The Middle River Group, LLC

fly fishing, conservation and politics.

tenkara, conservation, communications, politics

Key grip and trout wrangler at the Middle River Group, LLC. Playing Doc Holliday to the Wyatt Earps of the fish and wildlife conservation world. Deputy Director, Marine Fish Conservation Network. Guide and instructor, Mossy Creek Fly Fishing. Freelance outdoor writer.

Early-bird conference registration Ends March 31

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Register online or download the registration form to send in by mail.

Save the date: OWAA Conference in McAllen, Texas, May 23-25, 2014Back in Texas for the first time in 50 years, the McAllen conference is shaping up to an event to remember. Take advantage of outstanding networking opportunities, as well as ways to enhance your skills and build your business.

Register by Monday, March 31 to receive early-bird pricing for the May 23-25, 2014, OWAA annual conference in McAllen.

Networking – In the age of social media, new media, tweets and posts, nothing still beats face-to-face time. Don’t miss this opportunity to network with some of the best in outdoor media and industry and make the connections that really matter.

Editors Meet & Greet – First, in a Q-and-A session, hear what editors are looking for in submissions and get the inside edge. Along with questions, bring your writing samples, photo portfolios and story ideas for a meet-and-greet following the Q-and-A. Editors from local and national magazines will help you sell you conference stories and more.

Test the latest gear and find the right contact for your product questions. Outdoor gear doesn’t belong on a table! At Demo Day we encourage all of our gear manufacturers to get you using the newest technology and products. See how it works and feels – practice your cast or take a quiet paddle around Town Lake.

Pull the trigger – Join our firearms manufacturers at the Lozano Shooting Range on Sunday for a morning of shooting product demos.

Don’t just hear the discussion, be a part of it at our newsmaker luncheon! Find the table most interesting to you and enjoy some lively conversation with your meal.

Experience the unique charm of South Texas – A welcome dinner hosted by the McAllen Convention and Visitors Bureau will be at Quinta Mazatlan, an historical Adobe mansion converted into a World Birding Center facility with trail and interpretive programs.

We are always looking for ways to make conference as affordable as possible and help new communicators break into the biz – OWAA offers a $75 discount on conference registration to first-time member attendees.

Relax after a long day of sessions at the hospitality suites Friday and Saturday night as outdoor groups, agencies and businesses host attendees for some late night fun and informal conversation.

We already have some great sponsors on board to help make the conference a success, including McAllen CVB, National Shooting Sports Foundation, Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A., American Fly Fishing Trade Association, Outdoor Hub, Bushnell, Safari Club International, Hunt’s Photo and Video, and Izaak Walton League of America. More opportunities are still available for companies looking to increase their exposure and help support this important industry event.

Register today!

The Consequence of Inaction

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Function 300 in all its glory

Conservation writer Beau Beasley recently continued the drum beat of the importance of letting our elected officials know that outdoor recreation is an important economic driver. His article in MidCurrent, Hunting and Fishing in America: “All Dollars, No Sense” is an in depth look at the consequences of from the government shutdown last Fall.

Approximately 1 percent of the total federal budget is spent on natural resources. In fact, spending on natural resources now is nearly half of what it was in the late 1970s. Politicians talk tough about sound economic policy and job creation while simultaneously reducing funding for conservation efforts and denying hunters and anglers access to public land—or in other words, they attempt to balance the budget by digging for loose change in the national couch.

Beasley shows in real terms, with numbers to back it up, what this means to those of us who love the great outdoors and have an economic stake in its future.

More importantly if reinforces the message that to sit idly by and “hope” our elected officials will do right by us is a fools errand. Ain’t gonna happen.

When the federal government is many trillions of dollars in debt, when the economy is weak and good-paying jobs are scarce, when technocrats assume that they know what’s best for us, when politicians lose any interest in compromise and see political opponents (and those who vote for them) merely as enemies to be defeated, when crony corporatism replaces the capitalism that made this country the greatest economic powerhouse the world has ever seen—then sportsmen and the small businesses that cater to them are truly on their own. The federal government isn’t coming to bail out Byron Begley or the small businesses owners in Cody, Wyoming, who are still hurting.

Beasley ends his article on a somewhat hopeful note, a sentiment I don’t share. I’m more in the pitchforks and torches camp these days.

Want a concrete call to action? Do this. Read Beasley’s article and send a message to your Representative and Senators. They have forms on their websites.

Paste the article or share the link and ask them just one question “What are you doing to support the outdoor recreation economy?”

Don’t know who your rep is, try Find Your Representative. For your Senators try U.S. Senate website.

For good measure you might do the same on their Facebook page and send the link in a tweet with that question.

Wildlife and its habitat cannot speak, so we must and we will.  -Theodore Roosevelt

“Cheat Codes”

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Idaho's Secret Waters-HuntWhen I started into Chris Hunt’s new book Fly Fishing Idaho’s Secret Waters, I didn’t think it would strike a philosophical cord. Then again I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised when it did.

Kirk Deeter, in the foreword poses the question “…is spilling the beans really a good thing to do?”

His response; “get real.”

He goes on to explain that Idaho is the seventh-least populated state in the U.S. and that there is plenty of fishing to go around. He feels it is essential to inspire people to explore and see what the state has to offer.

