October/November 2014 Archives - Outdoor Writers Association of America

2015 Conference Preview

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 23:07:25 +0000

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Conference favorites return

The most highly rated programs from McAllen, Texas, will be back in Knoxville, Tennessee.

Newsmakers
These panels offer-up experts on current outdoor-related issues giving you insight, context and sources so you can head home ready to file a story. Look for panels on topics like public lands and water issues in Knoxville.
Weed Walk
This morning walk with local naturalists has gotten rave reviews at the past two conferences. We are working with Rich Patterson to bring this back for Knoxville.
Honorary Awards Banquet
After revamping this event from previous years, this final night tradition was truly a time to celebrate the amazing accomplishments of our members and the changes received positive feedback all around.

You asked, we listened

Evaluation suggestions from the 2014 conference in McAllen, Texas, and their impact on the 2015 conference in Knoxville, Tennessee:

“Instead of so many sessions consider having fewer but better quality sessions.”
We will be running only two session concurrently in Knoxville and as much possible, make them non-competing sessions, so you don’t miss a thing.
“Find more accessible locations.”
Knoxville is located within a day’s drive of nearly half of the nation’s population and nearby McGhee Tyson Airport is serviced by six different airliners.
“Would like to see expanded outdoor demo day with water access.”
Immediately out the back door of the hotel and convention center is World’s Fair Park with shallow water access for fishing demos and small boat demos and the Tennessee River is only a short walk down the road. We will be on the river for the Welcome Dinner on Friday night and hope to incorporate paddle boarding and boating demos.
“More supporting member sessions to improve attendance once members are on-site.”
With only two other sessions running at a time, we could easily incorporate programming for our Supporting Group representatives – if you have programming or speaker suggestions, email Jessica Seitz at jseitz@owaa.org.
“Definitely need to move the photo group meeting to the beginning of the conference. It is scheduled too soon before the banquet and there is not enough time to go back and get ready for the banquet.”
Per the photo section feedback, the photo section meeting will be held the first day of conference and will be expanded into an hour and half long PechaKucha event. Look for an email from your photo chair for more details.

Pre- and post-conference trips/spouse, partner and family activities

As some of the lower-rated portions of conference this past year, this will be an area of focus for next year. With our hotel in downtown Knoxville and a free downtown trolley, there is a wide range of activities available in walking or riding distance from conference headquarters. In addition, read this month’s article from Visit Knoxville for a primer on some pre- and post-conference activities in the region.
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There’s more to explore: Climbing, fishing, hiking and world-class whitewater beckons

