p. 8 | HISTORY PROJECT: A LOOK INTO OWAA'S PAST PART II
By Phil Bloom
p. 13 | THE BEAUTY AND INTELLIGENCE OF WINGED ONES
By Robin Motzer
p. 14 | ORU FOLDING KAYAK FOR MEDIA PROJFESSIONALS
By Suzanne Downing
p. 16 | 10 (MORE) OUTDOOR STORY LEADS: EL PASO, TEXAS
By Jazmin Velasquez
ON THE COVER
p. 20 | PORTFOLIO
By Ann and Rob Simpson
p. 26 | WHAT EDITORS WANT: Q&A WITH TOM CARNEY By Suzanne Downing
p. 30 | TRANSITION INTO INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM By Ed Riciutti
p. 32 | ASK AN EXPERT: INTERVIEW WITH CHEF STEVEN CORSO By Gwendolyn C. Reed
p. 36 | LETTER TO THE EDITOR By Ed Riciutti
ALSO IN THIS ISSUE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR p. 3
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE p. 4
MEET OWAA'S 2024 SUMMER INTERN p. 35
2023 OWAA FINANCIAL DASHBOARD p. 37
FIELD FEST PHOTOS p. 38
MEET A MEMBER p. 40
COURTESY OF VISIT EL PASO | Rafters rest along the river in the Santa Elena Canyon located in Big Bend National Park in Texas.
FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Eyes wide open
I was recently traveling to a small city in the northeast when I started getting questions like “You’re going where???” and “Why are you going THERE???”.
I’m always more than a little disappointed when someone looks down their nose at a destination - and even more so when they dismiss it outright (and multiply that disappointment one hundred times over if they haven’t even been there yet). I absolutely adore these out-of-the-way places which are a little harder to get to, perhaps forgotten, all-too-often simply dismissed outright. I love discovering their history, their secrets and - of course - all their great ways to recreate outdoors.
My passion for overlooked places may have started when I was a kid. I was a ‘townie,’ a resident of a small Massachusetts town that was then dominated by an adjacent U.S. Army post. In our schools, we constantly had Army kids rotating in after a stint in Hawai’i, California, Korea, Germany and other, more renowned areas. More often than not, they would immediately declare, “This place sucks!”
Now, north central Massachusetts is filled with rolling hills, quintessential New England stone walls (making ‘good neighbors’ in the process), clapboard homes dating sometimes to the 1700’s, and meandering roads that stretch out to the Berkshires in the west, New Hampshire to the north, and the Atlantic to the east. We were surrounded by American colonial history, and, just 40 minutes away, you had the trappings of Boston available to you. It definitely didn’t ‘suck’.
Admittedly, the small city in the Northeast to which I was traveling had seen better economic days. Their major employer was gone, a victim of computerization and digitization. But they have a gorgeous waterfall right in the middle of downtown! It borders on Lake Ontario! They have a fabulous trail system and are surrounded by
quaint, picturesque towns! They are located on a canal system that you ride or paddle for days! And then there is their surprisingly wonderful zoo, an incredible photography museum, amazing food and drink and a massive museum devoted exclusively to the study of play. It definitely didn’t ‘suck’ either.
My friends who were decrying this town, this place they’d never been to, didn’t know this yet. They didn’t see the paddlers on the canals, the friends walking on the trails elevated above lakes, the gorgeous waterfall downtown, the expanse of the Great Lake with people walking its boardwalk and boaters plowing through chop in their vessels or the beautiful countryside stretched out in every other direction.
It might be my own sense of curiosity - or perhaps that little bit of ‘townie’ still in me - but I’m always baffled when people decry and reject a place before they’ve ever experienced it. I would hope, instead, that they would go into a place with eyes wide open, their sense of wonder primed, with a mind ready to learn and absorb and without preconceptions, and without bias. They should go into a new destination with excitement, spirits alight, ready to explore, discover and uncover each of this new place’s many secrets.
So, the next time you have a chance to get out and explore a new place (perhaps even a more urban one), don’t dismiss it based on a name, or ‘what you’ve heard’ or even what mainstream media have said about it. Instead, embrace this new opportunity. After all, you never know what waterfalls you might find.
