June/July 2015 Archives - Outdoor Writers Association of America

A first-timers guide to conference

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 05:49:07 +0000

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BY DANIELLE TAYLOR

I have sort of a weird habit when I travel. Every time I visit a new place, I send my folks a postcard (they’re usually taking care of my dog anyway), and I also mail one to myself. It’s a fun and cheap way to preserve a little visual memory from my trip, as well as a snippet of my thoughts at the time.
Last year when I arrived in McAllen, Texas, for my first OWAA conference, I found a McAllen postcard in my hotel room. After a whirlwind few days of education sessions, networking events, dinners, product demos and one highly entertaining photo scavenger hunt critique session, I finally got around to jotting down a few lines while waiting to board my flight home. My main thought? I really missed out on most of the benefits OWAA offered me in my first few years as a passive member.
The association offers a ton of perks all year long, but the annual conference is really where it all comes together. If you’re going to conference for the first time this year, or are considering attending next year’s event, here are a few tips to make the most of your experience:

If you haven’t already set your travel plans, check out the pre and post conference trips tab on the OWAA Conference webpage (https://owaa.org/2015conference/pre-post-conference-trips) first. In addition to the jam-packed conference schedule, OWAA has also organized several outdoor excursions to introduce members to the greater Knoxville area and give attendees an opportunity to experience some of its outdoor attractions. You’ll likely want to arrive early or stay late to fish the South Holston River, photograph elk in Great Smoky Mountains National Park, bird-watch at Douglas Dam or raft the Pigeon Forge River.
Once you’re ready to book your flight and hotel, visit the travel and lodging tab on the conference website for discounted rates (https://owaa.org/2015conference/travel-lodging).
No matter how long you’ve been working in this field, don’t miss the “Becoming an Outdoors Communicator” workshop

(https://owaa.org/2015conference/agenda/boc-workshop). It’s a great introduction to some realms of outdoor communications you may not have considered tapping into, such as radio, visual art and books.

Be sure to attend the Green Ribbon Meeting, as it’s here that you’ll get a thorough introduction to the conference as well as a chance to connect with a mentor who can help guide you through the next few days. First-time attendees wear a green ribbon on their nametag throughout the conference, and this meeting also introduces you to other newbies you can buddy up with.
Be friendly and don’t hesitate to introduce yourself to everyone. Just like you, others are there to meet like-minded people, make new connections and find new opportunities. You’ll likely have information to share that will help out your fellow members and they’ll have the same for you. So step out of your comfort zone and join that hotel breakfast table of folks wearing conference badges, strike up a conversation with the person sitting next to you in a craft improvement session and introduce yourself to any speakers you particularly enjoyed.
Try to attend as many hospitality suites as possible, as they’re great opportunities to network with other members and sponsors. Also, there’s no additional cost and the food is great, so why miss out?
Consider entering the photo scavenger hunt. The experience of looking for shots that fit the bill for each individual quest gives you a different perspective on conference. Even if you don’t participate, check out the comical photo critique session at the end to see the entries and pick up some photo composition tips from a few of the association’s top photographers.
Throughout the conference, stay tuned in to OWAA and the other members you meet on social media. Share photos and updates on Facebook and Twitter and connect with people you meet on LinkedIn. By tapping in to others’ feeds, you can get insight on portions of the conference you miss. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #OWAA2015 in your posts, and use it to search for others’ posts while you’re in Knoxville.
Roughly plan out which sessions you want to attend, and note some back-up options in case any of your first choices aren’t what you expected (https://owaa.org/2015conference/agenda).
If you do any freelance writing, don’t miss “Meet the Editors,” to learn about several publications specific to this field and meet several assigning editors who are interested in publishing your work.
It’s worth waking up early for Demo Day and Shooting Day, as this is your chance to test out some of the latest products for the outdoor industry. You’ll also probably leave with a hefty bag of swag, so be sure to leave room in your suitcase when you pack.
Consider attending the section meeting specific for your type of media to discuss specific challenges you’re facing and share ideas for new ways to maximize your outreach.
To learn about any major OWAA news you may have missed and vote on membership-wide decisions to help the association move forward and serve you best, definitely attend the annual membership meeting.
Bring more business cards than you think you’ll need. They don’t take up a lot of space in your luggage and you’ll need them as you make a ton of great contacts to help you with your work in this field.
Once you’re home, follow up with the connections you made to solidify those contacts and open the door to future opportunities.

My postcard collection decorates my home’s stairwell, and the one from McAllen is on eye level at the top of the steps. Every time I see it, I’m reminded to pitch an article idea to an editor I met at last year’s conference, follow up with a writer I met for an assignment, or just check in with a friend I made there. Unfortunately, I have a family conflict and can’t make it to Knoxville this year, but I can’t wait for the 2016 conference in Billings, Montana. I hope to see you there.