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:55:48 +0000

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Pick your favorite activity and you can likely do it in Knoxville, Tennessee. Hikers, bikers, climbers, paddlers and fishermen and women will all find exceptional adventures. Read on and start planning what you want to see and do in Knoxville.
Fishing:
Lakes, rivers and right out the front door — that’s the kind of fishing Knoxville offers.
A waterfront city there’s parks with shoreline, piers and boat ramps providing easy access to reservoirs, lakes and ponds and the bluegill, catfish, crappie and bass that live within.
Within the Cherokee National Forest there are approximately 625 miles of streams where trout naturally reproduce. The nearby Great Smoky Mountains National Park has an additional 220 miles of wild trout water where you can find brook, rainbow and brown trout. Trout are so abundant in these waters that stocking isn’t needed.
Great Smoky Mountains National Park
Less than an hour’s drive away lies a labyrinth of trails appeasing the recreational and the long-distance hikers. More than 800 miles of scenic trails weave through Great Smoky Mountains National Park, ranging from short leg-stretchers to strenuous treks and there’s plenty of places to camp if you want to spend a few days in the park. The park trails are well-maintained, signed and easy to navigate for day hikes and extended backpacking trips. Hikes will take you to waterfalls, fire towers and balds — large meadows at higher elevations perfect for picnics.
Whitewater paddling
Surrounded by exceptional whitewater, Knoxville is regarded as one of the best paddling towns in the country. To the north and west are the Obed Wild and Scenic River area and the Big South Fork National River, both protected, free-flowing rivers offering excellent whitewater paddling. South and east of Knoxville, rivers run through the Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Cherokee National Forest. These classic mountain streams rely primarily on winter and spring rains to raise water levels enough for paddling while the dam-released Ocoee, Hiwassee, and Pigeon Rivers provide whitewater during the summer months long after most free-flowing rivers have slowed to a trickle.
Rock climbing
Knoxville is sandwiched between Kentucky’s famous Red River Gorge and the up to 1,000-foot formations of North Carolina, making it the perfect hub with more than 5,000 routes within a three-hour drive.
But you don’t need to go even that far. One of the most popular local spots is the Obed Wild and Scenic River area where you’ll find sandstone cliffs 300-feet tall and bullet hard with formations ranging from pockets to cracks to gigantic ledges and the tiered roofs the area is especially known for. Those roofs provide shade that allows year round climbing and athletic tests of strength and flexibility. There’s also a boulder field featuring entry level problems up to micro-crimping V12s, as well as several unfinished routes. While a pad is not absolutely necessary on all of the problems, they are recommended for some of the highballs and corridor climbs.
Biking
Singletrack, doubletrack, or old roadbeds — any natural surface trail that winds through woods or open fields beckons fat tire enthusiasts. Whether you prefer to ride flat and easy or tight and twisty or somewhere in between, Knoxville has trails for your enjoyment within the city and miles more just outside.
Knoxville also offers an almost endless ribbon of scenic country roads that are relatively traffic free, meander through canopied woods, skirt open farmland and are perfect for road biking. Expect some hills no matter which of the many routes you decide to take. Local shops offer guide books, maps and bike rentals.
— Information from Outdoor Knoxville. For more visit www.outdoorknoxville.com.
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Adventure awaits in Knoxville, Tennessee

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:48:32 +0000

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If you are headed to OWAA’s annual conference in Knoxville, Tennessee, chances are you like to get outside. The good news is you won’t have to go far for adventure.
Knoxville’s Urban Wilderness features 1,000 acres of green goodness just five minutes from downtown.
The Urban Wilderness is an outdoor playground for adventurers of all ages and skill levels with 86 miles of greenway, 10 parks, 40 miles of recreational trails and four Civil War sites. The trail system features a variety of terrain from rocky outcrops to rolling fields and farmland.
To help you explore, check out the free South Loop Mobile Map app by visiting www.outdoorknoxville.com/urban-wilderness-mobile-trail-map. You can plan your route, pinpoint your position on the trails and track your trip in miles and elevation changes. The South Loop trail system crosses city, county, state and private land to connect parks, neighborhoods, schools and natural areas. It’s a perfect place for walkers, hikers, trail runners and mountain bikers to explore.
Much of the South Loop trail system is single-track and natural surface. Don’t worry if you don’t bring your bike; there’s places to rent, like at the Ijams Nature Center, ijams.org, where you can also jump on nine miles of beginner and intermediate bike trails weaving through woodlands and along the former quarry gorge. You’ll want to hop off the bike and explore the Ross Marble Quarry loop with unforgettable views from the rock bridge and below through the “keyhole.”
If you are more of a water person, there’s plenty for you to do, too. Ijams also rents canoes, paddleboards and kayaks to explore Mead’s Quarry Lake.
Interested in trying something new? Head over to the Outdoor Knoxville Adventure Center where local company Billy Lush has an active showroom for Tennessee-made longboards, skateboards and stand-up paddleboards. These boards are engineered by a group of locals who have a love for both surfboards and skateboards. Checkout the showroom, located on the river. Then rent a paddleboard or canoe to get on the water. Explore on your own or book a guided trip or lesson with the company. Check them out at billylushbrand.com.
Looking for more adventure? Turn the page.
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Outdoor group gives Latinos voice in conservation