— With more than 20 years of experience in the outdoor and travel industries, Chesak is the 17th executive director of OWAA.
Outdoor Writers Association of America
Our mission: improve the professional skills of our members, set the highest ethical and communications standards, encourage public enjoyment and conservation of natural resources, and mentor the next generation of professional outdoor communicators.
NATIONAL HEADQUARTERS
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STAFF
Executive Director: Chez Chesak
Membership Services Manager: Jenna Clancy
Publications Editor: Suzanne Downing
Copy Editor: Danielle Phillippi
PRESIDENT
Amy Kapp, Virginia OFFICERS
1st Vice President: Erin Merrill, Maine
2nd Vice President: Ashley Stimpson, Maryland
Secretary: Ruth Hoyt, Texas
Treasurer: Russell Roe, Texas BOARD MEMBERS
Robert Annis, Indiana
Ashley Peters, Minnesota
Drew YoungeDyke, Michigan
Chris Paparo, New York
Jill Rohrbach, Arkansas
Sarah Borodaeff, Vermont
Jessica Baltzersen, California
John McCoy, West Virginia
Dave Zoby, Wyoming COUNSELS
Attorney: William Jay Powell, Missouri
Medical: Grant S. Lipman, M.D., California
Copyright Summer 2024 by Outdoor Writers Association of America Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part without permission is prohibited. The contents of Outdoors Unlimited do not necessarily represent the opinion or endorsement of OWAA, its staff, officers, directors or members. Outdoors Unlimited (ISSN 0030-7181) is published bimonthly by OWAA Inc., 2814 Brooks St., Box 442, Missoula, MT 59801. Nonprofit postage paid at Missoula, MT, and additional mailing offices.
Inspiring generational health in nature
OWAA President Amy Kapp tells the story of America's trails as the editorial director of Rails to Trails Conservancy and the editor-in-chief of Rails to Trails magazine and the TrailBlog. While at RTC, she has helped edit and produce more than 15 trail guidebooks featuring different U.S. regions. Other professional experiences include serving as a communications strategist and content creator for various entities, including the National Recreation and Park Association, Parks & Recreation magazine and YouthBuild Philadelphia/USA.
Amy Kapp OWAA President
When I was about 8 years old, my grandmother Dorothy Seif, a biologist and docent at a world-class natural history museum in the Northeast U.S., asked me and my brothers to find her some animal corpses on our parents’ 24-acre wooded property. “Put them in the freezer for me, and I’ll inspect them when I visit,” she told us.
What were the criteria? First: The animal needed to be recently deceased. If the rot had set in, it was a no-go. Second: No damage to the body, face and fur. And third: No hurrying nature along from us. The death had to be natural.
Fair enough — challenge accepted. We happily scoured our property. And a few bad choices notwithstanding — “Now, Amy dear, take a good whiff. This [insert animal name here] has been rotting for a while.” — it was not long until one of our very own chipmunks would star in an exhibit on animals and ecosystems of Western Pennsylvania. It was awesome and inspiring.
It would not be until years later — as I started to make my way as a professional outdoor writer and communicator — that I’d understand what a privilege that experience was. I benefited not only from a generational health and appreciation for nature and the outdoors, but also from the accessibility of it, being that it was, quite literally, my backyard. While studies have long recognized the mental and physical health benefits of being outside, they also recognize the many disparities that keep millions of people from connecting to nature.
It's facts like these that make the Outdoor Writers Association of America so critical and relevant today, nearly 100 years after our founding. Since 1927, OWAA has been the reason that
thousands of people — from decorated professionals who are decades into their careers to newly minted freelancers looking for a toehold — have been able to converge, learn from and celebrate each other, exchange new ideas, support one another, and hone our craft while pursuing our passions. And it’s our people who are charged with — who have taken on the charge of — sharing and promoting nature to the world … of making it more accessible to millions of people.
We are a group always ready to inspire, and to be inspired. And as OWAA gets ready to converge for our 2024 conference in El Paso, Texas (owaa. org/2024-conference), I’m reminded of how much I count on this energy and inspiration each year to fuel me into the future.