–Danielle Taylor is the executive editor of the National Recreation and Park Association’s Parks & Recreation magazine as well as a Leesburg, Virginia-based freelance writer focused on outdoor recreation, conservation, and travel. Follow her on Twitter @D_R_Taylor, and visit her website at www.danielle-taylor.com.
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Plan a picnic (and more) in the park: Your guide to visiting the Great Smoky Mountains

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 05:46:26 +0000

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You shouldn’t come to Knoxville, Tennessee, without a stop in Great Smoky Mountains National Park. You’ve probably seen pictures of peaceful, rhododendronflanked rivers, eye-popping wildflower displays and scenic vistas. The idea of the Smokies is exciting, but when you actually pull out the map and try to plan a trip, it can be, well, really daunting. That’s why we’ve broken the park up into a few smaller, more manageable chunks to help you plan the trip that’s right for you.
Best All-Around (West Side of the Smokies)
If you’re looking to dip your toes into the Smoky Mountain experience, the west end of the park via Townsend, Tennessee, is the best way to do it. Because of its lower elevation and relatively flat roads and trails, this part of the park has the most year round use. In this area you’ll find Cades Cove, which is home to historic structures like the old missionary Baptist and Methodist churches and the John Oliver Cabin, all remnants from the days when the cove was home to a small community of settlers.
You’ll also find the trailhead to Abrams Falls, one of the most popular waterfall trails in the park, as well as the beautiful Rich Mountain Loop Trail. Unfortunately, the popularity and easy access of this part of the park means you’ll be navigating larger crowds and standstill traffic on Cades Cove Loop, but cyclists and pedestrians can experience the circuit more serenely by getting up a little earlier. Every Wednesday and Saturday from May until late September, the loop road is closed to motor vehicles before 10 a.m., allowing pedestrians and cyclists to enjoy the loop without the frustration and danger that comes with navigating around cars.
But don’t think this end of the park is all rolling hills and tourists. Abrams Creek has class III and IV paddling, and one of the highest points in the park, Rocky Top/ Thunderhead Mountain, is accessible from the Cades Cove campground.
The Climbs (Central Smokies)
U.S. Highway 441 follows Little Pigeon River as it traces its way through the middle of the Smokies. It is speckled with some of the steepest, most difficult and awe-inspiring climbs in the park. The Chimney Tops, LeConte, Charlies Bunion and Andrews Bald all have trailheads along this road, and visitors will also find the scenic vistas of Newfound Gap and Clingman’s Dome off the road before it snakes further southeast to the park border at Cherokee, North Carolina. If you’re looking for an exhilarating hike, beautiful views and an intense workout, this is probably the part of the park you want to be in.
The Gatlinburg Escape (North end of the Park)
Even big fans of Gatlinburg, Tennessee, can appreciate that beautiful moment on the road when the museums, restaurants and boutique shops of the city yield to trees, streams and rivers. The northern end of the park is home to several popular Smokies experiences. West of Gatlinburg along Little River Road is easy access to Laurel Falls, Metcalf Bottoms, Cucumber Gap and Jakes Creek. East of Gatlinburg you’ll find the trailhead for Ramsey Cascades and Porters Creek, the latter of which boasts arguably the best wildflower display in the park.
Underrated (Eastside)
Less frequented by Knoxvillians because of its distance from the city center, this area is perhaps most well known for Max Patch, which, while not actually within the boundaries of the park, is still worth a visit. Big Creek Campground is a great base camp for explorers looking to experience popular swimming destination Midnight Hole and fire towertopped Mt. Sterling. Daring kayakers will enjoy paddling down Big Creek, while less experienced floaters will be better off opting for a float down Pigeon River.
This is just a start. Hikers should check out the National Geographic map of the Great Smoky Mountains and “Day hikes of the Smokies” by Carson Brewer to get a full scope of what the park has to offer. Kayakers should check out Kirk Eddlemon’s new two-volume guidebook, “Whitewater of the Southern Appalachians.” Remember: No dogs are allowed on any trails in the park and permits are required for backcountry camping.
For more information on the hikes and mentioned visit https://rootsrated.com/knoxville-tn/.
—Article courtesy Roots Rated
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What you need to know for Knoxville

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 05:35:44 +0000

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Q. Anything special I should pack?

A. If you would like to participate in our Photo Scavenger Hunt, you must bring your own camera and memory card. Also bring any clips you would like to share with our editors at the Meet the Editors panel — a clip box will be available for each attending editor. And of course be sure to bring plenty of business cards for networking. Calling all runners: New for 2015 is the Roll n Run on Saturday morning. Bring your running shoes if you want to join fellow attendees for an early morning, no-fuss run.

Q. What should I wear?

A. Wear comfortable shoes and casual clothes to the welcome dinner, EIC awards party, workshops and all demo events. The Honorary Awards Dinner on Sunday night is more formal, a tie and sports jacket are recommended. While all conference sessions will be inside, the welcome dinner, Breakout Day and water demonstrations will be outside, so please pack rain gear and be prepared for the heat.

