owaa, Author at Outdoor Writers Association of America

Hide not thy light beneath a basket

owaa — Fri, 07 Jun 2013 17:18:11 +0000

BY SAM CALDWELL
All you have to do is luck into the right lottery number or have a wealthy uncle bequeath you a Picasso. Otherwise, you may have to give up on the idea of overnight wealth and settle for plodding along.
But wait! There’s more! There are a number of ways artists (and I include photographers, graphic artists, writers and videographers in this category) can move their careers ahead to get rich and famous. Well, realistically, gaining either fame or fortune ain’t too shabby. And a bit of fame can shorten that pathway to the other.
Gathering fame, or at least some recognition as a fine artist, can take a lot of time and perspiration. I was asked how long it had taken to paint a certain picture and have it published as an art print for the Operation Game Thief program.
“About three days,” I replied, “and thirty years.”
There are a number of ways — apart from plugging along for 30 years — that can lead to success. Time and perspiration will still be involved, but these seven steps can help you shed that basket and shine your light on an appreciative world.
1. Promote your work. Of course, this step is at the heart of the process, but it demands a special focus. If you don’t have friends in the public relations business, make an effort to add a few friends. Check out the press clubs in your region. Let your local journals and TV outlets know you not only exist, but have an interesting story to tell. You may be surprised at the warmth of your welcome — editors are always looking for a story.
2. Donate. Every worthwhile cause in your state has to raise money, and art can be a primary tool. An example of your work in a live or silent auction gets your name out there. Conservation groups can be an excellent way to advance your cause while also helping them raise funds.
3. Partner with your state wildlife organizations. Perhaps a game warden association will publish a great photo or painting, and in return, provide you with an artist’s proof for your own use. Several of my art prints stemmed from partnerships with Texas Parks & Wildlife Department, Operation Game Thief and the Coastal Conservation Association.
4. Speak up. If you’re shy and bashful, you might want to consider a different profession. One of the primary ways you can gain some notoriety is to do demonstrations of your work. It is also therapeutic: When you have to stand up, speak up and show your wares in public, you’ll find out early on what you don’t know and need to learn. Sure, you’ll have to let people know you’re available, but schools and amateur organizations are always looking for an interesting presentation. Let a local journal know of the event, and maybe you’ll have a reporter present.
5. Compete in art exhibits and competitions. Enter OWAA’s Excellence in Craft contests. Join an art gallery, locally and nationally. Submit digital examples of your art to every magazine on the outdoor shelf, and then do it all over again two months later. Look for exhibitions and contests where you can show your wares. When you win, remember step 1.
6. Get a website. This is a critical way to maintain your public profile. It’s neither that expensive nor complex nowadays, and important to do it yourself. Make sure you have a way to easily keep your home page fresh and interesting. It’s expensive if you don’t have a website because you’ll miss the chance for increased exposure.
7. And finally, persevere. I have known a number of artists / photographers / writers who, in my less than humble opinion, were talented and capable of excellent careers. But, for whatever reason, they kept their lights hidden beneath a basket. ◊
A member since 1991, Sam Caldwell is primarily a self-unemployed artist, but also serves as editor, writer, artist and photographer for the Texas Coastal Conservation Association’s Currents newsletter. He was named by the Texas Commission for the Arts as a Texas State artist for 2004. His art can be visited at www.samcaldwell.com.

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Desperate days for CRP, wildlife, hunters