OWAA 2024 will be full of fantastic experiences, with five national parks and a 27,000-acre state park nearby, compelling keynotes, some incredible pre- and post-conference tours and skill-building sessions, and opportunities to network with hiring editors and renowned content creators from across our industry. But I also invite you to come for the sheer inspiration and energy that emanates when we as the outdoor community converge. I hope to see you in El Paso in September, and I look forward to being inspired by you.
Cahaba River NWR
LIVE PIGEON SHOOTS
BY TED WILLIAMS | WORCESTER, MASSACHUSETTS
I’m an upland bird hunter. I keep in practice by shooting pigeons. My son tosses them into the air for me. I miss some of the ones that fly directly over my head. But when I center them with my 12-gauge Ithaca, it feels great to blow them apart.
These are clay pigeons — aka “skeet.” For target practice, clay pigeons have lots of advantages over live ones. You don’t have to catch, raise or feed them. You don’t have to transport them long distances. And you don’t have to become a pariah for engaging in animal cruelty.
Live pigeon shoots are an old sporting tradition. After one was included in the games of the 1900 Paris Olympics, the negative publicity so astonished and chagrined the Olympic Committee that it hasn’t scheduled another.
England banned live pigeon shoots in 1921, Monaco in 1966, Italy in 1970, Portugal in 2021, and Spain in 2023. But they’re ongoing in the U.S. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hm99EK8TbY&list=PLCF9D64BB246422D3&index=5)
As recently as Feb. 24-26, 2024, 1,500 pigeons, transported from Texas, became targets at Quail Creek Sporting Ranch in Okeechobee, Florida. The event was hosted by Jack Link’s Meat Snacks. Pigeons weren’t among the snacks. (https://drive.google. com/file/d/1GUYZPqc5C6c4SdXI3gqkJArhP26YxZ2R/view)
The Delaware Riverkeeper Network unsuccessfully sued the Philadelphia Gun Club for repeated Clean Water Act violations in which it polluted the river with lead shot, plastic shell waddings and pigeon carcasses. “I’ve had the pellets rain down on me and my volunteers,” says Delaware Riverkeeper Maya van Rossum.
In Oklahoma, Republican Senator James Inhofe raised campaign funds with live pigeon shoots. (https://www.theguardian. com/world/video/2014/sep/24/senator-inhofe-oklahoma-pigeon-shoot-video) Eventually, SHARK (Showing Animals Respect and Kindness) got these changed to fair-chase dove hunts. How many states permit live pigeon shoots? “No telling,” explains SHARK President Steve Hindi, “because even in states that specifically outlaw them, they happen secretly and with impunity.”
When possible, SHARK records the shooting with drones legally flown under Federal Aviation Administration certification (Google the videos). SHARK drones are routinely blasted out of the sky by pigeon shooters who bring rifles specifically for that purpose because the drones fly above shotgun range. A $15,000 drone was shot down at one Pennsylvania event. “We had three shot down in one day at the Broxton Bridge Plantation in South Carolina,” says Hindi. (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WY845WOaEb8)
Lead is a neurotoxin. Only two ingested shotgun pellets can fatally poison a hawk, eagle or vulture. Lead pellets also poison foxes, coyotes, fishers, bobcats, cougars, badgers, raccoons and opossums. Many wounded pigeons fly too far for workers to collect. Any bird flapping on the ground is a dinner invitation for predators. Raptors and vultures poisoned by consuming lead pellets droop their heads, convulse and struggle to breathe.
I’m not a feral pigeon advocate. These invasive aliens from Europe, North Africa and southwestern Asia disrupt native ecosystems. But I hate watching anything suffer. At live pigeon shoots, workers (often kids) pick up wounded birds, make no effort to dispatch them, then throw them into garbage cans where they take hours or days to die.
Some fair-chase hunters legally shoot and eat feral pigeons. I’m not one of them. I don’t object. I’m just spooked by the diseases and ectoparasites pigeons carry and spread to humans and wildlife — bird flu, psittacosis, histoplasmosis, cryptococcosis, E. coli, salmonellosis, bedbugs, pigeon ticks and red mites, to mention a few.