Q. Where do I go when I arrive in Knoxville?

A. The Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park is the host hotel for conference attendees. Check-in is available beginning at 3 p.m. and free parking is available for OWAA’s attendees. The conference registration desk will open at 1 p.m. on June 25. The registration desk and all conference sessions will be hosted at the Knoxville Convention Center located directly across the street from the conference hotel. If you arrive in Knoxville early in the day on Thursday, we can also provide suggestions at the registration desk for places to see or things to do in and around Knoxville.

Q. Will I need to transport myself to any conference activities?

A. No. All transportation for conference activities will be provided. We will provide driving directions at the registration desk if you would prefer to drive yourself. Please note: Supporting Group and company representatives will need to provide their own transportation for water demonstrations and Breakout Day if they need to transport materials or arrive early for setup.

Q. Are my meals included with my registration?

A. Yes. Scheduled conference meals are available beginning with breakfast on Friday and ending with dinner on Sunday. All meals are included in the conference agenda except breakfast on Saturday and Sunday which is available at the Holiday Inn World’s Fair Park, included in your room rate. Please wear your conference badge to all meal events and contact OWAA headquarters, info@owaa.org, if you have any dietary restrictions. For meals before and after conference, plenty of great restaurants are available in Knoxville: http://www.visitknoxville.com/places-to-eat. The registration desk will also have recommendations within walking distance.

Q. Can my spouse and family attend with me?

A. Absolutely! A list of things to do in Knoxville and family and guest activities are available on the conference website: https://owaa.org/2015conference/agenda/spouses-partners-families-guests/. And anyone registered for the conference is welcome to join you for all conference meals and activities.
For more information, visit: https://owaa.org/2015conference/faq/.
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This land was your land: Federal transfers rob the American people

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 05:30:15 +0000

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BY MATTHEW COPELAND

Stacks of informative articles and level-headed opinion pieces have been written of late about our slinking progress toward wholesale public land transfer and the ongoing efforts to stop it. See Todd Tanner, Bob Marshall, Scott Willoughby, Ben Neary, Judith Kohler, Raph Graybill, and as always, Hal Herring for particularly eloquent examples. What follows here will not be as civil. I am angry, and I am frightened. I believe that anyone who isn’t angry and frightened, isn’t paying attention. And I believe the time for polite discourse has passed.
Open-minded, well-informed consideration of every issue is critical to the functional health of any democracy. In fact I think the erosion of such vigorous debate in our society explains many of our current ills. But public lands transfer is not a topic on which reasonable adults can disagree. It’s not a “topic” at all. It is an attempted robbery — a bald-faced, unabashed, mass swindling of the first order. And the crooks have damn near pulled it off already.
Which would be difficult enough to swallow if it were just land at stake. Our public lands are our most economically valuable national asset, responsible for raking billions of dollars directly into the national coffers each year and supporting far more lucrative free market economic activity. We are literally talking about selling off 28 percent of our country. But politicians’ hands have swept mankind’s pockets ever since we outbred the hunter-gatherer clan structure, maybe longer. What’s a few hundred million more acres pilfered from the people?
It’s not about the land or the money though. What’s ultimately at stake here is a way of life. Who we are as a nation, how we live as a people and what it means to be American have all sprouted from the public soil of our great republic. Public land is the bedrock on which our national mythology is built. The cowboys, mountain men and pioneers wouldn’t have existed without public land. “Huckleberry Finn” is a public land story, as are “Call of the Wild,” “Lonesome Dove” and “A River Runs Through It.” “Don’t Fence Me In” and “America the Beautiful” were written about a landscape with equal access for all. Public lands put the “Wild” in the Wild West. Our spirit of exploration and adventure is inexorably tethered to the distant horizon and predicated on the freedom to cross the ground in between. Without public land, hunting, fishing, hiking and camping are reduced to commercial transactions and restricted to those who can afford them. Are we still American without room in America to roam?
Surely, nothing so central to our economy, identity and lifestyle could be genuinely threatened by the people who represent us. Maybe in some backwater banana republic or former Soviet state, but such gross injustice, such shameless theft could never happen here, right?
One would think. But I’m here to tell you the barbarians are at the gate, they are coming for what you hold dear, and they are winning. With the passage of SA 838, 51 United States Senators have thrown down the gauntlet, spit in your eye and made their intentions clear. They are rewriting the laws to take your land. Their threat is real and it is really happening. We can probably count on the current administration to thwart a land grab for the next 18 months, but who knows after the next election? Particularly if such brazen disregard for the public interest goes unpunished.
And let us be clear. We are being disregarded. The Senators and state governments who’ve led us down this path to the brink of unthinkable calamity know exactly what they’re doing. They are not stupid and they are not misinformed. There has been no misunderstanding of American sentiment. They just don’t care. They don’t care because they’ve sized us up, taken our measure and deemed us impotent. Maybe they figure we’re scared enough of the long promised, but never quite materializing, gun-snatching boogeyman that we won’t dare abandon their protection. Maybe they figure we’re so absorbed in Netflix and “Clash of Clans” that we’ve lost track of the real world. Maybe they’ve just done the math and decided we’re already beaten.
Our Public Lands

