place: Karen Loke, Austin, Texas, “Life’s better outside experience,” News 8 Austin
1st Place: Lawrence Pyne, Cornwall, VT., “Green mountain conservation camp,” WETK, Vermont Public Television
Fishing
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Doug Stamm, Prairie du Sac, Wis., “Pumpkinseed on a popper,” New Hampshire Wildlife Journal, May/June 2009
2nd Place: Bill Watt, Flagstaff, Ariz., “Fly fishing still life,” Arizona Wildlife Views, March/April 2009
1st Place: Bill Lindner, Baxter, Minn., “Crankbait science,” North American Fisherman, Oct. / Nov. 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Jeff Williams, Little Rock, Ark., “It’s all about the bugs,” Arkansas Wildlife, Jan ./Feb. 2009
2nd Place: Jeff Williams, Little Rock, Ark., “The Manistee’s big brown,” Arkansas Wildlife, Nov. /Dec. 2009
1st Place: Kirk Deeter, Pine, Colo. “In search of the river gods,” Field & Stream, July 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Brent Frazee, Kansas City, MO., “A reel birthday gift,” The Kansas City (MO.) Star, May 12, 2009
2nd Place: Tom Stienstra, Weed, Calif., “Hold, please, I’ve got a monster on the line,” San Francisco Chronicle, June 4, 2009
1st Place: Brett Prettyman, Salt Lake City, Utah, “Uintas cast a spell that is waterborne,” Salt Lake Tribune, August 16, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Peter St. James, Warner, N.H., “Big kids,” WTPL-FM (N.H.)
2nd Place: Mike Walker, Phoenix, Ariz., “Trout tips,” Toyota Outdoors Radio Network
1st Place: Peter St. James, Warner, N.H., “Fishing memories,” WTPL-FM (N.H.)
TV Category
3rd Place: David Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis., “Whitefish daze,” WQOW-TV (Eau Claire, Wis.)
2nd Place: Carol Lynde, Phoenix, Ariz., “Casting for recovery,” Phoenix II
1st Place: Bill Sherck, Minneapolis, Minn., “False casts and brush strokes,” Minnesota Bound/NBC
Humor
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Bruce Cochran, Prairie Village, Kan., “Duck blind gourmet,” Wyoming Wildlife, September 2009
2nd Place: Joel Vance, Russelville, MO.,”Hurricane Jim,” Delta Waterfowl, Fall 2009
1st Place: Bruce Cochran, Prairie Village, Kan., “No river for old men,” Wyoming Wildlife, August 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo., “When the fish don’t bite,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Aug. 16, 2009
2nd Place: Mark Freeman, Medford, Ore, “Best and worst of 2009 outdoors,” Medford Mail Tribune, Dec. 31, 2009
1st Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo., “The language of a fisherman,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Aug. 16, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Miss largemouth bass,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
2nd Place: Peter St. James, Warner, N.H., “Bucky awards,” WTPL-FM (N.H.)
1st Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Bananas at large,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
Natural History
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Gary Kramer, Willows, Calif., “Snowy owl,” Silver Creek Press Wildlife Calendar, 2009
2nd Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Eye of the Goshawk,” Minnesota Conservation Volunteer, March-April 2009
1st Place: Gary Kramer, Willows, Calif., “Lesser prairie chicken,” Texas Parks and Wildlife, October 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Jack Ballard, Red Lodge, Mont., “Calving time,” Wyoming Wildlife, June 2009
2nd Place: Bruce Ingram, Troutville, VA., “The Truthiness,” Wildlife in North Carolina, December 2009
1st Place: Joel Vance, Russelville, MO., “A good problem to have,” Wildlife in Noth Carolina, August 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Brett Prettyman, Salt Lake City, Utah, “These monsters are misunderstood,” Salt Lake Tribune, June 14, 2009
2nd Place: Paul Smith, Wauwatosa, Wis., “Wisconsin fauna season’s true survivors,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 18, 2009
1st Place: Steve Pollick, Freemont, Ohio, “Young bucks strut their stuff, study shows,” The Blade (Toledo, Ohio), Sept. 6, 2009
TV Category
3rd Place: Jack Abrams, Milwaukee, Wis., “Wisconsin black bears,” WMVS-TV (Milwaukee, Wis.)
2nd Place: Dave Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis., “The wolf whisperer,” WQOW (Eau Claire, Wis.)