I was taught that you eat what you kill. A neighbor kid shot a skunk, and his dad made him eat it — a valuable lesson. If you can push past the pathogen/parasite issue, pigeons make fine table fare. But pigeons shot at live pigeon shoots rot in garbage cans or get consumed by avian and mammalian scavengers.
I object to live pigeon shoots for what they do to wild birds, wild mammals and pigeons. I also object to them for what they do to hunters. My fellow hunters tend to be their own worst enemies.
As a lifelong hunter, it grieves me that the only objections to live pigeon shoots I hear are from the animal rights/wellness community — not a peep from groups that defend and promote fair-chase hunting.
— Ted Williams, a lifelong hunter, writes about fish and wildlife. He is a former information officer of the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife.
Tom Beckbe designed a wax canvas hunters’ jacket in 2015, which was one of their first products. Since then, Tom Beckbe has created tough, sturdy outdoor clothing and gear for the sporting men and women of America. The flagship store for Tom Beckbe is located in Alabama.
I recently purchased the Canvas Tailgater Bag for my wife. We enjoy taking weekend wine-tasting trips in our native North Carolina, especially in the Yadkin Valley where there are many wineries to choose from. We like to purchase wine from each vineyard that we visit and knew the Canvas Tailgater Bag would fit the bill. The interior pockets are padded so as to protect your selections while transporting your choice of the fruit of the vine.
TOM BECKBE
TAILGATER BAG
BY CECIL CHERRY | DURHAM, NORTH CAROLINA
The bag is made of Tom Beckbe’s weatherproof waxed cotton canvas. It has six internal pockets, four external pockets and two cinch side pockets. The handles are leather and are as strong as the rest of the bag. We have already utilized ours on two vineyard trips with great success and delight. It is strong and tough as nails and can handle six to eight bottles of wine easily plus any extra items that can be stashed in the leftover pockets.
If distillery tours are more to your liking and tastes, this bag is also ideal for bourbon and vodka tastings. It can handle fifths of brown or white liquor like a champ if you decide to go home with bottled samples from your favorite small-batch destinations.
As the name implies, it will be just as at home tailgating in the fall at the old
college campus while you are supporting the alumni and cheering for the home team. When the bag is packed and ready for game day, it stores and packs well with the other accoutrements for pre-gaming libations.
This bag will certainly accompany us on wine tastings, distillery stops and many, many more road trips. I am happy with the product. It far exceeded our expectations in use and is better than advertised. It makes a wonderful birthday, anniversary or Christmas gift.
— Cecil Cherry is a retired law enforcement officer and had a rural upbringing in eastern North Carolina. He enjoys the sporting life of a hunter, particularly when cooking the rewards of his harvests.
HISTORY PROJECT
A LOOK INTO OWAA'S PAST
BY PHIL BLOOM | FORT WAYNE, INDIANA
It could be fair to say the eight people who put their names on the statement creating the Outdoor Writers Association of America had little idea what the fledgling organization would become or that it would last as long as it has. Their collective interest was elevating the status of outdoor writers, which they felt was being undercut by less reputable storytellers.
Jimmy Stuber, who served as OWAA’s secretary from 1929 to 1944, summarized the situation in an article for the Pittsburgh Press: “Outdoor writers who had won their spurs through experience were griped at the counterfeit, the phony and the bunkum which crept into so-called outdoors columns and magazine articles as well. The reading public was being duped by ‘pikers,’ ‘quack writers’ and ‘clip artists’ who had never been there.”
The solution came in 1927 at the fifth annual Izaak Walton League convention in Chicago with handwritten words on the back of a banquet menu accompanied by eight signatures. With that, OWAA was born.
Morris Ackerman penned the OWAA Bill of Organization during the convention’s closing banquet. Later, a group of writers gathered again, according to one account, in Jack Miner’s room at the Hotel Sherman to elect officers.
OWAA’s organizers wanted only accredited writers. Once vetted and approved for membership, Stuber said they could “join those who knew the scent of pine and hemlock, the odor of a campfire being wafted to them in the wilderness or the deep stillness of a hidden lake.”
Ackerman was elected OWAA’s first president and was reelected in 1928 and 1929. Most of the other seven founders had leadership roles over the next few years.