Acres of federal public land in the United States: 6.4 million
U.S. public land owners: 320,590,000
Hunters and anglers who rely on public land: 69 percent
Westerners who’ve used public lands in the last year: 95 percent
Annual outdoor recreation economy supported by public lands: $646 billion
Jobs supported by public lands recreation: 6.1 million
Sportsmen’s groups and outdoor businesses that oppose transfer: 114
Western voters (the supposed beneficiaries of transfer) opposing sell-off: 67 percent
Senators who voted to open the door to wide-scale divestment of public land: 51
State governments who’ve moved to “reclaim” federal public land: Seven
Politicians voted out of office for supporting sell-off efforts: Zero

I have to admit it. So far, from their perspective, the math looks pretty sound. I could pile-up reams of compelling numbers, in fact, the much more capable professionals at the National Wildlife Federation, Backcountry Hunters and Anglers and Colorado College already have. But at this point, there’s really only one calculation that carries weight. Unless the big fat zero at the end of the above list changes, the behavior of our elected officials won’t change either.
I was born in Charlottesville, Virginia, and with my first squalling breath I inherited 1-million square miles of the most beautiful real estate on planet earth — boom, a geo-genetic jackpot winner just like every other natural-born American citizen. I can wander where I choose, hunt in the hills, fish in the rivers, lose myself in the mountains or find myself in the desert. Millions of naturalized immigrants earned these rare and precious privileges with the sweat of their brow. Millions more Americans have defended them with the blood in their veins. Now, regardless of our previous paths, we’re all facing the same question. Will our kids know these same freedoms or will they become disenfranchised visitors on someone else’s property?
“Oh, say does that star-spangled banner yet wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?”
It does for now. If we don’t start making a lot more noise though, we’ll need to rewrite that land part pretty damn quick.
“O’er the holdings of the corporations?”
“O’er the real-estate portfolios of the 1 percent?”
I don’t know, neither sounds like where the brave live to me.
So please, get on the phone. Tell your elected officials they need to fix this — all of them. Follow that call with a letter — or three. Then get back on the phone and ask your friends, family, neighbors and coworkers to do the same. Sign the Sportsmen’s Access Petition at http://sportsmensaccess.org/. Hold a rally. Wave placards. Go to the next town hall meeting and speak your mind. Demand to know where candidates for public office stand on our public lands. Keep score.
Then vote your conscience.
–Matthew Copeland served a six year corporate sentence in Major Metro USA before finding his way home to Wyoming and setting out to serve on his own terms. Today he writes for assorted magazines and helps clients tell their stories more effectively… when he’s not off playing in the mountains that is.
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Efficiency a better priority than pipelines

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 05:18:24 +0000

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BY RICH PATTERSON
Alliant Energy recently declared the Indian Creek Nature Center a photovoltaic power generating station. It will invest in a solar electric system that will produce more energy than the center’s new building consumes.

For years the utility and nature center shared power from a smaller, net-metered, photovoltaic system, meaning the meter ran backward or forward depending on renewable production and building demand. The customer pays the “net” at the end of the month.

The small system on the nature center’s existing building reduced consumption and cost by about 41 percent. The new system will drop utility costs to zero while producing surplus electricity for others to use.

It is not pie-in-the sky technology. Nearly every business and home can install readily available equipment and better manage energy use to reduce, or eliminate, energy cost.

Technology offers immense opportunity to reduce energy consumption beyond buildings. Our Prius, for example, comfortably moves us along at 50 miles per gallon. It’s closer to 60 when driving around town in summer. Every gallon we don’t burn frees family cash for other things, while reducing emissions and the need to extract and move oil. We save money whether gas prices are high or low.

Business, industry, government and homeowners can embrace efficiency and renewables to reap cost and climate benefits, or we can continue to extract, move and burn fossil fuel until it’s gone.

Construction of the proposed Bakken and Keystone pipelines will require condemnation of private property, tear up land and create potential for toxic spills. There is much oil deep in Canadian, Texan and Dakota rocks, but it remains a nonrenewable resource that will deplete. As it grows scarcer and harder to extract it will become more expensive.