1st Place: Jack Abrams, Milwaukee, Wis., “White pelicans,” WMVS-TV (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Outdoor Ethics/ Take Pride in America
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “A look ahead,” Wyom ing Wildlife, July 2009
2nd Place: Kirk Deeter, Pine, Colo., “Camo conservation,” Trout, Spring 2009
1st Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Give me a home,” Wyoming Wildlife, April 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Brett Prettyman, Salt Lake City, Utah, “Let’s keep it clean – for everyone’s sake,” Salt Lake Tribune, Aug. 9, 2009
2nd Place: Bill Sherwonit, Anchorage, Alaska, “The bears of Katmai,” Anchorage Press, Feb. 19-25, 2009
1st Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo.., “Trapping bears,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, July 12
TV Category
3rd Place: Bill Sherck, Minneapolis, Minn., “Rush River cleanup,” MN Bound, Minneapolis/ NBC
2nd Place: Karen Loke, Austin, Texas, “Bamberger legacy,” News 8 Austin
1st Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “National Parks: Wisconsin,” WMVS-TV (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Outdoor-Related Essays
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “Give me a home,” Wyoming Wildlife, April 2009
2nd Place: Craig Springer, Edgewood, N.M., “Aesthetic exercise – where hunting and singing meet,” Inside Outside Southwest, October 2009
1st Place: Steve Griffin, Midland, Mich., “Blueberries are good for memories,” Michigan Outdoor New, Aug. 14, 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Brett Prettyman, Salt Lake City, Utah, “Going to the mountains for answers,” Salt Lake Tribune, Jan. 4, 2009
2nd Place: Steve Pollick, Freemont, Ohio, “Winter solitude,” The Blade (Toledo, Ohio), March 1, 2009
1st Place: Mark Folco, New Bedford, Mass., “A whale of a time at the beach,” The Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.), Aug. 30, 2009
Shooting Sports
Sponsored by Ducks Unlimited
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: Gary Kramer. Willows, Calif., “Incoming pigeons,” Shooting Sportsman, January/February 2009
2nd Place: Tim Christie, Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, “Dad’s coaching,” Predator Hunting, Winter 2009
1st Place: Gary Kramer, Willows, Calif., “Sea ducks over decoys,” WILDFOWL Magazine, April/May 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Dennis Neely, Brooklyn, Mich., “New life for old guns,” Woods-N-Water News, October, 2009
2nd Place: Ed Schmidt, Grand Rapids, Minn., “Minnesota 4-H shooting sports and wildlife invitational,” Whitetales, Winter 2010
1st Place: Dennis Neely, Brooklyn, Mich., “Chasing ‘Spiders,’” Woods-N-Water News, August 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: George Ingram, Ocean City, N.J., “For local archer, it takes only one arm to win,” The Press of Atlantic City (N.J.), Aug. 22, 2009
2nd Place: Paul Smith, Wauwatosa, Wis., “Sharpening their aim,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Aug. 16, 2009
1st Place: Mark Folco, New Bedford, Mass., “A natural riflewoman,” The Standard-Times (New Bedford, Mass.), Sept. 27, 2009
TV Category
3rd Place: Grant McOmie, Forest Grove, Ore., “Women who hunt,” KGW-TV
2nd Place: Kris Millgate, Idaho Falls, Idaho, “Shootout,” KPVI News 6
1st Place: Karen Loke, Austin, Texas, “School shooting sports,” News 8 Austin
Small Game Hunting
Art/Photo Category
3rd Place: P.J. Reilly, New Holland, PA., “Blizzard bounty,” WILDFOWL Magazine, December 2009
2nd Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Rooster pheasant in stubble,” Montana Outdoors, September/October 2009
1st Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Flushing rooster pheasant,” Pheasants Forever, Spring 2009
Magazine Category
3rd Place: W.H. “Chip” Gross, Fredericktown, Ohio, “Hunting a legend…,” Delta Waterfowl, Summer 2009
2nd Place: Joel Vance, Russelville, Mo., “Hurricane Jim,” Delta Waterfowl, Fall 2009
1st Place: Dave Books, Helena, Mont., “Rite of passage,” Ducks Unlimited, January/February 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: P.J. Reilly, New Holland, Pa., “Hunters prove their point,” Sunday News (Lancaster, PA.), March 1, 2009
2nd Place: Brent Frazee, Kansas City, Mo., “Beau’s legacy,” The Kansas City Star, Jan. 18, 2009
1st Place: Mark Freeman, Medford, Ore., “Hunting with the hawk,” Medford Mail Tribune, March 5, 2009
TV Category
3rd Place: Dave Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis., “Hare camp,” WQOW