owaa — Tue, 02 Oct 2012 19:11:06 +0000

[box]Submitted by the OWAA National Affairs and Environment Committee[/box]
By Dave Nomsen
Pheasants Forever & Quail Forever’s Vice President of Government Relations
Last week, I helped my 23-year-old son, Jason, move to Pierre, S.D., to begin his first job out of college. As you might expect, being the son of a wildlife biologist, Jason is an avid bird hunter who barely can contain his enthusiasm for moving to America’s pheasant capital.
“Dad, I looked it up on the South Dakota Game, Fish & Parks website and there are walk-in lands within minutes of my office,” beamed Jason while riding shotgun somewhere east of Wheaton, Minn. “I can hunt roosters, sharp-tailed grouse and prairie chickens virtually every day after work. I’m betting I’ll be able to find a few sloughs holding ducks and honkers not too far away either. This hunting season is going to be epic.”
As the rows of corn and beans passed along across western Minnesota through eastern South Dakota, it occurred to me that Jason has never known a time without the Conservation Reserve Program. In fact, when Jason was most impressionable as a teenage hunter in 2007, pheasant numbers soared to 40- and 60-year record highs thanks to a CRP program with 39.2 million acres under contract.
As those miles passed by outside the truck, I thought back to the sloughs being burned last autumn and thousands of miles of tile I saw being buried this spring. There was barely a blade of prairie grass or wild flower outside the window for a pheasant to call habitat, and I wondered if Jason would soon know an era without CRP.
As outdoor communicators, you’ve undoubtedly reported on the record high land values and commodity prices influencing land use decisions across America’s farm country. The world’s demand for our corn, bean and wheat fields has clouded judgment for the value of our country’s water, soil, air and wildlife. In a society gorged on instant gratification, our natural resources are perceived to be a long-term investment able to wait until tomorrow. As a biologist, life-long conservationist and hunter, I know this view is faulty and our poor land use decisions today will negatively impact all of us today and well into tomorrow.
In addition to these intensified pressures on our land, CRP also faces the peril of inaction. As I write this, it’s imperative for all of us – conservation groups and outdoors communicators – to put pressure on the United States Congress to take action on a 2012 Farm Bill before the year ends.
If Congress does not act on a Farm Bill during this calendar year, then millions of acres of conservation programs screech to a halt. The USDA’s authority for some programs, like CRP for instance, runs out on Dec. 31, without a new Farm Bill. And without authority to operate programs, critically important acres eligible for continuous CRP enrollment, like buffers, will not be protected.
In other instances, budget baselines have been maxed out for programs like the Wetlands Reserve and Grasslands Reserve, effectively shutting those programs down for lack of funding without a new Farm Bill. So in essence, if the U.S. House of Representatives and U.S. Senate do not move with purpose to complete a 2012 Farm Bill, the entirety of America’s farmland conservation programs take a giant step toward a Soil Bank-like end.
In support of Congress addressing critical conservation issues in the Farm Bill this year, Pheasants Forever has itemized our top priorities for the legislation.
1. Reauthorize CRP. With approximately 6 million acres set to expire in 2012 and an additional 3 million acres in 2013, CRP is expiring acres at an alarming rate.
2. A Competitive CRP. Pheasants Forever understands and supports the need for an economically competitive and targeted CRP. Conservation programs such as CP33 Buffer Acres, CP37 Duck Nesting Acres, and CP38 SAFE Acres offer the ability to turn every CRP acre into a specifically targeted approach to wildlife conservation and environmental sensitivity, while typically offering producers more competitive rental rates than general CRP contracts.
3. Wetlands Reserve Program (WRP) Acres Baseline and Permanent Funding. WRP acts as America’s number one wetlands restoration program. Wetlands are some of the most valuable pieces of land for wildlife and environmental quality. In addition to permanently funded wetlands protections, an acres baseline for this program needs to be established, thereby ensuring a constant minimum of what we can improve upon.
4. Continuation of Open Fields Hunting Access Programs. The Voluntary Public Access and Habitat Incentive Program is an innovative program used to help fund dwindling public access to private lands, which constitutes the greatest threat to hunting in the United States today.
5. Strengthened “Sodsaver” or Non-cropland Conversion Provisions. Sodsaver provisions would help conserve one of America’s most iconic and threatened ecosystems: our native grasslands. These provisions would save taxpayer dollars and conserve critical habitat while maintaining farmers’ abilities to manage their lands as they see fit.
I remember all too well the state of wildlife populations and habitat in the years prior to CRP’s birth in 1985. As I think about an entire generation of hunters like my son Jason, I’m hopeful that our pre-CRP history has taught us all a lesson we don’t have to re-learn.

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OWAA legend Homer Circle dies at 97

owaa — Mon, 25 Jun 2012 16:05:23 +0000

OWAA mourns the death of the outdoor communication community’s favorite uncle — Homer Circle, who died unexpectedly Friday at the age of 97.

“Hey Jaybird, how do nasty chickens communicate?”
“How, Homer.”
“With fowl language!”
Groan …
And thus begins a typical phone call with Homer Circle, longtime angling editor of Sports Afield magazine and an OWAA member since 1946. As Fred Kesting, longtime executive editor of the magazine, once told me, “There are two things you can always count on with Homer: 1) a “G or G” joke — you’re either going to grin or groan at the inevitable joke when you pick up the phone and hear, “Oh Fritz, did you hear the one …”; and 2) “You can count on Homer always being there for you, in good times and bad.”
…
Award-winning film producer Glenn Lau told me this about Circle: “For 30 years I have had the privilege of seeing people light up when they meet this man. Everyone, from all occupations, feels honored when Uncle Homer takes the time to listen to their stories and share some of his own. He is without a doubt the finest humanitarian that I’ve ever met. He is what many of us would like to be, open and receptive to everyone.”
— Taken from “Homer Circle, Everybody’s Uncle,” an OWAA Legends piece written by Jay Cassell.