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:37:17 +0000

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BY JUDITH KOHLER
Rod Torrez and Max Trujillo remember trips to the mountains hunting and fishing with family and friends while growing up. They didn’t, at the time, call themselves “conservationists,” but getting outside and appreciating wildlife was a big part of their lives and the Latino community in general. Today they embrace the label and encourage other Latinos to as well through their work with HECHO — Hispanics Enjoying Camping, Hunting and Outdoors.
The organization, which debuted last fall during the Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute’s annual conference, is meant to provide a voice for people who aren’t always part of the conversation about conservation, said Torrez, who serves as director of HECHO.
“We’ve not really been that involved in conservation as a unified group,” he said. “We need a place to gather. How do we express this long-felt need to protect these lands and aspects of our culture that we don’t want to lose?”
Trujillo can’t remember a time when he wasn’t eager to get outdoors and explore. He’s hunted and fished most of his life, exploring New Mexico’s streams and wilderness areas. It’s a way of life for Latinos in the Southwest.
“Latinos hunt, fish and use our public lands as much as everybody does,” he said. “But I feel like the Hispanic population is grossly underrepresented in the conservation movement. I feel like they need to take their seat at the table. Part of it is they don’t realize that they’re conservationists.”
A HECHO poll released in June showed 93 percent of Latinos in Colorado and New Mexico believe the government should protect public lands for recreation and the health of the environment. Both states have seen significant increases in oil and gas drilling on public lands. More than 70 percent of respondents, no matter their political affiliation, said they would favor a candidate who supported conservation and protecting public land.
The poll highlighted the economic clout of Hispanics who hunt, fish, camp and hike. During the year before the poll, 88 percent of the respondents bought equipment for outdoor activities with 54 percent in Colorado and 57 percent in New Mexico spending more than $250. The fact that Hispanics make up the fastest-growing segment of the population heightens the impact they can have, Trujillo and Torrez said.
The survey confirmed what Arizona state Rep. Mark Cardenas, of Phoenix and a HECHO board member, expected.
“Familial ties with the land, water and agriculture — they’re all incredibly important to the Latino community that’s been here for generations and generations,” he said.
Cardenas traveled to Washington with a group of students pushing for smarter use of the Colorado River, already overtaxed by the millions of people in the West who rely on it.
While the poll results underscored conservation’s importance to Latinos, Torrez and Trujillo say there are challenges when it comes to reaching younger generations.
“I grew up in a family of 11,” Trujillo said. “All our neighbors had big families. It was a weird day if we kids were indoors.”
Torrez, who grew up in the Denver area, said his family spent weekends in the mountains and hunted and fished in northern Arizona and New Mexico.
These days, videos, cell phones and similar distractions can be tough competition for the great outdoors. HECHO is reaching out to families and kids to keep people connected to nature. Torrez recently spent time with college students as part of the Hispanic Access Foundation’s efforts to raise awareness among young Latinos about conserving public lands. He met the students at the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve in southern Colorado.
In August, Trujillo helped organize an outing for families at the Las Vegas National Wildlife Refuge.
“I try to encourage people to get out to our wildlife refuges and national parks,” he said. “People experience things out there that are lifetime memories.”
It’s enough to turn them into conservationists.
— Judith Kohler is the regional communications manager for the National Wildlife Federation in Boulder, Colorado. Before joining NWF in 2011, she covered the environment, energy, politics and general news stories for The Associated Press in Colorado and Wyoming.
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Hunters should have their choice of ammunition