2nd Place: Dave Carlson, Eau Claire, Wis., “Birds and buddies,” WQOW
1st Place: Gary Schafer, Peoria, Ariz., “Cibola youth goose hunt,” Phoenix TV 11
Technical
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Tom Watson, Appleton, Minn., “Reading the weather,” Paddling.net, Summer 2009
2nd Place: Chris Madson, Cheyenne, Wyo., “The last hurrah,” Wyoming Wildlife, October 2009
1st Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Photographing the hunt,” Ducks Unlimited, November/December 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo., “Fishing 101: four part series,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, June 1-4, 2009
2nd Place: Rich Landers, Spokane, Wash., “That nothing look,” The Spokesman – Review, Oct. 11, 2009
1st Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo., “Beetle impact: two part series,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Oct. 17-18, 2009
Radio Category
3rd Place: Jeff Kelm, Sheboygan, Wis., “Food plots for wildlife with Tim Bauer,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
2nd Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Chill killer,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
1st Place: Dan Small, Belgium, Wis., “Lip grip dangerous for bass,” Dan Small Outdoors Radio Network
Value of Wilderness to the Outdoor Experience
Magazine Category
3rd Place: Lee Allen, Tucson, Ariz., “Watchable wildlife,” The Desert Leaf, July/August 2009
2nd Place: Chris Batin, Virginia Beach, Va., “Grizzly country,” Outdoor Life, February 2009
1st Place: Lee Allen, Tucson, Ariz., “Pathway to paradise,” Arizona Wildlife Views, September/October 2009
Newspaper Category
3rd Place: Rich Landers, Spokane, Wash., “Wilderness one step at a time,” The Spokesman – Review,” Jan. 18, 2009
2nd Place: Tom Stienstra, Weed, Calif., “Thousands of miles of ‘working things out,’” The San Francisco Chronicle, June 28, 2009
1st Place: Shauna Stephenson, Wheatland, Wyo., “Goodbye modern world. Hello solitude,” Wyoming Tribune Eagle, Aug. 9, 2009
Book Contest
3rd Place: W.H. “Chip” Gross, Fredericktown, Ohio, Young Beginner’s Guide to Shooting and Archery
2nd Place: Dennis Dunn, Kirkland, Wash., BAREBOW! An Archer’s Fair-Chase Taking of North America’s Big Game
1st Place: W.H. “Chip” Gross, Fredericktown, Ohio, Pro Tactics: Steelhead and Salmon
Newspaper Outdoor Page/Section
Outdoor Section Contest
3rd Place: Terry Tomalin, St. Petersburg, Fla., “The St. Petersburg (Fla.) Times”
2nd Place: Brett Prettyman, Salt Lake City, Utah, “The Salt Lake Tribune”
1st Place: Mark Freeman, Medford, Ore., “Medford (Ore.) Mail Tribune”
Photo Contest
Color Division
Scenic Category
3rd place: Doug Stamm, Prairie du Sac, Wis., “Fly fishing the Grand Canyon”
2nd place: Henry Zeman, Grand Rapids, Mich., “Light house and great wave”
1st place: Tom Ulrich, West Glacier, Mont., “Horses and Rocky Butte”
Flora Category
3rd place: William Mullins, Boise, Idaho, “Lupine”
2nd place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Icy Aspen leaf”
1st place: William Mullins, Boise, Idaho, “California False Hellebore”
Action Category
3rd place: Dan Cook, Ringgolde, Ga., “Splashy suspense”
2nd place: Mark Harlow, Walker, Minn., “Side winder”
1st place: Eric Hansen, Corvallis, Ore., “Fighting elk”
People Category
3rd place: Jacob Vanhouten, Midland, Mich., “Bogie and his girl”
2nd place: Bill Lindner, Baxter, Minn., “Boy, this is fun”
1st place: Gary Zahm, Los Banos, Calif., “Passing down tradition”
Fauna Category
3rd place: Art Weber, Whitehouse, Ohio, “Fox kits”
2nd place: Gary Kramer, Willows, Calif., “Mountain Lion with kill in snow”
1st place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “My favorite Marten”
Black & White Division
Scenic Category
3rd Place: Mark Harlow, Walker, Minn., “Superior sunrise”
2nd Place: Mark Harlow, Walker, Minn., “A new beginning”
1st Place: James Smedley, Wawa, Ontario, “Ice berg and mountain”
Action Category
3rd Place: Jon Blumb, Lawrence, Kan., “Brought to hand”
2nd Place: Mark Harlow, Walker, Minn., “Kickin’ it”
1st Place: Michael Furtman, Duluth, Minn., “Mallard Duck flying in snow”
Fauna Category
3rd place:, Mark Harlow, Walker, Minn., “Nap time”
2nd place: Lisa Densmore, Hanover, N.H., “Osprey takes off”
1st place: James Smedley, Wawa, Ontario, “Morning Loons”
About OWAA’s EIC contests: Annually, OWAA’s Contest Committee administers the Excellence In Craft Awards program. OWAA media members may enter their best works from the previous year in the competition. Seventeen competition categories are available.