Buell A. Patterson was OWAA’s first secretary, and Edward G. Taylor was
chosen honorary president in 1927 and 1928. Miner and W.S. Phillips (aka El Comancho) later served on the board of directors. Records from the early years are incomplete, but recently uncovered evidence indicates Cal Johnson was elected president four times over the next decade.
Peter P. Carney and Mrs. Hal Kane Clements, whose first name was Hazel, were the only co-founders who didn’t serve OWAA in some capacity.
At the time, Taylor was the oldest (71) and Patterson the youngest (32). The others ranged in age from 35 (Clements) to 61 (Miner).
Who were these people? Where were they from? What did they do to get a seat at the table on that April night in 1927 when OWAA was formed?
Each of the eight had noteworthy and varied careers. Here are the stories for four of them with the others profiled in the next issue of Outdoors Unlimited.
MORRIS ACKERMAN (1883-1950)
Georgia-born Morris Ackerman earned a law degree from Western Reserve University in Cleveland, not so much to be a practicing attorney but to earn enough to support his true interests — fishing and hunting. His degree took him to Grand Junction, Colorado, where he clerked in a law office and coached high-school football.
After his mother’s death, he returned to Cleveland to work in his father’s food brokerage. While attending a food brokers convention in Baltimore, he noticed the local newspapers published tables of tidal, sun and moon activity. Thinking such information might be helpful to
anglers and hunters, he pitched his first outdoor story to the Cleveland Leader in 1912.
“I took a gamble,” said Ackerman, who was paid $5 for the article.
What followed was an illustrious career that included stints as outdoors editor for the Cleveland Press and Scripps-Howard Newspapers, syndication through the Newspaper Enterprise Association, and time as publisher of an annual fishing and hunting guide that grew to more than 300 pages before he turned it over to his son, Bill, in 1941. He somehow found time to organize the American & Canadian Sport, Travel and Outdoor Show that began in 1927, took a break during the Great Depression, and after resuming in 1937, ran it for several decades before it closed.
Atlanta Journal outdoor writer O.B. Wells called Ackerman “one of the ex-
ABOVE: Morris Ackerman fishing with Spanky McFarland. Photo retrieved from the Cleveland Public Library.
ceedingly few men I have met who earn an honest living doing exactly what they want to do.”
In a 1938 feature article about Ackerman in the Knoxville News-Sentinel, Joe Williams wrote: “There is little about fishing that Mr. Ackerman does not know. He can tell you the domestic habits, political leanings, and social eccentricities of all the known denizens of the deep.”
At least twice, Ackerman had brushes with an early death. As a boy, he was fiddling with a schoolmate’s Folbert rifle that was jammed. The gun discharged, and the bullet left a scar where it creased his forehead. Years later while hunting grizzly bears in Alberta, Canada, Ackerman was taking aim at one of two yearling bears when a massive female bear rose up 15 yards behind him.
“I turned and shot, and kept shooting,” he said. “She tumbled down pretty close … I could not reach around her wrist with my hand. That gives you some idea of the size and muscle and strength of a grizzly.”
Ackerman fished or hunted with famous writers such as novelist Rex Beach, sportswriter Grantland Rice, and Hugh Fullerton, who broke the “Black Sox” scandal of the 1919 World Series and founded the Baseball Writers Association of America. Other outdoor companions included baseball stars Ty Cobb, Walter Johnson and Tris Speaker, and countless other sports figures and celebrities.
“I have fished and hunted with prize fight champs, baseball champs, football stars, bankers, brokers, actors, authors, millionaires, and poor men like myself,” he once said. “Any fishing or hunting shack is my home.”
Ackerman traveled far and wide in pursuit of fish and game and stories to describe his journeys. He visited each of the then-48 U.S. states, plus Alaska, Canada, Europe, Mexico and the West Indies.
For decades, he spent three months each year in the Gatineau Valley of Quebec, where he leased 75 square miles of fishing and hunting territory. By 1934, he’d made more than 50 trips to Canada and died of a heart attack in 1950 during his 23rd trip to Florida.
Among the honorary pallbearers at his funeral were Speaker, former Yankees manager Roger Peckinpaugh, and Joseph S. Newman, whose poem “Black Cross”
was recorded by Bob Dylan on The Minnesota Hotel Tapes, a bootleg collection of unreleased music.