A member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America since 1946, Circle was perhaps best known to many as the long-time fishing editor for Sports Afield magazine, serving in that role from 1968 through 2002. He authored numerous books on bass fishing, including “The Art of Plug Fishing” (1965), “New Guide to Bass Fishing” (1972), “Worming and Plugging for Bass” (1972), “Circle on Bass” (1996) and “Bass Wisdom” (2000).
He was a host of television fishing programs, such as “The Fisherman,” “Sports Afield” and “The Outdoorsman,” and he starred in two fishing films, Bigmouth in 1973 and Bigmouth Forever in 1996.
“His is a remarkable life, with simple beginnings. While fresh out of high school, he took a job as a salesman in an outdoor store in Ohio. For the next eight years, he had the chance to see and use every new hook, line and sinker that was introduced to the market,” Cassell said in his article about Circle.
“One day an editor for the Springfield Daily News came into the outdoor store where Circle worked and asked him if he knew anybody who could write authoritatively about fishing. Knowing he was the best-qualified person for the job, Circle volunteered himself — and was hired.
“The tackle industry was still in its infancy then. Not willing to limit his fishing to lures sold on the market, Circle decided to make his own instead. The result was a plug, which he called The Walnut Crab. It worked so well that he took it to the president of Heddon fishing tackle, and declared he would match his lure against any lure Heddon had to offer.
“Heddon didn’t buy the lure — but they wisely hired Circle as the vice president of advertising and public relations, both for Heddon and the Daisy BB Gun Company, the parent company. In 1964, Circle began freelancing fishing articles to Sports Afield magazine, which, at the time, was headed by Editor Ted Kesting.
“One thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.”
The former president of OWAA (1967-68), Circle has received countless awards, including OWAA’s 1965 Circle of Chiefs Award, 1975 Excellence in Craft Award and 1979 Ham Brown Award. He was also inducted into the Fresh Water Fishing Hall of Fame in 1981, the Bass Fishing Hall of Fame in 2001 and the IGFA Hall of Fame in 2007. He was also the recipient of the American Sportfishing Association Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996.
He is survived by his daughter, Judy McCormack, four grandchildren and six great-grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his wife, Gayle. They were married for 70 years by the time she died in 2007. The family plans a private service for him, according to his granddaughter, Beth Costantino.
As a way of remembering him, OWAA members and supporters are encouraged to send notes about ways he touched their lives to info@owaa.org with “Uncle Homer” as the subject line. Emails will be forwarded to family members. ◊
Obituary content compiled from OWAA archives, Bassmaster, Jim Shepherd of The Outdoor Wire and Nooga.com.

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RMEF, HuntingGPSmaps announce collaboration

owaa — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:34:14 +0000

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation announces a partnership with HuntingGPSmaps, a company that helps hunters spend less time trying to decipher where they are on a map and more time hunting. It also benefits RMEF chapters around the country.

HuntingGPSmaps creates color-coded GPS maps of property ownership displaying federal, state, county and private lands as well as other features specifically designed to meet the needs of the outdoor community. Founded in 2006, it gathered and organized data from more than 15 different sources to create a single, statewide map with layering and zooming capabilities. To date, it provides maps for 23 states.

HuntingGPSmaps will also make its products available to RMEF chapters for fundraising banquets around the country.

For information about HuntingGPSmaps products, including GPS compatibility information, visit https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt/app. To see a demo of the product and here more on the collaboration with RMEF, visit https://vimeo.com/39863221.

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UVPaqlite introduces new additions to its line of lighting products

owaa — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:32:43 +0000

UVPaqlite, a family business from Colorado, recently announced three new additions to its unique line of lighting products. The UVMatlite, UVNitelite, and UVO Necklace are all new this year, and like other UVPaqlite products, do not require batteries, bulbs, electricity, fuels, or mechanical parts. They glow all night long, can be used indefinitely and are environmentally friendly. Designed as supplementary lighting for backpackers, hunters, survivalists and other outdoor enthusiasts, the new line was created with emergency preparedness in mind.
OWAA members interested in writing an article on UVPaqlite products are encouraged to contact the company. The business is using grassroots marketing to help spread the word about its environmentally friendly, useful, and unique products.
For more on UVPaqlite and all of its products, including purchasing information, visit http://www.uvpaqlite.com.