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:29:04 +0000

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BY LAWRENCE G. KEANE
The National Shooting Sports Foundation, representing the firearms and ammunition industry, supports the right of hunters to choose ammunition products that best meet their personal requirements and budgets. For some, that will be traditional ammunition containing lead components; for others it will be ammunition with projectiles made of copper or other metals that substitute for lead.
Hunters have used ammunition containing lead for more than a century without adverse impact on wildlife populations, the environment or human health caused by eating game taken with such ammunition. Given that the push to ban traditional ammunition plays on emotion and misinformation, the foundation urges those who report on the issue to fully evaluate claims made by ban proponents and to consider their underlying motivations.
Some hunters might not realize that supporting a ban on traditional ammunition amounts to casting their lot with anti-hunting groups, most notably the Human Society of the United States. The Humane Society, which recently filed a petition with the Department of the Interior to eliminate hunting with traditional ammunition on public lands, is on record as committed to ending hunting.
In its recently exposed “playbook,” the Humane Society reveals its dominoes strategy of using California’s decision to ban traditional ammunition as a model to achieve restrictions in other states.
We must keep in mind that wildlife management policy is based on managing population impacts, not on preventing isolated instances of harm to individual animals in a species. Feral cats, power lines, wind farms and window strikes all rank far higher than traditional ammunition as causes of bird mortality. No evidence links the use of traditional ammunition with wildlife population-level declines. Rather, populations of bald eagles and other raptors have increased dramatically in recent decades—concurrent with hunters’ use of traditional lead ammunition.
California’s ban lacks the science to support it. For five years, the state banned the use of traditional ammunition in condor areas, yet even with 99 percent of hunters complying with the regulations, condor blood-lead levels didn’t fall. What’s not been acknowledged is that lead exposure can come from other sources such as landfills and industrial sites.
The scare-tactic claim that consuming game taken with traditional ammunition is a health risk is refuted by a 2008 study of North Dakota hunters. Conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the study shows that those who eat game taken with traditional ammunition do not have higher blood lead levels than the average American. Additionally, the Iowa Department of Public Health, a state agency that has tested the blood lead level of Iowa residents for over 15 years, reports, “IDPH maintains that if lead in venison were a serious health risk, it would likely have surfaced within extensive blood lead testing since 1992 with 500,000 youth under 6 and 25,000 adults having been screened.” Iowa has never had a case of a hunter having elevated lead levels caused by consuming harvested game.
The manipulative “We’ve banned lead in paint and gasoline, why not in ammunition?” is supposed to sound like common sense until you consider that lead compounds once used in those products were soluble and easily absorbed in the blood stream, while the metallic lead used in ammunition is different and relatively insoluble in digestive tracts.
Who would doubt that hunters forced to pay more for ammunition will buy less? Alternative ammunition can cost up to 190 percent more than equivalent traditional ammunition. A decline in sales will mean a reduction in conservation funding from the 11 percent excise tax collected on traditional ammunition. And alternatives in many hunting calibers can be difficult to find.
True intentions are exposed when groups try to force bans but ignore voluntary, educational, non-ban measures such as ammunition coupon programs and asking hunters to bury the entrails of field-dressed animals to reduce exposure. Such measures work, gain the cooperation of hunters and are not divisive.
For years, the Arizona Game and Fish Department and other groups have asked hunters to voluntarily switch to using alternative ammunition in northern Arizona, a condor reintroduction area. Not surprisingly given their traditional support of conservation, hunters showed an 80 to 90 percent participation rate. Utah plans a similar approach.
No ban is necessary.
Editor’s note: The use of lead ammunition continues to be a contentious national issue. This article was written in response to one in the August/September 2014 issue of OU advocating a ban on lead ammunition. Hunters should have their choice of ammunition
–Lawrence Keane is senior vice president and general counsel for NSSF.
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Protecting public land: Selling federal lands threatens future of hunting

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:20:12 +0000

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BY TIM BRASS
It was way back in 1996 when I first stumbled behind my dad and grandpa with a pair of waders two sizes too big and a musty hand-me-down canvas camo coat. We made it to the lone hackberry tree and then waited, and waited …
It was duck opener on a state wildlife area in western Minnesota and we arrived a good three hours early with ample time to beat the competition to “the spot” — an exercise I would repeat time and time again, almost exclusively on public lands. From the wide Army Corps mud flats in Oregon to the burly Colorado backcountry, our vast public lands are largely to thank for the many hunting experiences that made me who I am.
Looking back, I realize I was born with a silver shotgun in my hand. But where our family was rich in hunting-tradition, we were poor in land. Thus, we learned to share the land set aside generations ago for sportsmen and women of all backgrounds to hunt and fish on — our rich portfolio of public lands.
As part of the 40 percent of American hunters and who rely on public lands, I know I’m not alone in being perplexed by the growing cry by out of touch politicians to sell-off, or slyly transfer from federal to state ownership, our Western public lands as a way to ease our great nation’s growing debt.
In Montana the GOP recently approved putting a pro-federal land transfer position on their party platform. In Utah, a well-funded pro-land transfer effort led by radical county commissioners is now sweeping across the West (see
www.americanlandscouncil.org). And in Washington DC, Republican leaders in the House of Representatives have included public land sell-offs in the budget and as amendments to otherwise well-supported legislation, such as the bi-partisan Sportsman’s Act.
While there’s no doubt that our debt needs to be dealt with, auctioning off the foundation of our invaluable sporting traditions is a shortsighted fix that would benefit a few at the expense of many. And transferring land from federal
to state ownership ignores the economic realities of managing these lands. Proponents of federal land transfer claim management and access will remain the same under state control. Yet, they remain silent on any plans for how things like fire prevention and road maintenance would be paid for. Firefighting costs alone would bankrupt the states forcing them to sell the lands.
As the founding principles of public trust are increasingly challenged throughout the West, our public lands are more important than ever. They remain the bedrock keeping the North American model of wildlife management as we know it — an invaluable insurance that no matter what career you chose or family you’re born into, you will always have a place to hunt and fish.
I’ll always remember that first morning in the marsh waiting beneath the hackberry tree with an unwieldy shotgun in my hand. It was the start of a lifelong passion for hunting. It’s a memory and experience future generations deserve to share.
American sportsmen and women are a fiercely independent bunch. But to defend what we love we need to unite and fight for the public land hunting and fishing opportunities we too often take for granted. We need to join forces and stop this public land grab for good. If we don’t, who will?
— Tim Brass is the Southern Rockies coordinator for Backcountry Hunters & Anglers. You can reach him at tim@Backcountryhunters.org.
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No reel needed