Hearing of Ackerman’s death, Johnny Mock, who was OWAA president in 1939, paid tribute in his Pittsburgh Press outdoor column: “The rod and gun fraternity throughout the country has lost a staunch supporter and a real friend. …. Morry’s wise counsel gained through his wide knowledge and long experience will be sadly missed. His departure, like that of many other pioneers in various phases of our everyday existence, will leave a niche which cannot be filled.”
CAL JOHNSON (1892-1953)
Despite a career chock full of achievements as a magazine and newspaper outdoor writer/editor, a radio and television broadcaster, and publicity director for outdoor manufacturers and the Izaak Walton League, Cal Johnson is associated most often with what he did after he was retired.
On July 24, 1949, Johnson caught a massive muskellunge on Lac Court Oreilles near Hayward in northern Wisconsin. It was weighed, measured and certified by a notary as a world record — 67 pounds, 8 ounces.
Three months later, Louie Spray bested the mark … or did he?
lasted for years with each being recognized as a world record by different organizations.
Spray, who previously caught other big muskies, claimed he hooked his monster on Fleming’s bar in the Chippewa flowage outside of Hayward. Two men said they witnessed the catch, but a local fishing guide said he spent the day on Fleming’s bar and never saw Spray.
Cal Johnson with Land O' Lakes car. Photo by John Dettloff.
ABOVE: Cal Johnson with record muskie. Photo courtesy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Johnson’s story had its own flaw. He initially said his son, Philip, and Minneapolis Star outdoor writer Jack Connor were in the boat with him. Connor denied he was with them and instead said he was fishing elsewhere on the same lake. Newspaper accounts report that Johnson called Connor a liar but eventually recanted, saying, “I thought it would be all right to let Connor in on what glory there might be in it.”
So, who has the record? The National Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame gives the title to Spray. The International Game Fish Association honors Johnson, disqualifying Spray’s catch because it was shot with a gun before being boated, a practice that was legal in Wisconsin until the 1960s. In what must have been a slap in the face to Johnson, Field & Stream magazine, for which he’d once been fishing editor, declared Spray’s catch the record.
Four years later, Johnson was dead. In 1959, Spray lost his champion fish and six other mounted muskies when a building he was remodeling got destroyed by fire and an explosion.
In one final twist, both Johnson and Spray are buried in the same cemetery in Hayward.
John Dettloff, a present-day muskie guide in Wisconsin, richly details Johnson’s life on the website caljohnson. net that includes photographs, newspaper articles and a story about the monster muskie by Johnson’s son.
Johnson grew up in rural Wisconsin, where he built a reputation as a baseball player, wrestler and boxer. After World War I, he worked in a men’s clothing store in Ashland. A newspaper article and advertisements cited a Cal Johnson portraying Santa Claus in a store at Christmastime, but it’s unclear if it’s the same Cal Johnson.
He never lost his love of the outdoors and took up writing about it. He sold his first articles to the Milwaukee Journal, wrote for Outdoor Life, and in 1924, launched the Land-O-Lakes Bulletin using the pen name Wisconsin Cal Johnson.
He moved to South Bend, Indiana, in 1924 to work in public relations for the South Bend Bait Co. and Johnson Motor Co. He continued writing outdoor content for magazines and newspapers, sometimes with the Wisconsin Cal byline
and other times under column tags such as “Along the Trail” and “What the Old Guide Sez.”
He spent two years in South Bend before relocating to his lodge in Cable, Wisconsin.
What followed were stints as editor of the Izaak Walton League’s Outdoor America magazine and outdoors editor of the Chicago Daily News, radio programs with two different Chicago stations, speeches and lectures to outdoor clubs and civic groups, and writing for such magazines as Collier’s, Esquire and Liberty.
He was 49 years old when he registered for military service during World War II and landed a spot with the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
He edited Fishing Tips, a free 96page booklet from Johnson Motors that included nearly 300 snippets not only on fishing but also conservation, hunting and dogs.
In 1947, Johnson’s doctor diagnosed a serious heart condition and told Johnson he had only months to live. Johnson found the right tonic — fishing — and lived actively for another six years.