If everyone embraced efficiency, the need for fossil fuels and pipelines will diminish along with the environmental impacts associated with energy production. Efficient consumption saves consumers money while extending oil and coal reserves for the manufacture of plastics, cosmetics, medications and thousands of other products. Our national priority should encourage maximizing efficiency, not building pipelines.
—Rich Patterson is a past OWAA president and member of the Circle of Conservation Chiefs. He and his wife Marion own Winding Pathways LLC and live in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. For 36 years he served as executive director of the Indian Creek Nature Center.
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Get the story you want from the experience you’re given: Making the most of a FAM trip

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 05:16:16 +0000

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BY BURT MYERS

You got the call. Some editor or publisher offered you a trip to write about XYZ lodge or to attend a function for manufacturer that promises a chance for hunting and fishing or some other outdoor pursuits.
It might sound like a vacation, but it’s far from it. The way you act and write will establish your reputation across the entire outdoor industry. Your peers and industry professionals will be watching.
So check your ego.
You’ve shot trophy deer in Texas, caught 40-pound lake trout in Whatchamacallit Lake in northern Canada and taken a 12-pound bass in Mexico. Clearly your skill in getting on top media trips or finding top guides is commendable, but none of that makes you an “expert” angler or hunter.
I’ve guided advertising execs from Toronto to 50-inch plus muskies. For one, it was their first fish. Despite their catch they didn’t claim to be a competent muskie angler.
Don’t claim to be an expert when you are not. The people that do, go on FAM trips and spend most of their time trying to prove themselves as hunters, or anglers, instead of as journalists. They fish with a guide all day and never even get to know his or her name. They ride on an ATV or in a new boat with the guy who designed it, and they don’t ask questions or write down quotes to use later. Instead they use the press kit as their source and feed the readers canned information that they could just as easily have gotten off the company’s website.
To get the most out of FAM trip — including a killer story — remember you are a journalist first and foremost. Here’s a few reminders to help you maximize your trip.

Step one. Carry a camera and a notepad as a means of capturing quotes and photos at all times. All times.
Step two. Never claim expertise in anything.
Step three. Interview everyone who hosts or guides you. The late Ed Crossman, University of Toronto professor and head of ichthyology at the Royal Ontario Museum and the co-author of “Freshwater Fishes of Canada,” said he believed every angler he met had at least one piece of information that would add to his knowledge base. So ask your guide for tips on tackle and techniques. Answer the following questions when you return home. Is your guide married? What do they do in the off season? Does he or she have kids or grandchildren?
Step four. Take pictures — more than you think you’ll ever need. Once you get home you can’t get that special shot you want for the feature if you haven’t already taken it. Digital photography means you can shoot as much as you want without extra costs. Take advantage of it. Use the old journalism credo of who, what, where, when and why to get the right pictures. The who and where, (the people and the places) are the most critical on media trips.
Step five. Say thanks to everyone who helps you in any way. I’m not talking about tips for your guide, although that’s always appropriate. I’m talking about being genuinely gracious to your hosts and the people who work for them. You’re there to do a job, just as the folks who guide you or put you on a machine are there to do a job. As such they are colleagues, not servants. Treat them that way and you’ll open up doors to information that you would otherwise never see.

The benefits are enormous. When you’re doing that other article on jigs or optics or deer rifles you have a list of experienced professionals who will both return your call when it comes, and provide valuable insights and quotes that give the article authority. In my eyes, an article that doesn’t contain quotes is little more than an opinion piece like this one.

Step six. Once you get home write personal thank you notes
that you mail the very next day.
Step seven. Write the feature while everything is still fresh
in your mind.
As a professional, never send your article off to the lodge, outfitter or manufacturer prior to publication for review. If something is particularly technical and you’re not sure, by all means send the relevant paragraph for fact-checking, but never the whole article. You don’t work for the host; you work for the magazine and its readers.
Step eight. When the article is published make certain the key individuals that helped you get a copy of what you wrote. None of this means you can’t have Fun. People like being around others who are clearly having a good time. Just don’t forget why you are there.

— A version of this story originally appeared in the newsletter for the Outdoor Writers of Canada.
— Burt Myers is an award-winning editor, writer, photographer and presenter. He is a past president and lifetime member of the Outdoor Writers of Canada and a past national board member for Ducks Unlimited Canada.
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Capturing an audience with social media