The judging for each category is conducted by an independent panel of judges who are experts in the category field they are judging. The winners of the competition are announced at a special event held during the annual conference. Certificates and cash prizes are awarded.
Income loss from the BP oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico and how to file a lost income claim
3 Jun
To OWAA Members,
The oil disaster in the Gulf region has affected the economy and will continue to have a devastating impact for many years to come. Tens of thousands of businesses and individuals who rely in part or entirely on the Gulf’s resources and opportunities for their livelihood will suffer economic loss because of this disaster.
After reviewing options and discussing this situation with Bill Powell, legal counsel for OWAA, we determined it would be appropriate to send this letter to OWAA members who will have an adverse economic impact because of this disaster.
Powell did some research and found that several class action lawsuits have been filed already, but none appear to include anyone who makes their living writing or communicating about the Gulf Coast’s outdoor opportunities. But he does say a class action lawsuit might include those individuals at some point in the future.
“If one is filed that purports to be on behalf of people damaged in ways like our members may be damaged, and if it receives certification as a class action, then the rules established for that case will control, as to whether and when and how to file claims or opt out of the class,” explains Powell. “My personal observation is that the two groups that like class actions the best are plaintiffs’ attorneys, who rake off large fees, and the defendants, who are thus relieved of the need to defend numerous claims and suits and ultimately are released by court order from liability for the incident or behavior that caused the claims.”
OWAA members who do experience economic loss due to lost assignments can file a claim directly with BP. The form and instructions are located at:
http://www.bp.com/iframe.do?categoryId=9033722&contentId=7062138.
Claims may be submitted with or without an attorney, and one category of claim is for loss of income.
I vividly remember when the Exxon Valdez ran aground in Prince William Sound. For a short time magazines ran stories about the disasters but then wanted nothing to do with the area until the 10 year anniversary of the incident. Since the Gulf disaster is far worse than the Exxon spill in Alaska, the region will likely have significant loss of opportunity for anyone whose livelihood is derived from communicating about fishing, boating, diving or hunting the coast.
Suggestions for filing claims:
If you are a member who has a history of articles about the Gulf region, I suggest you retrieve your income records for the past five to ten years and add up your yearly income derived from stories, photos, videos, etc., about the Gulf region. This will establish your possible future lost income and help if you decide to file a claim individually or as part of a class action lawsuit.
BP may argue that outdoor writers have a new opportunity to write about the disaster. But some region specific magazines may not survive without the income derived from advertising from boat builders, guides, resorts and other businesses in the region who rely on the outdoor opportunities of the region. And most major newspapers, magazines and other media outlets already have a stable of environmental writers. Magazines not affected by the Gulf will not likely choose to run many stories about the oil spill.
I hope this information is useful to our membership, but want to remind everyone that OWAA is not advocating that members file claims. I simply want the membership to understand what is going on and the opportunities for doing so that have been established and might arise pertaining to the economic losses caused by this unprecedented environmental disaster.
Sincerely,
John L. Beath, OWAA President
A Jill of many trades
3 Jun
By Margo Whitmire
High school reunions are tricky for Natalie Bartley. An outdoor educator, guide book author, newspaper columnist and recreational therapist, it’s hard to sum up her career on a name tag. “The first reunion I went to, I decided I better pick a title,” she said. “I put ‘Recreation, Education and Therapy Contractor.’”
Bartley lives in Boise, Idaho, where she writes about sailing, snowshoeing, orienteering and other outdoor pursuits in her outdoor column for The Idaho Statesman. She is the author of two guide books, “Best Easy Day Hikes Boise” and “Best Rail Trails Pacific Northwest,” from Falcon Press Publishing. She also works steadily on assignments for Treasure Valley Family Magazine and Idaho Senior Independent News. An outdoor career is a natural fit for the former U.S. kayak polo team member and licensed backpacking guide, but outdoor journalism wasn’t always on Bartley’s radar as a career choice.
