OWAA News

July 2007

Dolle Elected Vice President; Densmore Fills Board Vacancy

Twenty-eight year OWAA member Tony Dolle was elected third vice president in the officers election on June 15. Dolle is director of corporate communications for an insurance marketing firm and president of his own PR firm, Advantage Communications. He is a sporting dog columnist for several Midwestern publications, boating writer and freelancer. Dolle also will double as this year’s supporting group, agency and business liaison. Lisa Densmore, the 2007 board candidate, fills the board vacancy left by Dolle’s promotion to the Executive Committee. Densmore will serve the remaining year on Dolle’s term.

OWAA Top Award Recipients

At the closing night awards banquet in Roanoke, Va., several OWAA members received the association’s OWAA’s highest honors. Among the recipients were Judd Cooney, Ham Brown Award; Paula Del Giudice, Jade of Chiefs Award; Babe Winkelman, Excellence in Craft Award; and Peter Schroeder, Outstanding Board Member. Read more about OWAA’s Honorary Award recipients in the August issue of Outdoors Unlimited.

McCoy Elected Secretary

After serving as OWAA secretary-treasurer in 1999-2000, John McCoy returns to an officer post as OWAA secretary. McCoy, a Pulitzer nominee, joined OWAA in 1986. He is an outdoors writer for the Charleston (W. Va.) Gazette and was Local Committee chair for OWAA’s 2002 conference in Charleston, W. va. Elected on June 15, McCoy will serve a three-year term as secretary.

Excellence in Craft Winners Announced

Recipients of OWAA’s 2007 Excellence in Craft awards were announced at OWAA’s recent Roanoke, Va., conference. The coveted “President’s Choice” awards, which are selected from that year’s winners by OWAA’s current president, are as follow: Pat Wray, Corvallis, Ore., (Magazine Category); Rich Landers, Spokane, Wash. (Newspaper Category); Gary Kramer, Willows, CA (Art/Photo Category); Chris Slemp, Culloden, WV (Radio Category); and Bill Sherck, Minneapolis, MN (TV/Video Category). All of the 2007 EIC winners will be published in the August OU and can also be viewed here.

2010 Conference to Meet in Minnesota

OWAA’s 2010 conference will be held at the Kahler Grand Hotel in Rochester, Minn. Highlights include $90 room rates, a central location, the possibility of having Breakout Day and the Shooting Program at one site and a substantial number of members in the Upper Midwest. Exact dates are yet to be determined, but OWAA’s 83rd conference will be either a three- or four-day event held between June 2-12, 2010. Eighteen-year member Tim Lesmeister will chair the Local Committee.

Moyer, Parker Awarded John Madson Fellowship

Congratulations to Ben Moyer and Megan Parker, co-recipients of the 2007 John Madson Fellowship! Each award recipient will be awarded approximately $1,150 for reimbursable expenses for attending the Wildbranch Writing Workshop, OWAA’s annual conference, college courses or professional seminars – virtually any opportunity to enhance communications skills. The fellowship is funded through the John Madson Fellowship Fund, an endowment that thrives primarily through OWAA member contributions and fundraising efforts. Its goal is to enhance professional communication skills for OWAA members. Learn more about the fellowship or apply for next year’s award.

Story Clips Needed!

OWAA headquarters wants to dress up its “portfolio” to attract cities to host future annual conferences. Please send headquarters copies of your tear sheets published as a result of our last three annual conferences and in the following regions: eastern Washington/northern Idaho (Spokane, Wash., 2004); Wisconsin and the Great Lakes area (Madison, Wis., 2005); and Louisiana and the Gulf region (Lake Charles, La., 2006). Thank you!

OWAA Mailing List

OWAA’s board of directors recently recommended and authorized the implementation of fees for use of OWAA’s mailing list. Starting March 1, 2007, OWAA headquarters will implement a $50 fee for individual members and $125 for supporting members to use the OWAA mailing list. Fees will be on a per-use basis. Rules governing use of the OWAA mailing list are on pages 93-94 of the 2006-2007 OWAA Directory.

Sign Up for OWAA’s Online Forum

OWAA is now offering a new membership benefit. OWAA members and others can now communicate directly with each other on the OWAA Web site. Simply go to www.owaa.org/forum or to the OWAA home page and click on Forum. Follow the easy to understand instructions. You’ll need to register to post a message, but the registration process is easy. If you are interested in becoming a forum monitor, please contact Bob Knopf at omni@americaoutdoors.com.

New OWAA Outdoor Reference Manual Available on OWAA Online Store

Thanks to the hard work of this year’s OWAA Reference Manual Committee, we’re pleased to announce that a new manual is now available for purchase. Members can purchase reference manuals for $12. To order, go to HERE.

Online Store Open for Business

Have you visited OWAA’s online store yet? Order OWAA polo shirts, baseball hats, short- and long-sleeved shirts, V-neck shirts, the official OWAA logo and badge holders at HERE. Also available for purchase at the online store is OWAA’s newly revised Outdoor Reference Manual. Members can buy copies at a special, members-only price. Bulk orders of more than five copies are discounted. The new manual is intended to supplement the AP Stylebook and Webster’s New World Dictionary, filling in gaps in outdoor-related terminology not found in either of these publications. Order yours today!

Participate in OWAA's Web Advertising Program

OWAA has a Web advertising program open to all supporting members. Help get the word out to supporting members you may personally know! Active, senior-active and life members in good standing can earn 20-percent commissions by signing up advertisers for the OWAA Web site. Ads are displayed on OWAA's most viewed Web pages, and ads must represent newsworthy announcements about products, media services, company promotions and other items of interest to the OWAA membership. Get all the details.