“The outdoors is the greatest doctor in the world,” he said. “If you feel yourself slipping, go fishing — it is the world’s most soul-satisfying pastime.”
JACK MINER (1865-1944)
A newspaper poll in the 1940s produced a list of the most influential people in North America. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford made the list. Charles Lindbergh and Eddie Rickenbacker did, too.
And so did Jack Miner, landing in fifth place.
Miner, who died in 1944, was one of the leading conservationists of the early 1900s for the migratory waterfowl sanctuary he established near his home in Kingsville, Ontario. There he began the practice of placing aluminum bands on the legs of ducks and geese.
Miner was born in Dover Centre, Ohio. His formal education ended after three months when he was deemed “not suitable for school.” He was in his 30s before he learned to read and write.
He took up fur trapping as a boy and earned the tag “red-headed skunk catcher” after capturing the first skunk when he was 8. He was 13 when the family moved to Canada and found out trapping could earn him money. After getting $5 for a skunk hide, he said it “changed his odor into financial fragrance.”
In the 1880s, Miner helped supplement the family’s income by engaging in market hunting and later as a popular hunting guide. He was one of the earliest advocates for restricting permitted deer hunting to bucks and wearing highly visible clothing for safety while hunting. He was known to wear a scarlet coat and hat while hunting to enhance his visibility to other hunters. It earned him a nickname — The Crimson Rambler.
Miner started a game-protection group in the county and encouraged hunters to use only single-shot guns when hunting deer but also endorsed the killing of predators — especially hawks and owls, a belief that was controversial even then.
Two incidents ended his hunting days.
Jack Miner.
Photo courtesy of the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary.
One was his brother Ted’s death in a hunting accident. The other was believing that if wildlife feared him when he was toting a rifle, perhaps shooting with something else would make him appear friendly.
“No more shooting trips for me,” Miner said. “Next year I’m going after the game with a camera.”
He bought 200 acres of “rough ground” to establish a bird sanctuary, adding ponds and planting shrubs and trees to make it more appealing. It didn’t pan out immediately, but patience paid off when migrating ducks and geese began landing on the ponds.
Wondering where the waterfowl went after their sanctuary stopovers, Miner began capturing them, putting a metal band on their legs and releasing them. Initially, the bands included only his mailing address, but after a few years of low response, he added brief statements from the Bible and sent $1 to hunters who returned the bands.
The bands came back in numbers enough to help identify migratory patterns for waterfowl. He reportedly banded more than 50,000 wild ducks and 40,000 geese in his lifetime, a task that continues at the Jack Miner Bird Sanctuary. The practice helped identify the migratory patterns of migratory birds.
Metal bands weren’t the only things returning to the sanctuary. Waterfowl in the thousands flocked there, and so did people. Thomas Edison and Henry Ford showed up. So did baseball legend Ty Cobb, whose friendship inspired Miner to build a baseball field at the sanctuary.
One day, Miner returned home to find 75 vehicles parked along the road, prompting him to erect a protective fence. The Canadian government also banned hunting within one mile of the sanctuary.
In 1914, Miner took another step away from his hunting days when he placed a classified advertisement in the Detroit Tribune offering his collection of seven mounted moose heads, 13 deer heads and a bald eagle with a seven-foot wingspan to the first person who would send him a check for $500.
As word spread of Miner’s sanctuary, he became popular on the lecture circuit. That’s what led him to the Izaak Walton League convention in Chicago in 1927 as one of the featured speakers.
Honors rolled in as his reputation grew. He received Outdoor Life magazine’s 1929 Gold Medal for wildlife conservation, and in 1943, King George VI bestowed on him the Order of the British Empire “for the greatest achievement in wildlife conservation on the continent.”
After his death in 1944, Miner’s family received telegrams of condolences from the likes of Ford and Cobb, Boston Red Sox owner Thomas Yawkey, Canadian Prime Minister W.L. Mackenzie King and others.
To celebrate Miner’s achievements, the Canadian government unanimously established an annual National Wildlife Week celebration during the week of his birthday.