Bartley grew up in Pennsylvania. She moved to West Virginia to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in parks and recreation and worked as a rafting guide during the summers. She met her husband, David Lindsay, when he started working on the same river and they “assigned him to my raft,” she said. “I had summers off to do all of these great outdoor jobs, raft guiding and sailboat director at a Girl Scouts camp,” she said. “It was too much fun to stop and go get a real job.”
She went on to complete her master’s degree in parks and recreation administration at Eastern Kentucky University and a doctorate in education, parks and leisure services from the University of Idaho. Though she wasn’t aware of it at the time, she was also honing her skills as an outdoor writer.
“At that time in the 70s and 80s, they had the rec majors do so much writing–journals, reports–and that really refined my writing skills because they were having to prove this is a valid profession,” she said. “We’re not basket weavers, we’re the people that will run your parks, plan for the wilderness and run your youth programs. They made us write our guts out.”
After school, Bartley worked as an instructor for the Hong Kong Outward Bound School and as an outdoor recreation training coordinator for the U.S. Air Force Model Outdoor Recreation Program. She also traveled to India and Europe to give presentations for the World Leisure Recreation Association. “I’ve always been an outdoor communicator teaching people outdoor skills,” she said.
In the early 90s, Bartley was in the United Kingdom for a World Leisure Recreation Association conference. She visited some friends, who handed her a travel writing how-to book. After years of writing reports, presentations and journal articles as part of her outdoor recreation emphasis, “it was like a light bulb went off in my head,” she said. “Here I was writing for free for publications in the field of outdoor recreation.” Looking through the guide, she was inspired: “What? People are paid for this?”
Bartley went to the library to learn how to sell her outdoor experiences to magazines and newspapers. One of her first bites as a freelancer was with Aquatics International, who took a cover feature about kayak polo.
Early on, she strived for national and international publications, but eventually found it more cost-effective and productive to concentrate on local markets. Rather than trying to keep up with the transience of editors in the publishing industry or wait months for an answer to an article query, Bartley calls up the editor at The Treasure Valley Family Magazine, for instance, and the conversation is something like this:
“Hey, what do you think about these ideas?”
“Yeah, I’ll take two or three of those. Here’s your deadline.”
Of course, larger publications usually pay better, but having local relationships that are a phone call away is more appealing to Bartley. “It’s not bad to get really knowledgeable about a specific area and that’s your expertise and that’s what you’re known for,” she said. “So even though my travels are worldly, I think I’ve settled into an Idaho and regional specialist.”
Bartley joined OWAA in 2001 and the Northwest Outdoor Writers Association (NOWA) shortly after. “She’s a breath of fresh air,” said OWAA and NOWA member Sue Hansen. “More and more women are getting out in the outdoors, but I think she’s a pioneer and a model of what the outdoors is all about.”
To supplement her writing, Bartley teaches kayaking at Boise State University and provides recreational therapy to hospital patients. She also writes about energy efficiency for a utilities company in the off-season. “I prefer variety no matter what my life is,” she said. “It’s not great for retirement budgeting; but life can be really short, it can be over today, so why not try to enjoy it?” ◊
Margo Whitmire grew up in California, where she spent most of her life until moving to Missoula in 2008. She recently completed her studies toward a graduate degree in environmental studies at the University of Montana. She has a bachelor’s degree in print journalism from California State University, Sacramento, and worked as a music editor for Billboard Magazine.
Vortex Storm Jacket
3 Jun
By Jonathan Lawton
If you spend any time outdoors taking photos, sooner or later you are going to find yourself in inclement weather. For years I’ve kept a small garbage bag and some rubber bands in my camera backpack for the sole purpose of protecting my gear in case of a sudden rainstorm. While it worked in a pinch, trying to secure my makeshift rain cover in a timely fashion was always a precarious situation. Vortex Media offers a more dependable and equally compact solution for anyone who needs to protect their camera equipment while out in the field.
The Vortex Storm Jacket is a one-piece camera and lens cover made of a flexible and waterproof nylon fabric. Setting up the Storm Jacket is a quick and easy task. The front cover features an adjustable bungee drawstring, allowing you to cinch the cover to the front of your lens. From there you simply pull the jacket over the back of your camera body to complete the setup. The Storm Jacket’s rear opening is large enough to allow you easy access to your camera controls and viewfinder. My test unit was the 17 inch model and was large enough to accommodate a Canon 70-200mm 2.8 mounted to a Canon 1D.
The Vortex Storm Jacket comes in four colors (black, red, yellow and camouflage) and is available in five sizes, from 11 inches to 31 inches. To figure out what size is most appropriate for your gear, just measure from the back of your camera to the front element of your lens when the zoom is fully extended. The Storm Jacket also comes with its own zippered carrying pouch for easy storage. The Storm Jacket ranges from $36 to $46.