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SCI awards record amount for college scholarships

owaa — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:31:40 +0000

This past year Safari Club International Foundation awarded a total of $33,270 in college scholarships benefiting 20 students majoring in wildlife management, natural resource management or a related field of study. That total commitment is being increased to $35,270 in the 2012-13 academic years. Since 2000, SCI has awarded $300,000 to 61 scholars attending colleges in the U.S. and internationally.
“These scholarships are imperative for the education of future hunter-conservationists,” said SCI Foundation President Joseph Hosmer. “We need more individuals committed to science based conservation and active wildlife management. Only then can we ensure that future generations are afforded the same opportunities to get out and experience the outdoors as we have.”
For more information on SCI and its scholarship programs, visit http://www.safariclubfoundation.org.

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Crosman leads the zombie revolution

owaa — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:28:19 +0000

Just in time to answer the frantic demand for reliable defense against zombies, Crosman Corp., long known for designing fun products for the shooting sports, has introduced a new category of airsoft products. Intended to keep you safe from the living dead, the products in the Undead Apocalypse Airsoft line defend you from the seemingly endless scourge that preys on human flesh.
According to vice president of marketing and resident zombie authority Roy Stefanko, “Undead Apocalypse offers much more resourcefulness than your average backyard airsoft. We created each product to work in conjunction with the others to help you keep the undead at bay long enough to survive until the next sunrise,” he said.
For additional information on the new Undead Apocalypse airsoft brand, or on any Crosman, Benjamin, CenterPoint precision optics, Crosman Archery or Game Face Airsoft products, visit the company’s websites at www.crosman.com, www.centerpointoptics.com and www.gamefaceairsoft.com.

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BoatU.S. goes to the dogs

owaa — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:27:12 +0000

The nation’s largest recreational boat owners group, BoatU.S., has gone to the dogs. The association recently launched several programs for dog and pet owners, including new pet insurance coverage through the BoatU.S. marine insurance program. Effective June 1, the program automatically includes $1,000 of coverage for injuries as the result of an on-the-water accident, as well as a death benefit, for no additional cost.
BoatU.S. also launched a website, Boating Pets, that offers a pet photo gallery, a collection of boating pet articles, an online shop, information on canine water training programs, information on Dog Scouts programs and a list of pet-friendly marinas. A pet message board is also available for BoatU.S. members.
The BoatU.S. Boating Pets website is available at www.BoatUS.com/pets. For more on the group’s new insurance coverage go to www.BoatUS.com/insurance/pets.

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NSSF will intervene in latest lawsuit against traditional ammunition

owaa — Thu, 14 Jun 2012 22:26:18 +0000

The National Shooting Sports Foundation, the trade association for the firearms and ammunition industry, will file to intervene in a lawsuit filed June 8 by the Center for Biological Diversity and six other groups in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., asking the Environmental Protection Agency to ban traditional ammunition containing lead components.
The EPA already has twice denied petitions filed by CBD to ban traditional ammunition, noting that it does not have the authority to regulate traditional ammunition under the Toxic Substances Control Act.
The lawsuit comes the same day that Congressional Sportsmen’s Caucus co-chairmen Senators Jon Tester, D-Mont., and John Thune, R-S.D., filed an amendment to the Farm Bill that contains a number of sportsmen’s priorities, including legislation that has already been passed by the House of Representatives to exempt traditional ammunition from being regulated by EPA.
Learn more about traditional ammunition at http://www.nssf.org/factsheets/PDF/TraditionalAmmo.pdf.

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'Sodsaver’ legislation advancing, crucial to pheasants and Dakota way of life

owaa — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 20:11:41 +0000

The push by Pheasants Forever and other conservation groups in support of strengthened federal protections for native grasslands received a boost with the introduction of a “Sodsaver” bill, the Protect our Prairies Act, in the U.S. House of Representatives by Kristi Noem, R-SD, and Tim Walz, D-MN. If enacted, the policy would help conserve native prairie habitats while saving nearly $200 million in federal spending.
“Sodsaver is one of Pheasants Forever’s critical priorities for inclusion in the 2012 Farm Bill. South Dakota’s grasslands are a treasured resource important to pheasants, our economy and our way of life,” said Mike Stephenson, Pheasants Forever’s regional representative for South Dakota.
Native prairie lands represent important nesting areas for pheasants, ducks and other grassland birds – and more than 97 percent of the native grasslands of the U.S. have been lost.
For more information on Pheasants Forever, visit http://www.pheasantsforever.org.

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