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:10:53 +0000

Tenkara USA brings simplicity, tradition to fly-fishing

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Daniel Galhardo learned a secret the first time he visited Japan: You don’t need a reel to fly-fish. Galhardo had discovered tenkara, a traditional Japanese method of fly-fishing that was not only simpler, but more effective for fishing mountain streams.
After studying the method and equipment, Galhardo designed the rods, lines and flies needed and opened Tenkara USA.
“I created Tenkara USA out of a desire to tell the world about this wonderful and, until then, relatively unknown method of fly-fishing, and out of a desire to tell people ‘fly-fishing is very simple,’” Galhardo said.
Simplicity is liberating. It allows travel without worrying about gear and space, and it makes learning to fly-fish intuitive.
The essence of tenkara is the reliance on little equipment. Tenkara with its pared-down rod emphasizes technique, not mastering gadgets and gear.
Tenkara doesn’t just make fishing simpler, it makes it simpler to fish — wherever you go. It shines in mountain streams where the long rod and light line provide the best possible fly presentation. But it’s also effective in alpine lakes, or urban ponds. The compact and light-weight set-up makes it easy to add fishing to a backpacking, climbing, or canoeing trip.
The company most recently developed the RHODO and SATO tenkara rods featuring two patent-pending features. The “triple zoom allows the rods to be fished at three different lengths and the “keep your plug system,” cleverly stores the
rod plug in the base of the handle so one doesn’t lose it.
Since its inception, Tenkara USA has worked to stay true to the simplicity and traditions of tenkara, while continuing to innovate and respond to market demands. Its connection with tenkara traditions and Galhardo’s relationships with the masters inform product design. The company supplies customers with equipment, but also the knowledge to learn and perfect the art of fly-fishing.
Visit Tenkara USA’s new website, www.tenkarausa.com or contact info@tenkarausa.com for media inquiries.
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Welcome to OWAA