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 04:38:35 +0000

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BY JEFF WOLESLAGLE
We had a lot to learn when we created the first Facebook pages within the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources six years ago.
But we have come a long way since we first launched our page and social media has become an important tool in our public outreach. Like with any form of communication, the first thing to consider is your audience. Pennsylvania boasts 120 state parks and 2.2 million acres of state forest land. Our goal is to connect people to our state forests and the opportunities they provide. The millions of folks that visit our lands have an obvious love of the outdoors and we found out immediately that posts showcasing our flora and fauna were very popular.
When the Tuscarora State Forest in southcentral Pennsylvania began work with West Virginia University gathering data on golden eagle migration in the state, they placed road killed deer in the forest with trail cameras mounted nearby hoping to capture images of the large raptors. The cameras caught the golden eagles, and also a whole host of other forest dwellers that dine on carrion. There were amazing pictures of black bears, bobcats, coyotes, red and gray foxes, fishers, raccoons and porcupines as well as other birds like bald eagles, red-tailed hawks, ravens and turkey vultures sharing in the feast. A forest ranger sent me trail cam pictures each week which I posted on bureau of forestry’s page and watched the numbers rise. Our audience loved them and I looked forward to the photos arriving in my email inbox so that I could share them with our followers. As we increasingly used trail and web cameras, some of the images have garnered national news coverage.
While social media is a great tool for getting information out fast on unplanned events like extreme weather or fires, the bulk of our original posts are pre-planned. A well thought-out yearly plan can go a long way toward guiding content and connecting with followers in a timely manner. Each January the folks in our communications section sit down to review our content calendar.
Each month we feature seasonally appropriate recreational opportunities on our state forest lands, seasonal landscape photos and related natural history. Starting in the early spring we keep our followers up-to-date with what wild flowers will be blooming. We produced in-house video on Pennsylvania orchids that quickly went viral. In the fall we produce foliage reports to let visitors know where and when to expect to see peak colors in the state. It sounds simple, but these reports are wildly popular and often shared by our followers.
As a general rule we try to make a minimum of three Facebook posts per week, something that is easy to do if you collaborate with other agencies or departments. Share content from like-minded organizations. In the bureau of forestry we maintain a Facebook page for the bureau itself and a little over half of our twenty forest districts also maintain their own pages. We share content all the time as well content from the pages of our sister bureau, state parks. Social media can be a very powerful part of the communication tool box for any agency or organization. By knowing your audience, preplanning and sharing content, you can get the most out of your social media use.
— Jeff Woleslagle is the chief of communications for the Pennsylvania Bureau of Forestry. To view the bureau of forestry’s Facebook page go to https://www.facebook.com/PAForests. To connect it on YouTube go to https://www.youtube.com/user/PAForestry
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Stalking the successful blog: A case study in making the Web work for you

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 04:20:56 +0000

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BY MATTHEW COPELAND
Stalking The Seam was born beside the woodstove on a late winter’s night in 2013. A bottle of Scotch whisky served as midwife. It was Steven Brutger’s woodstove, his Talisker and his hesitant question that set the ball rolling. “So I’ve been thinking,” he said. “And I’ve got this idea… and if it’s totally offbase just say so… but I was wondering… well, what would you think about writing a blog… with me.”
“Hell no!” was my gut reaction. I’m trying to scratch-out a living as a professional writer, I thought. Why would I want to spend time and effort giving it away for free? But I held my tongue. I’d known Steven for years as a hunting and fishing companion, colleague and friend and had come to think of him as one of the most universally capable people I’ve met — someone worth hearing out to say the least.
“About what?” I asked.
“I guess we’d need to figure that out,” he answered.
So began a discussion that, much to my surprise, led to one of the most gratifying and rewarding creative endeavors of my career.
STS, as we’ve come to call it, has in the intervening two years prompted a worthy body of work; provided an avenue for critical feedback; offered challenges and learning opportunities; dramatically expanded our reaches; established a laboratory in which to experiment; initiated adventures; and introduced us to numerous clients and friends.
Perhaps as surprising, we can trace most of our digital outlet’s success back to that initial conversation. We made a number of fundamental decisions right out of the gate, and somehow we got a few of them right.
First among them, both in terms of sequence and import, was topic. Our interests run to hunting and fishing, but a host of great outdoor sports sites were already jostling for attention online — many of them more expert, adventurous or well-known than us. What value, we wondered, could we add to that ongoing conversation?
Instead of trying to be another instructional platform, content aggregator, or escapist fantasy outlet, we decided to stick with what we knew and did best. As a couple of 30-something working stiffs with spouses, kids and mortgages, we get after the fish, fowl and four-legged critters more than most, often with little ones in tow. We suspected the majority of sportsmen and women could relate to our situations and guessed many of them would respond to our hunt for the sweet-spot between happy home-lives and passionate outdoor pursuits.
Agreeing on “a couple of average Joes trying to make it work” as the general subject gave us a purposefulness and continuity of voice that I doubt we’d have achieved otherwise. It also provided a filter through which to evaluate potential content.
The temptation is to externalize that function, to ask, “Will this post generate views?” But when combined with a commitment to 100-percent original content — also an early deliberate decision — knowing what STS was “about” prohibited us from chasing an audience, and allowed us instead to focus on storytelling. Doing so, paradoxically, helped the audience find us.
The STS Bar and Grill is a prime example. Primarily scotch reviews and wild food recipes, this regular Friday feature bombed almost every time it ran in the early days. But it fit into the original vision, and it was true to our interests, so we stuck with it. Overtime our stubbornness has been rewarded. A few STS Bar and Grill posts have quietly become top performers and attracted a segment of loyal readers we’d have never found without elk steak and Aberlour.
Nearly as valuable as an agreed upon framework has been a joint commitment to execution. The importance of the term “joint” can’t be overstated. Producing original content every Monday, Wednesday and Friday is a lot of work. Having a buddy to share the load is awfully nice. Having a partner to whom you are accountable is priceless. Someone’s bound to get behind and miss a post eventually — but it isn’t going to be me. I know that Steven, who’s every bit as competitive, feels the same way. I also know he’ll tell me the unvarnished truth when a post just doesn’t work, or a photograph isn’t up to snuff. The creative elbowroom that comes with playing in your own sandbox is great, but it does need sideboards. Sharing the credit and the criticism for what we produce doubles our chances at hearing the voice of reason before we wander too far off the reservation.
With our topical sphere selected, and baseline expectations established, the final key element to address was look and feel. Knowing that the Web is an inherently visual medium, and that Steven’s photography is a real asset, we wanted a format that led with imagery. It was also important to both of us that we present a certain degree of professionalism. Taken together, those goals translated into a clean, full width format with simple lines, understated fonts and color schemes, and minimal “bloggy” clutter. Realizing that vision took plenty of experimentation, trial and error. Knowing what we were shooting for, before wrestling with platforms, themes and settings, made all the difference.
We set out to create a blog that didn’t look like a blog, but we also made a point of embracing the medium. Frequent updates are a must, as is targeted online outreach.
There are well-established best practices for the blogosphere and ample resources available to anyone interested in learning. We did our homework and quickly learned the value of a newsletter and Google analytics.
But nothing has been so rewarding as engaging with readers. Fostering active relationships with the audience is absolutely critical to building and maintaining circulation. Those relationships also underpin the primary benefits of working on the Web — the creative stimulus, professional development, craft improvement, and newfound print and client work opportunities. When the audience shares our stuff with their communities, it drives traffic. When they share their thoughts and experiences with us, it drives us to keep telling stories.
Not even Google can put a value on that.
–Matthew Copeland served a six year corporate sentence in Major Metro USA before finding his way home to Wyoming. Today he writes for assorted magazines and helps clients tell their stories more effectively… when he’s not off playing in the mountains that is. Read his blog stalkingtheseam.com.
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Flying photography: Great shots require more than a wing and a prayer

