April News Briefs

New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame inducts Glenn Sapir
Former OWAA president Glenn Sapir will be honored as a New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame inductee this month. Currently an outdoor columnist for New York’s Journal News for Putnam and Westchester counties, Sapir has promoted conservation and education throughout his career as a writer and media professional. He has served on the editorial boards of Outdoor Life and Sports Afield, held the regional editorial director position for Field & Stream and worked as editor of New York Sportsman. An OWAA member since 1975, Sapir received the organization’s J. Hammond Brown Memorial Award in 1996. The annual New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame banquet and induction will take place at the Rusty Rail in Canastota, N.Y. on April 24. For more details on the event or individual inductees, e-mail Leo Maloney at lmalone1@twcny.rr.com.
Hunting Heritage Trust hires OWAA’s LaBarbera
Former OWAA president and longtime member Mark LaBarbera will guide communication and development efforts for the Hunting Heritage Trust as director of development and partnerships. His initial responsibilities will include supervision of a two-hour TV documentary on America’s hunting heritage, expansion of the organization’s communications with the outdoor community and development of new fundraising partnerships. LaBarbera has served on the boards of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Alliance and Tread Lightly.
Outdoor Trails Network adds Alaska and Missouri stations
The “Great American Outdoor Trails Radio Magazine” has added KMBQ in Wasilla, Ala. and KBNN in Lebanon, Mo. to its Outdoor Trails Network. KMBQ is owned by the Spirit of Alaska Broadcasting Inc., which broadcasts programming on five different frequencies covering 70 percent of the population of Alaska. KBNN is part of Good Radio.TV, which owns and operates 24 stations in Missouri and Iowa. Both stations will air the radio show, co-hosted by Jim Ferguson, on Saturday mornings. OTN now has more than 100 radio stations in 17 states broadcasting to a projected audience of more than 4.5 million. For details and programming, go to www.outdoortrailsnetwork.com.
AR Guns & Hunting premiers second issue
AR Guns & Hunting, the digital source for information about AR rifles, is now online with its second issue. Ex-Army Ranger Steve Adelmann explains how to obtain a rapid sight picture, Charles Shawley reviews AR-specified optics and Glen Zediker walks readers through the best techniques and powders. Read the magazine’s columns, tips, reviews and hunting narratives about the rifle that rose to prominence as a military long gun at www.argunsandhunting.com.
Submit to the Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest
The 2011 Outdoor Alabama Photo Contest is accepting wildlife and nature photography entries starting April 1. Now in its eighth year, the contest is open to any amateur photographer with exceptional pictures of flora, fauna, state parks and other scenic and nature-based categories. Published fives times a year by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Outdoor Alabama explores the state’s wildlife, natural diversity, outdoor recreation and scenic beauty with photos and feature articles. For rules and entry forms or to check out the recent winners of the 2010 contest, visit www.outdooralabama.com.
April kicks off nationwide NRPA Park Visit Day
The National Recreation and Park Association’s (NRPA) inaugural Park Visit Day will take place on April 9 nationwide. Organized by the student branch of NRPA, the project will connect student groups across the country with parks and recreation agencies and opportunities. Students will learn about jobs with the local, state and national park systems and meet with park professionals and advisory boards. For more information about Park Visit Day, contact Amy Perrottino, NRPA manager of member services, at 703-858-2153 or aperrottino@nrpa.org. Participants can register their Park Visit Day projects at www.nrpa.org/studentbranch/.
Press trips available for the top 10 scenic drives in the northern Rockies
The Top 10 Scenic Drives in the Northern Rockies (www.drivethetop10.com) is offering press trips to credentialed media for a “taste” of the Top 10 with a few days of experiencing one Drive in a small group press trip. We have six itineraries to offer in June and three in September. Please contact Erin Pagán at erin@pat-bach.com for more information. Confirmed RSVPs are due by May 6, 2010 and space is limited. We look forward to hosting you!
Cornell’s Sound Recording Workshop set for June
The annual Sound Recording Workshop offered by the Cornell Lab of Ornithology will take place June 12-19 at San Francisco State’s Sierra Nevada Field Campus in the Tahoe National Forest. Taught by Cornell Lab’s Macaulay Library staff, workshop attendees will learn techniques to capture professional-quality wildlife sounds through daily field recording sessions, lectures and demonstrations. The $945 workshop fee covers tuition, class materials, local transportation, food, lodging and the loan of a recording system for the course to the first six registrants who request it. For details, visit http://macaulaylibrary.org/inside/record/workshops/index.do.
Outdoor Life picks the year’s best tackle
After hundreds of casts with dozens of rods and reels, the editors of Outdoor Life have selected this year’s best in fishing tackle innovation. Ranked in the categories of performance, design and price/value, the best new tackle was selected for the Outdoor Life Editor’s Choice and Outdoor Life Great Buy awards. At $100, the Abu Garcia Soron SX40 was chosen as the best buy for spinning reels, and the editors chose the Quantum Tour KVD–priced at $200–as the best in the bait-casting rod category. For a complete list of winners, visit www.OutdoorLife.com.
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