Of course there are some that may disagree with Mr. Deeter and you need look no further than the comments that came as a result of my post on Five Great Virginia Stream for Tenkara to see that disagreement.

Of course I am strongly in Deeter’s camp. As is Hunt.

In Chapter 2, titled Secret Idaho, Hunt offers the reader the best reason for passing along the knowledge.

What’s more, our backcountry and backcountry trout deserve the appreciation of anglers who, without a bit of encouragement, might not venture very far from the blacktop to chase fish.  The more anglers who experience the backcountry, the more allies our wild fish have when it comes time to beat back a bad idea or stand up to those who don’t share our conservation values.

I don’t know about you but my want for clean water, clean air and the opportunity to pass along the fishing and hunting heritage that comes with wild places far out weighs the cost of sharing a few secrets.

As Jim Range used to say:

The ultimate test of a man’s conscience may be his willingness to sacrifice something today for future generations whose words of thanks will not be heard.

 

 

 

Application deadline is March 1 for scholarship offered by OWAA

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FROM OWAA NEWS

OWAA logoMISSOULA, Mont. – Outdoor Writers Association of America is now accepting applications for its Bodie McDowell scholarship program. Scholarships are for the 2014-15 academic year. Application postmark deadline is March 1, 2014.

Established in 1966, more than $100,000 in scholarships has been awarded since 2002. Approximately $22,000 in scholarships will be awarded in 2014. Each scholarship includes a one-year student membership with OWAA.

The Bodie McDowell scholarship program is open to undergraduate and graduate-level college students from all communications and journalism disciplines and all schools. Undergraduate applicants must be entering their junior or senior years of study; graduate student applicants must have at least one remaining year of study.

Benefits of OWAA student membership include a one-year subscription to OWAA’s magazine, Outdoors Unlimited, access to member discounts and job listings, plus the chance to earn conference registration scholarships and more.

Applications for the 2014-15 award are available online. For applications, deadlines and additional information about the Bodie McDowell scholarship and other awards available through OWAA, visit http://owaa.org/programs/scholarships-fellowships/bodie-mcdowell-scholarship. For questions/comments or to request information for a student you know, call OWAA at 406-728-7434 or email info[at]owaa[dot]org.

Deadline approaching: Grant provides continuing education funding for outdoor communicators

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FROM OWAA NEWS

Update: As of Feb. 19, headquarters has only received two applications. Don’t miss this opportunity to further your career with funding from OWAA.

OWAA logoMISSOULA, Mont. – Outdoor Writers Association of America encourages outdoor communicators to submit applications for the 2014 John Madson Fellowship. Applications must be sent to the OWAA headquarters, postmarked no later than March 1, 2014.

OWAA’s John Madson Fellowship provides funding to attend educational opportunities, including the OWAA annual conference. Educational programs do not have to be OWAA-organized programs. The fellowship is open to OWAA members and non-members.

The fellowship is funded through the John Madson Fellowship Fund, an endowment composed primarily of OWAA member contributions and fundraising efforts. Its goal is to enhance professional communication skills for OWAA members and non-members. Funds are invested and managed by OWAA Endowment trustees.

This is a competitive awards process. The last Madson Fellowship distribution awarded two people with more than $1,000 each to continue their education.

For more information and how to apply, visit http://owaa.org/programs/scholarships-fellowships/madson-fellowship.

Bring the Outdoors Indoors: OWAA 2013-14 Traveling Photo Exhibit

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FROM OWAA NEWS

troubling-tumbleweed-by-tim-christie

MISSOULA, Mont. – Winning photos from the 2013 Excellence in Craft Contests, hosted by the Outdoor Writers Association of America, will be on display throughout the spring. Exhibits will be featured at the following locations:

  • Feb. 28 – March 2, 2014 — Great Rockies Sportshow, Helena, Mont.
  • March 22 – 23, 2014 — Great Rockies Sportshow, Missoula, Mont.
  • March 28 – 30, 2014 — Great Rockies Sportshow, Bozeman, Mont.
  • April 15 – May 30, 2014 — State College High School North, State College, Pa.

Seven categories of photos are represented: action, scenic, flora, fauna, people, outdoor fun and adventure, and family participation/youth outdoor education.

reflections-at-moraine-lake-banff-national-park-by-colleen-miniuk-sperryEach year our winners include some of America’s best-known outdoor photographers from around the country.

“Reflections at Moraine Lake, Banff National Park” by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry of Chandler, Ariz., was chosen as the 2013 People’s Choice Award. “Spring Battle” by Noppadol Paothong of Columbia, Mo., received the prestigious Presidents’ Choice Award for 2013.

Winning photographs for the 2014 OWAA Excellence in Craft Contests will be announced in June 2014 and available for exhibit throughout 2014-2015. If you are interested in hosting this exhibit in the future, please contact info@owaa.org or call 406-728-7434.

spring-battle-by-noppadol-paothongThe OWAA Excellence in Craft Contests are open to all OWAA members and open each year in October. For more information on the contests, rules and sponsors, visit http://owaa.org/eic.

(Photo credits: “Troubling Tumbleweed” by Tim Christie; “Reflections at Moraine Lake, Banff National Park” by Colleen Miniuk-Sperry; “Spring Battle” by Noppadol Paothong.)