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 04:03:08 +0000

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BY MIKE WINTROATH
Imagine trying to shoot a duck flying at 50 mph — with a rifle, not a shotgun and a scope that must be focused before you pull the trigger. Then add a rule saying you can’t shoot until the duck is below the horizon and about to land on water. You’ve got three to five seconds to get the shot. That’s waterfowl photography. Waterfowl are the most difficult, frustrating and timeconsuming subject I photograph.
It’s a lot easier to shoot a duck with a gun than with a camera and a 500-millimeter lens. But with some planning, patience and hard work, some of my birds in flight images are the pictures of which I’m most proud. Here’s what you need to know if you want to replace your gun with a camera when it comes to shooting waterfowl.
Gear
Use the fastest camera you can afford for shooting birds. A single-lens reflex camera that can shoot continuously at five to 10 frames per second will do the trick. With anything slower, you’re trusting your luck. Forget about tripods and monopods. It is best to hand-hold your camera. Find a good lightweight lens, something like a 100 400 mm. Or sacrifice your back muscles by using a 500-mm fixed-focal-length lens. Even with a 500-mm lens, I feel like I always need a bigger lens.
Alone Time
It’s best to go by yourself when photographing waterfowl. If nobody is shooting at them, ducks usually return after they’re spooked. I avoid photographing from blinds because I want to be mobile. I usually leave my truck before sunrise wearing a desert ghillie suit, carrying a backpack chair, a duck call around my neck, sometimes a jerk string with three duck decoys, one camera body with a 500 mm lens, a few snacks and a bottle of water.
Preparation
Always scope the area. Bumbling about in cold water before sunrise is a recipe for disaster. When I head into a duck field or timber, I know exactly where I am setting up shop. I know when the sun will hit my spot and I know my background, which is why I try to find a field that is close to a tree line.
Positioning
Always position yourself with the sun behind you and, if possible, so birds will be flying perpendicular to the front of your lens. I want a photo of a duck coming in for a landing while flying toward the lens and that is one of the toughest shots to capture. Many auto-focus systems can’t keep up with a moving target headed at the camera. Often those images end up slightly out of focus.
Settings
Many photographers shoot in program mode, but I prefer aperture-priority where I have more control over my settings. Shooting in aperture-priority allows me to select the aperture and the camera selects the shutter speed. I usually set my aperture at f7or f8 because those produce the sharpest images with plenty depth of field, meaning when a bird’s head is in focus, the rest of the body will remain sharp. A fast shutter speed is crucial, too. I adjust my ISO (film speed) so my camera will select a shutter speed 1/1000 of a second or faster. Any shutter speed setting between 1/1000 and 1/2000 of a second is fast enough to freeze a bird in flight. Most cameras offer two focusing modes: One-shot or continuous. In one-shot mode, the shutter release is partially depressed, focus is attained and locked. Most cameras have a significant shutter lag and focus won’t be accurate for any moving subject unless it is moving parallel to you. Continuous mode uses predictive auto focusing. When you depress the shutter release part way, the camera continuously calculates where the subject will be and focus is constantly adjusted. Continuous mode is much more accurate for flight shooting. Turn image stabilization and vibration reduction off. The image stabilizer slows the auto-focus system, and faster auto focus is more important than image stabilization.
Practice
Hone your techniques by photographing big, slow birds: Great egrets, great blue herons and eagles are good subjects. Knowledge and equipment are never enough but patience and persistence always pay off.
–Mike Wintroath is an Arkansas native and outdoor enthusiast. He enjoys wildlife photography, rock climbing, trail running, whitewater kayaking, hunting and fishing
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Start being dramatic: Craft compelling tales in everyday stories