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 22:00:56 +0000

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New Members

John Bigbie is an active duty U.S. Air Force officer stationed at Aviano Air Base in Italy. Bigbie grew up in Sumter, South Carolina, and has strong family ties to Clay County, Georgia. As an up-and-coming freelance writer, he maintains an extensive network of highly regarded outdoor artists, custom knife and rifle makers, bird dog breeders and upland game experts who enable him to construct distinctive articles and feature stories. His latest piece, “Old Thump,” appears in the summer 2014 issue of the Upland Almanac. Bigbie is currently conducting research for an article about the late knifemaker George Herron.
Writer and photographer Ben Duchesney is the web editor of Kayak Angler magazine and has been published in a variety of magazines, such as Field & Stream, The Flyfish Journal and Bassin’ Magazine, as well as on numerous websites and in newspapers. He’s been writing since before he was old enough to spell and picked up a camera in college. Duchesney was born and raised on Cape Cod, Massachusetts, and earned his bachelor’s degree in communication and print journalism at Suffolk University in Boston. If he’s not on the water fly-fishing or paddling, he’s most likely running around the country on assignment or taking photographs of motorcycles — even while riding on his own. Constantly reading novels, (many by Jim Harrison, or Fyodor Dostoyevsky), Duchesney plans to soon write his own; along with multiple non-fiction books on fishing, motorcycles and photography already in the works.
Jason Duncan is a regular contributor to the International Federation of Fly Fishers’ Flyfisher magazine, as well as the illustrator for his articles. He also writes the satirical fishing blog Fly Fishing, Et Cetera (www.flyfishingetcetera.blogspot.com). He lives with his wife, daughter and Welsh terrier in New York City.
Lou Dzierzak has been a full-time freelance writer since 1997. Much of his writing focuses on the business side of outdoor recreation. Editorial experience includes serving as manager editor of Outdoor Business, Hunting Business, Outdoor Insight and Running Insight. He’s an ongoing contributor to Gun Trade World and Tackle Trade World. He’s published hundreds of articles on marketing trends, product design innovations, environmental sustainability initiatives and retail operations. He’s also written for Silent Sports, Paddler, Canoe & Kayak magazine, Running Times magazine, Trail Runner magazine, Backpacker Magazine and Scientific American. An avid winter sports enthusiast, he has been the managing editor of Cross Country Skier magazine since 2000. Author of several books including a two-volume Boundary Waters Canoe Area guidebook. As managing editor, he is working with Rootsrated.com, an online resource providing detailed outdoor destination profiles.
Ruth Hoyt discovered her passion for photography in 1989 and evolved into a full-time nature photographer and writer. She teaches classes and private instruction, leads workshops and tours, performs ranch photography consultation work and more. Hoyt is a charter member of the North American Nature Photography Association, a certified interpretive guide and certified Texas master naturalist. Her work has been exhibited in locations such as the Smithsonian Institution and Missouri Botanical Garden and hangs on permanent display in various states. Credits include National Geographic books, The Nature Conservancy, Birder’s World, Texas Wildlife Association, AAA’s Home & Away, Valley Land Fund and more. Hoyt has won major awards in significant photo competitions including the international contest Natures Best, Valley Land Fund and first grand prize with partner and teammate John Pickles in the Coastal Bend Wildlife Photo Contest.
Dave Veldman is an avid outdoorsmen from southeast Michigan, who spends many of his weekends in the northern parts of the state hunting, fishing, camping, running his dog and shooting his Canon. He has been a student of photography for almost 20 years and now primarily focuses on hunting dogs and upland hunting photography. Veldman has been shooting professionally for the past two years under the name Sport Dog Photography. His work has been
featured in Ruffed Grouse magazine where he writes articles, provides images and works closely with the organization in its conservation efforts. He has also worked with other conservation organizations around Michigan, providing images and video of their efforts. Veldman runs and maintains an outdoor blog that focuses on Michigan camping and recreational opportunities. An avid camper, hiker, paddler and trail runner, he has enjoyed introducing the beauty of Midwestern forests to his four children.
Marianna Treviño Wright grew up in the Rio Grande Valley, where her childhood days involved catching Texas horned toads, fostering skunks and chasing snakes off the patio with her grandfather. Flocks of green parrots and families of armadillos inhabited the 12 acres on the outskirts of town, where her parents kept a few horses and cattle, along with her mother’s pet donkey, Frankie, and the pig her father received for Father’s Day. At the ranch she’d see Texas tortoise, diamondback rattlesnakes and Bobwhite quail, along with coyotes, deer and javelina, which her brothers dressed in the yard. This wild and magical upbringing, full of close encounters and where her natural curiosity was rarely the subject of parental supervision, fueled her love for the outdoors and appreciation for every manner of wildlife. Today, she writes primarily of lessons from the natural world and strives to use her voice for conservation, education and preservation.
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Grizzlies in the mist

