Overview
Lake Charles, Louisiana - Beyond Fish and Wildlife
By Rich Patterson
Hurricanes Katrina and Rita heaped misery on the people of the Gulf Coast but
pose opportunities for outdoor communicators. What caused the damage to cities?
What were the storms’ impacts on fish and wildlife? How will marshes, cities,
ports, oil rigs and more be restored? Those stories and others will unfold at
the 79th annual OWAA conference in Lake Charles, La., to be held June 17-20,
2006. The theme will be “Beyond fish and wildlife: Why protecting and restoring
ecosystems enhances human health and safety while providing outdoors
recreation.” Hurricane and disaster experts will be on hand to help writers
understand the full impact of the storms. Lake Charles has barely dried out as I
write this, but I hope OWAA members will be able to tour storm-damaged marshes,
meet restorationists and much more. Among my conference goals are to make this
a profitable event for freelancers. Expect sessions on how to improve and market
photography, exploring blogging and podcasting, selling material to special
markets such as advocacy writing or gear reviews, and much more. Even when
hurricanes aren’t visiting, Louisiana is one of the nation’s wettest states, and
I am encouraging boating manufacturers to have a strong presence at OWAA’s
conference. Our headquarters hotel is right on the water!
Other session topics to anticipate include the following:
- Religion and conservation: Are they compatible?
- How experts see the future of outdoor activities: camping, fishing,
boating, and hunting and shooting.
- The future of American deer management.
- The art of wetland restoration.
- Creating a backyard wetland septic system as a photographic template.
Our hosts in Lake Charles have lined up a gourmet chef to help us enjoy
Louisiana’s uniquely delicious food. So hold the dates. Plan to be in Lake
Charles for plenty of fun and opportunities to learn how to expand your
communications income. The above article first appeared in the November
2005 issue of Outdoors Unlimited. |
