Need more reasons to go to Roanoke?
Conference highlights include some late additions
By Phil Bloom
Conference Program Chair
Call them the Big Three – Dale Hall, Gail Kimbell and Jim
Hughes.
Each is head of a key federal natural resource agency, and
in that capacity all three will share the stage during a news briefing at this
summer’s OWAA conference in Roanoke, Va.
Hall has been director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service (USFWS) since October 2005.
Kimbell became chief of the USDA Forest Service on Feb. 5.
Hughes was named acting director of the Bureau of Land
Management on Feb. 7.
Hall and Kimbell have a combined 60 years with their
agencies, while Hughes has two decades in management of public lands. The
briefing is the latest addition to the Roanoke agenda, which should be adding
even more top-notch programs as the June 16-19 dates approach.
Other conference highlights include the keynote address by
Richard Louv, author of Last Child in the Woods: Saving Our Children From Nature
Deficit Disorder; narrative writing workshops by Steve Buttry of the American
Press Institute; sessions on book contracts and book proposals by author and
editor Terry Whalin; and panels on black bears, brook trout, national parks and
the history of camouflage clothing.
Here are three other panel discussions you won’t want to
miss:
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“What to Do With America’s Roadless Areas” on Saturday,
June 16;
-
“Can They Get Along? Addressing Conflicts Between
Hunters, Anglers and Environmentalists” on Sunday, June 17;
-
“The 2007 Farm Bill: A Conservation Update” on Tuesday,
June 19.
Sunday afternoon programs will focus on OWAA’s sections –
Newspaper, Photography, Radio and TV/Video. Section chairs have developed a
solid slate of workshops they believe will be relevant to attendees.
Conference attendees also will get an early look at results
of the USFWS’s 2006 survey on hunting, fishing and wildlife watching, as well as
the latest data from researcher Mark Damian Duda on public attitudes toward
fishing and hunting.
Additional news conferences are planned by Ducks Unlimited,
Hobie Cat Co., Izaak Walton League of America, National Wildlife Federation,
Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries, American Electric Power and
others.
Two specially designated venues will enable OWAA members to
get the job done while at conference – a working press room sponsored by The
Roanoke Times and a quiet room for conducting interviews. Coupled with them are
the high-tech features of The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center, which include
conveniently located kiosks that put the Internet at the fingertips of OWAA
members.
Oh, and one more thing – Breakout Day and the Shooting
Program. The events are combined this year on Monday, with breakout activities
in the morning and shooting activities in the afternoon. The sites for both
events are 15 minutes from Hotel Roanoke and only 10 minutes apart. These events
offer opportunities to do some one-on-one networking, gather story ideas and
learn about new products and services geared to the outdoors community.
Supporting Member Representative Scott Stouder and Local
Co-chairs Mark Taylor and Bill Cochran are working with OWAA’s supporting
members to develop an Outdoor Skills competition as an additional drawing card
to the Breakout/Shooting events. They’re keeping the skills tests a secret, but
you might want to brush up on fish and bird identification, knot-tying, casting
and shooting before coming to Roanoke.
Phil Bloom is OWAA’s second vice president and
conference program chair. |