OWAA Developer — Sat, 04 Oct 2014 21:56:39 +0000

Tour of the Khutzeymateen sanctuary provides close encounters

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BY MARY L. PEACHIN
Big Mama and her yearling stood about 10-feet from our zodiac boat ravenously chewing tall stalks of sedge.
I realized then I had arrived.
After a 30-minute flight from Prince Rupert in Canada, the Beaver float plane touched down in Khutzeymateen’s inlet in British Columbia, the largest grizzly bear sanctuary in North America. I’d come for three days to the largest grizzly preserve in North America to photograph and observe bears in a remote and intimate setting. I was one of five on the trip, joined by two Canadians, a University of San Diego tennis coach and a retired University of Arizona deputy athletic director. All of us were serious about our photography.
Before we finished unpacking cameras, a blonde bear sauntered along the shore, its coat not yet darkened from the feeding it would do later that summer on spawning salmon.
Jumping into the Sunchaser Charter’s zodiac, we noticed the young male’s back was covered with bite scars.
“He’s one of Lucy’s, perhaps the Khutzeymateen’s most distinguished matriarch, offspring,” said Dan Wakeman who has spent more than 20 years observing the Khutzeymateen grizzlies.
It was early June and still mating season. Sows with newborn cubs would not venture out until the males departed. The young male was on the prowl looking for a mate, Wakeman said. The bear wasn’t the valley’s dominate male, meaning it would have to get lucky to find a female without a cub that was also in estrus. If it happened across a female with a cub, it might kill the young, but still wouldn’t mate with the mother until its hormones were right to sire a cub.
Wakeman spent his summers in the Khutzeymateen studying the bear since they were cubs.
Life on the 40-foot sloop, Sunchaser, typically moored in Cedar Creek, evolved around the tide, the time when water was deep enough to navigate up the estuary, high tide affording the best opportunity to view bears. While we waited for the evening tide we ate Dungeness crab pulled from a nearby trap and boiled for dinner.
High tide arrived around twilight and we headed in the zodiac up the Khutzeymateen estuary. In about an hour we’d observe nine bears. One large male with a sizeable scar on its back stomped on a dead log hissing, warning us to back off.
Wake reversed the boat when the bear stomped again.
“If we’d been on land, we’d be dead,” he said. “This is his sanctuary.”
We watched a cub swim across the estuary and another run through the sedge. We spotted a large male lumbering out of the woods Wakeman thought wanted to mate with the female wandering the beach. Seeing us it loped back into the trees growling as though we’d interfered a romantic interlude.
That night we retired to our bunks at 9 p.m. even though the summer sun didn’t set for another hour.
Rain pounded the bow skylight over our twin bunks and we awoke to a day of viewing grizzles in the mist.
By noon, we observed 11 different bears: a mating pair, several shy runners, a few yearlings, sub adults, cubs, and both male and female adults.
Weather interfered with the rest of the day’s viewing plans. A torrential afternoon rain remained steady throughout the night. Layering in long underwear and fleece, we spent the night tucked under blankets and quilts. The temperature was a mild 59, but the dampness of the rainforest was penetrating.
High tide on our third and final day allowed us to explore further up the estuary where blue lupine bloomed, chocolate lilies budded and bald and golden eagles ruffled wet feathers. The Khutzeymateen River, which channels into the estuary, ran swiftly. Again we saw a variety of bears.
Camera shutters clicked rapidly in the rain as we looked eye-to-eye with more than 20 different grizzlies.
We boarded the zodiac again that evening for short final tour and returned to where we’d seen a sow and two cubs earlier. Near the forest we spotted a dark colored head in the grass. It was Barney, the Khutzeymateen’s dominant male which hadn’t yet been sighted that season. The bear was too far away to photograph, but close enough to wish us farewell.
That night while drifting off sleep, the distinctive call of a loon reminded us we were in a spectacular place where we had just enjoyed intimate encounters with grizzlies.

Want to go?

Visit Sunchaser Charters at grizzlytour.com or email sunchase@citywest.ca.

Prices for 2015 per person including all taxes and park fees

Three day trip: $1650.00
Four day trip: $2200.00
Five day trip: $2750.00
Six day trip: $3300.00
All trips are limited to a maximum of four to six people. Space is limited throughout the summer season. Accommodations are basic with one shared bathroom.