It’s small enough that you won’t mind carrying it with you, and in the right conditions, it just might be the most valuable piece of equipment you have in your camera bag. ◊
Jonathan Lawton is a 2003 graduate from the Rochester Institute of Technology, where he studied photojournalism. He operates a photography business, specializing in wedding and portrait photography, www.jonathanlawton.com. Contact Lawton at jlawton@wbhunt.com.
President’s report
3 Jun
By John L. Beath
Serving as OWAA president for the past 12 months has been an extreme honor and pleasure. Working with a diverse group of board members, as well as many member volunteers, has renewed my faith in the strength of our organization.
Everyone I worked with this past year was positive and strived to do their best to help OWAA grow and move forward. Your elected board of directors accomplished a great deal and will continue to conquer long-term goals while facing new challenges brought on by the economy and continually changing technology. The biggest challenge we faced this past year was the poor economy and its affect on members. When the economy suffers our members suffer too, which creates a tighter budget for everyone, including nonprofit groups like OWAA and some of OWAA’s supporting groups, agencies and businesses.
One of my goals as president was to help find new, profitable opportunities for our membership and our organization. Each month my I-Tech column has provided information about new technology and ways to save money or profit from the technology. I plan to continue writing this column, in hopes it will help members learn about and benefit from new technology.
Another goal was to help reduce the OWAA budget without reducing member services. Goals of this magnitude aren’t accomplished easily and require cooperation from the board and members alike. At the upcoming board meeting I will outline savings to the OWAA budget that amount to approximately $44,000 per year – without reduction in member services.
Recently, I visited headquarters and met with a commercial Realtor about selling OWAA headquarters. The condo unit we share with two other owners has been for sale for more than a year. Missoula real estate prices have fallen, just like everywhere else in the U.S. This has made it difficult to sell the condo unit. Hopefully everyone has followed the reasons behind selling headquarters. In short, we need to sell because one owner now has controlling interest over the other two owners. This puts the OWAA budget at risk.
The goal of selling the headquarters condo has been difficult and will likely happen during Tony Dolle’s presidency. I’m confident that the Realtor will find a buyer, allowing headquarters to relocate to Fort Missoula. According to the agent, who has a background in commercial real estate financing, the biggest challenge a buyer will face is financing. During our upcoming board meeting, I will give a detailed report about selling the condo, as well as information about what to do if an potential buyer can’t obtain financing. I encourage everyone to sit in on a board meeting and watch your elected board members at work. Hopefully you will be able to attend conference and the annual business meeting, too.
Marketing OWAA has been and will continue to be a goal of mine. We need new members, not just for membership fees, but also for new ideas an too keep the association moving forward instead of standing still or sliding backwards. New members and supporters will provide the energy needed to grow a healthy, strong membership base.
While in Missoula, Robin, Ashley and I discussed some new ways to market OWAA on the Internet with the goal of attracting new members. The possibility of a multi-site marketing will give OWAA a far better reach on the Internet and enable us to hit certain keywords for potential members. Instead of relying on someone searching for “outdoor writers groups” we can target “boating writers groups” or “skiing writers groups,” for example. Our members should also help market OWAA by including links back to www.owaa.org from their sites. OWAA already provides links to its member’s Web pages.
It has been a tremendous pleasure and honor serving as your president. I look forward to volunteering for committees and helping where and when needed in the future. At age 50, there’s still a lot of volunteer left in me, especially after retirement in two short years!
If we all contribute just a little when we can, it adds up to a strong, healthy and relevant organization. ◊
John L. Beath is OWAA president and owner of Pacific Lure Communications. He is a writer/photographer and owner/editor of several websites and online stores. He is also an Internet marketing consultant for several businesses. Contact him at jbeath@gmail.com.
Does your website have spiders crawling through it?
3 Jun
By John L. Beath
A client recently hired me to optimize their website to get more search engine traffic. When I asked him if and how often search engine spiders crawled his site, he gave me a deer-in-headlights look. Search spiders are sometimes called search robots or bots, Web wanderers or Web crawlers.
My client had no idea where visitors to his website came from, how often they visited or where they went on his site. However, he was very proud of his visitor counter at the bottom of his page that showed a total of 7,547 visitors since 2006.
When asked if he thought that was a good number of visitors he happily said “yes.” In reality, those numbers are extremely low and reflect negatively to visitors coming to his site. Additionally, it shows all of his competitors exactly how few people visit his site – a number that should remain confidential, no matter the number, except to paid advertisers on the site, if any exist.