OWAA Developer — Tue, 02 Jun 2015 03:43:42 +0000

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BY BOB FRYE
Did you see the movie about the guy going to work?
He gets out of bed, showers and gets dressed. Then it’s a cup of coffee, a couple of slices of toast, and out the door. He puts in eight hours in the office with time in the middle for a brown bag lunch, then drives home. He eats dinner, cuts the grass, then plops down in front of the TV for an hour.
What, you missed that one? Yeah, me, too.
Or we would if anyone actually made such a film.
Of course, they won’t. Why? Because it would be so mind-numbingly boring. Theater-goers would revolt, demanding ticket refunds and filing lawsuits after having nearly choked on the popcorn and Jujyfruits they were eating when the movie inevitably put them to sleep.
When we go to the movies, we expect certain things — car crashes, fights, tragedy, romance and perhaps an epic battles with dragons or zombies.
People who read about the outdoors want the same thing. They want stories. Luckily for us, there are plenty of them out there. The key is telling them in a compelling way.
Drama exists everywhere. There’s an element of conflict in every good story.
Sometimes it’s obvious.
If you’re writing about an Alaskan moose hunt that turns into an all-out struggle for survival, with marauding bears and snows that keep the float plane from arriving for days after its due and a shortage of food, there’s plenty of excitement.
But drama, conflict, angst and trouble are just as present — albeit in smaller, more subtle ways — in stories closer to home.
Maybe you’re writing a profile piece for the local newspaper about an angler who’s become “the” trout fishermen on your local river. He catches more and bigger fish than anyone, year after year, in good conditions and bad.
How did he earn that reputation? What did he have to overcome? How does he do it? Chances are he’s probably had to make sacrifices in order to put in enough time on the water to become so good. Maybe his house shows so much neglect it looks like it’s abandoned; maybe he drives a decades old car that spews so much smoke it looks like it burns coal instead of gasoline; maybe he’s gone through three wives.
There’s something about him that makes his story more than just a tutorial on what lure to cast to catch more fish. Find that something and you’ve got a tale that even someone uninterested in trout or fishing might want to hear.
That brings up the second point of focus.
Its details.
Think back to the movies. Do you feel yourself gripping the arm of your seat when there’s a battle raging? Do you jump when the monster pops out from behind the door? Do you cry when the good girl loses her true love to cancer?
You do because you feel like you’re there, in the scene, experiencing those things.
When it comes to a written story, its details that bring the reader into the scene. It’s you, and not them, on the water with our famous trout fisherman. So you’ve got to relay what it’s like.
That means more than just asking questions of your source and dutifully writing down those answers.
Quotes are certainly important, but remember to use all of your senses to bring people into the story. Take note of what you hear around you, what smells you encounter, what you’re feeling when in the moment. And as specific as possible. That’s vital.
It’s not enough to say that our fisherman in the example above has sacrificed a lot to become good. You’ve got to show readers what you mean in a real way. If his house is decrepit because he spends all of his free time fishing, how so? Maybe the grass is so tall that you can feel it brushing your fingertips as you walk up to the front door. Maybe the screen door is hanging on by one hinge. Maybe, when he tells you to have a seat while he gets ready, you glance down and there’s a fast food bag on the floor, so sun bleached that you can tell it’s been there for days if not weeks.
How about his car? Does it smell like an odd combination of old bait containers and cigarette smoke and wet rubber waders? Provide your readers with those kinds of details and they can picture themselves there with you. They’ll feel for the people involved, share their joys, agonize over their sorrows and find themselves mad or happy or excited.
And that make a good story.

— Bob Frye is outdoors editor for Trib Total Media, an online and print newspaper chain based in Pittsburgh. He’s spent 25 years writing for newspapers, magazines and book
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