Getting there

Vancouver, British Columbia, is the gateway to the Khutzeymateen. From there, head to Prince Rupert and depart to the Khutzeymateen by boat or by float plane charter. It is necessary to spend a night in Prince Rupert both departing and returning. Air Canada Jazz and Hawk Air provide air service to Prince Rupert.
— Mary L. Peachin is an adventure travel writer who specializes in scuba diving and sport fishing articles. Her books, in both print and digital format, include “Close Underwater Encounters: What you Should Know about Sharks, Caribbean Scuba Diving, and Caribbean Sport Fishing.” Check her out at www.peachin.com or email mary@peachin.com.
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Web videos complement print work

OWAA Developer — Wed, 01 Oct 2014 21:30:14 +0000

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BY MARK SAK
We are all looking for ways to stand out in our market and give our pitches an edge over the countless queries crossing an editor’s desk. One option to think about is learning to produce Web- based video to accompany your article. A video can enhance a magazine’s Web traffic and drive visitors to your story- and the publication.
Creating video isn’t as hard as you might think. In today’s world most cameras have video capability and almost every computer has a video editing program pre-loaded. For those computers that don’t already have the software, there are programs available for less than $500 with tools to allow you to create a Web video. There are also thousands of tutorials you can take online to help you master the program you choose. But it’s not about the software. It’s about the creativity of the producer and the ability to make the consumer feel like they are watching an event happen naturally in the field or on the water. Use your storytelling skills and what I’ve learned and outlined below and you’ll soon promise video in your pitches.
Web videos have limitations. Television shows running the standard 30 minutes contain 22 minutes and 30 seconds of content to tell a story. A 10 minute Web video is a huge video that is difficult for people to upload. Plus, most people prefer shorter videos online that range between four and five minutes. Shorter doesn’t mean easier. It can be hard to tell a complete story in such a short time. There is no place for long winded participants or multiple B-roll shots in Web videos. Short, concise, focused stories download easy and visitors to the site are more apt to enjoy the piece.
The old adage “Keep it Simple Stupid,” known as the KISS principle, applies more than ever in Web based video. A mistake I try to avoid in these snippets is getting too fancy with swirling transitions, multiple unmatched music beds, or playing with sound effects. When I see those on any Web based video I view, I usually just close it and move on. Just because a transition is interesting doesn’t mean it has any place between scenes and it could disrupt the flow dramatically. My rule of thumb is if someone notices my transition then I’ve failed to produce it properly. Almost all of my transitions are gentle cross fades or dissolves. Today’s editing programs do such a great job sampling a transition for a specific scenes that the editor can usually hold the mouse over a transition to see an example, insert the transition in between the frames then right click and cut the transition if it doesn’t fit. It’s that fast.
The last, but still important, part of producing your video is ensuring picture quality and sound. If either is marginal, you might as well set the video in a drawer and leave it for archaeologists to find in 500 years.
Bad sound has ruined more scenes I’ve shot than anything else. Remote microphones help but wind can still blow away quality. Heavy clothes are a microphone’s biggest enemy. It is vital to make the camera person use the head phones every time, all the time. Just because a scene started out with good sound doesn’t mean it stayed that way 30 seconds into the shoot. Picture quality usually relates to the movement of the camera more than anything else.
Shakiness is also a scene-killer, so don’t forget to use a tripod or mount. I created a system fashioning PVC, a Ram Mount and a seat pedestal insert for my boat. I can stick it in the bow seat pedestal when trolling and the stern seat pedestal when jigging or casting. Even the best camera people struggle in boats in two- and three-foot waves. My system enables my cameras to move exactly with my boat in the waves and it is remarkably stable.
I’ve found producing Web videos develops my creativity and enhances my experience as a writer. Good videography gives me more information on my subject and editing it allows me to notice details like the sound of a twig break in the woods, or waves lapping against the boat. But most importantly it helps me sell more stories.
— Mark Sak has spent the last 20 years writing for regional and national magazines while fishing the Professional Walleye Trail. In 2009 he was added to Field and Stream’s Heros of Conservation directory for his work with Pheasants Forever. Contact him at Sakoutdoors@gmail.com.
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