First, I removed the visitor counter from my client’s site. Next, I optimized his meta tag site title and description to accurately reflect the content of his site. Then I edited the text on his site so that it was more descriptive and blended better with his site title and description. I also renamed his link pages to be more descriptive and search engine friendly. For example, “Photos” is far too generic and will never attract search traffic. Since his site is from a specific area, I named the link “Valdez Alaska Fishing Photos.” This link takes more space, but it accurately describes the origin of the images and helps search engines determine relevancy for search results.
Now the fun part: adding code that enabled the site owner or administrator to see who and where traffic is coming from on the Internet. Lots of companies provide free stat counters. One of the best is www.statcounter.com. It provides a user-friendly interface and comprehensive statistics.
Stat Counter is an invisible Web tracker that lets the user customize and configure the counter specifically for their website. Once the code has been added to the site, it will show real time Web statistics, including where the visitor came from, what search terms were used to find the site, and how long visitors spend visitng on the site. The stat counter also shows when search spiders crawl the site and the search engine or directory from which the spiders originated.
“I love StatCounter.com because it offers a huge range of features to help me determine search engine relevancy for my site and contents,” explained Mary Alice Donahue, owner of glutenfreetravelmagazine.com and LAgrapevine.com. “My stats from StatCounter.com give me a complete understanding of quality and quantity of visits to my Web properties, for free.”
This information is invaluable for learning how to analyze your site and fully optimize it to receive more relevant traffic. Donahue uses StatCounter’s popular page feature to determine quality of content and follow trends. She also says the recent visitor mapping tool helps her sell advertising. When selling ads on her site, she uses this tool to show her clients where traffic is concentrated and the relevancy and benefit of advertising on a particular page.
For more information about this valuable program, visit www.statcounter.com. To see how a search engine spider works, try this simulator: http://www.webconfs.com/search-engine-spider-simulator.php. ◊
John L. Beath is OWAA president and owner of Pacific Lure Communications. He is a writer/photographer and owner/editor of several websites and online stores. He is also an Internet marketing consultant for several businesses. Contact him at jbeath@gmail.com.
Supreme Court says freelancers’ copyrights may have some value without registration
3 May
By Bill Powell, OWAA Legal Counsel
The class action settlement intended “to achieve a global peace in the publishing industry” over copyright infringement of freelance work by initial publishers and electronic databases has been re-instated by the Supreme Court. The effect of this narrow ruling is to restore at least some slight value to copyright owners who have failed to register their copyrights with the United States Copyright Office.
The Supreme Court’s decision was rendered March 2, 2010, in Reed Elsevier, Inc. v. Muchnick.
The court just below the Supreme Court, the federal Court of Appeals, without any party asking it to, had thrown out a $15- to $18-million settlement reached at the trial court level among a large class of freelancers and a large class of defendant publishers and defendant electronic databases. This settlement had been pounded out over a period of years following the Supreme Court’s 2001 decision in New York Times Co. v. Tasini, which found that inclusion of freelancer work in electronic databases by publishers who had purchased only one-time publication rights constituted copyright infringement by both the original publishers and the electronic databases.
Just as no party asked the Court of Appeals to throw out the settlement, no party could be found to defend the Court of Appeals decision before the Supreme Court, so it appointed someone to do so. The basis for the Court of Appeals decision was that the class of freelancers included in the settlement, who were to be paid something for the re-publication infringements they had suffered, included many who had never registered their copyrights with the Copyright Office. A section of the Copyright Act requires that such registration be made before a copyright owner may sue for infringement.
The Court of Appeals had seen this registration requirement as trumping another provision of the Act, which declares that the creator of a work owns the copyright from the moment of creation, and concluded that it left the federal courts without any jurisdiction to deal in any way with unregistered copyrights. Under the Court of Appeals decision all value was drained from unregistered copyrights, since they could never be enforced.
As anticipated in earlier reports of this case in Outdoors Unlimited and in OWAA’s recently published Legal Handbook for Freelancers, this reinstatement of the settlement is a positive development for freelancers and for copyright owners generally. It solidifies the Supreme Court’s position as the only Court consistently making rulings favorable to copyright owners. The actual settlement of the case, however, is not such a favorable thing for freelancers generally, since most do not register their copyrights, and the settlement was constructed on the assumption that the value of an unregistered copyright is nearly zero. Those owning unregistered copyrights, the largest group of plaintiffs, get the least under the settlement. Luckily, the Supreme Court included in its opinion this statement: “In concluding that the District Court had jurisdiction to approve the settlement, we express no opinion on the settlement’s merits.”
There is, no doubt, more to come. In the meantime, freelancers should register their copyrights. It’s easy to do electronically and doesn’t cost much. Go to http://www.copyright.gov/register/. ◊
Websites made easy with Weebly.com
3 May
By John L. Beath
Everyone needs a website in today’s competitive digital world. Even if you have one or two websites promoting your books, products, ideas or photos, you can’t have too many sites. Currently, I have 35 websites and continue to produce at least one per week – most recently, using Weebly.
Many people don’t have the funds or skills necessary to create a good-looking website, especially one with a decent shopping cart option. Fear not, all you need to know is how to drag and drop, if you use www.weebly.com.
After signing up for a Weebly account, users can create a free website or blog complete with a shopping cart, video, images and much more. Weebly’s unique programming is a drag and drop interface so simple anyone, regardless of skill level, can create great looking websites. The drag-and-drop program also lets you choose between dozens of professional designs with numerous simple-to-use multimedia elements. After dragging and dropping your elements, images and text, you can click between templates at any time during design or after the site is completed. You can change the look of your site as often or as frequent as you want.
If you have a Google account or PayPal account, you can quickly create a revenue generating website with a professional and secure shopping cart. For an example of a Web store site on Weebly, visit www.SuperSquids.com. I built this site quickly, with no design effort, using Weebly templates. The most difficult part of building the Super Squid site was taking pictures of the products and sizing them to 72 dpi in Photoshop. Other than the images, the site required some text and lots of drag and dropping of Weebly elements.
You can use the free option on Weebly or pay $70 for two years of hosting for up to 10 websites. If you own your own domain name just follow the directions and point it to your Weebly account or purchase the domain through Weebly.com. Whatever website solution you choose, follow Weebly’s instructions and you will quickly have the best looking, inexpensive website possible. Don’t forget to create links to and from your other sites too.
In addition to Weebly drag and drop elements, you can use the HTML option for more difficult and complicated features.
A friend of mine created a really great Amazon store through the Amazon Affiliate Program and used the Weebly platform for her new website. To view her site, visit http://www.glutenfreetravelmagazine.com/gluten-free-store.html.
Her Amazon store requires no inventory or shipping. When someone purchases something from her affiliate store, Amazon deposits a percentage of the sale in her account.
If you are interested in dragging and dropping a new Weebly website for your business watch this how-to video.
Profit Tip: Monetizing your efforts
Sign up to be an Amazon affiliate if you frequently interview people who have a product to sell—whether a book author or product representative for an outdoors gear company. Should you mention their product on your broadcast or in your writing, you can post a link on your website to the item’s Amazon listing. If people click your link to order the item, you earn a percentage of the sale.
Not only does this help monetize your efforts, it provides a good customer service to your readers, listeners and viewers. Instead of trying to remember a book title or author’s name, they need only visit your website and click a link to purchase the featured item.
Profit Tip: Targeting niche markets
Create as many websites as you can. The most common question people asked about my website business is: “Why do you have so many sites?”
With numerous sites I can target every niche market that interests me, relates to the products I sell or ideas important to me. My current URL inventory includes 157 unique Web addresses, all of which will be working websites within three years.
Remember, a product does not have to be something you sell. On the Web, a product can also be your ideas or your newspaper column. To market something successfully, you must promote, promote, promote. In the Internet world, links are the way to promote your website. It is also imperative that your site contains relevant content. If you focus on those two aspects, you’ll succeed.
Tailor your content to a niche market and your site stands a better chance of soaring to the top of search engines. High-ranking niche websites can take your business and Internet reach to the next level.
Example: If you love to write about bass fishing, come up with your niche having to do with bass fishing and then purchase a URL with that keyword in the URL address. My SuperSquids site is niche because it is the name of my own brand of squid lures. I also own www.squidlures.com, a site ranked number 1 in Google if you search for “squid lures.” This is the power of niche websites and importance of creating more than one website. Each time I create a new website, I also create links that come from the same category of websites – a strategy that helps with all my site’s rankings. Of my 35 websites, 90 percent of them are ranked No. 1 to No. 3 for the search terms targeted on Google and Bing. ◊
John L. Beath is OWAA president and owner of Pacific Lure Communications. He is a writer/photographer and owner/editor of 14 Web sites and 10 online stores. He is also an Internet marketing consultant for several businesses. Contact him at jbeath@gmail.com.