EDWARD
G. TAYLOR (1856-1945)
When Don Cullimore was gathering information for a book celebrating OWAA’s 50th anniversary, Edward L. Taylor felt the need to correct some misinformation.
He didn’t sign the OWAA Bill of Organization. Instead, it was
Edward G. Taylor.
Both wrote for Chicago newspapers — Ed L. for The Herald-Examiner and Ed G. for The Daily News — and lived for a time in the same apartment building.
“The guy got my mail, and I received some of his bills,” Ed L. said, noting that his neighbor never returned the favor. “He was a surly cuss, and I told him so.”
Perhaps his neighbor’s demeanor was displayed best when he took on President Calvin Coolidge in 1927 for using barbed hooks and worms to fish for trout. Identifying himself as an Izaak Walton League member, Taylor wrote a letter to Coolidge urging him “in the name of good sportsmanship” to use barbless hooks in the future.
“The only excuse for a man to use worms would be if he was starving.” Taylor wrote in the letter. “Use of worms is slaughter. The idea of our league is to promote sportsmanship and the president should use barbless hooks and flies so that all the fish he does not use can be thrown back into the stream.”
The Chicago chapter of IWLA followed up with a statement that it had no objection to Coolidge using worms for bait. An Associated Press article in The Daily News later reported that Coolidge swapped worms for artificial flies and caught six trout at Squaw Creek in South Dakota.
Ed G. Taylor began his career with the Chicago Inter Ocean, a newspaper launched in the aftermath of the 1871 Chicago Fire. One of his outdoor articles in 1898 described how he and a friend caught 467 trout in one day from the Mora River in New Mexico but noted “we only keep enough fish to supply our camp table.”
When he joined the Chicago Daily News, he often wrote under the column label “With Rod and Line on Lake and Stream.” He was known to crank out 200 stories or more a year
ABOVE: Edward G. Taylor. Photo retrieved from the Chicago History Museum.
and sometimes went beyond the traditional where-to, how-to story to tackle conservation issues, most notably dam construction projects on rivers in Alabama and Wisconsin. He also did a radio show in 1923 on WMAQ-Chicago.
The Daily News capitalized on Taylor’s popularity by using him in two contests. The first was in 1924 when he conducted a fishing contest that offered readers $1,000 in cash prizes for the biggest fish caught. The 1925 contest included a split bamboo fly rod for the winners.
A year later, the newspaper published 24 articles in its Parade of Features and induced readers to vote for their favorite by offering $3,000 in cash prizes.
The 18th entry — a Taylor article on fishing — was accompanied by an editor’s note calling Taylor “so sincere a disciple of Izaak Walton that he has made fishing almost a life study. He has cast bait in most of the good fishing lakes and streams in the United States and Canada, has angled along the Atlantic from the Gulf of Mexico to Nova Scotia and has pulled up big ones off the California shore. Taylor’s articles on the sport pages of The Daily News not only tell the news of fishing but breathe the philosophy of the fisherman. Metaphorically, anglers swallow them, hook, line and sinker, and profit by the information and advice they give.”
Daily News reader D.P. Stokes profited most from the contest, winning the firstplace prize of $250 by voting for Taylor’s article. The newspaper printed the letter Stokes submitted with his vote:
“Here you are stuck back of a desk in a stuffy office, work piled mountain high — not a chance to get away — and up yonder the trout and the muskies fairly yearn for those new flies and that tackle you’ve never had a chance to try,” Stokes wrote. “You reach for the paper — Fishing—Taylor. Instantly your mood changes. Now you’re miles away from the old desk. Rod in hand; your reel hums to your imagination’s play. In fancy you land the other fellow’s ‘whopper’ and turn back to the grind happy and consoled. He’s a tonic to the landlocked fisherman, Taylor is.”
That’s heady praise for someone whose fellow contributors to The Daily News included Carl Sandburg, Will Rogers and pioneering advice columnist Dorothy Dix.
Next: Profiles of OWAA’s other four founders, including the mystery woman Mrs. Hal Kane Clements.
OWAA — THE 1920S
There must have been a moment right after OWAA was formed and the first officers were elected that someone in the group said, “What do we do now?”
The initial focus in 1927 was to discredit “nature-faking” writers whose work gave readers a wrong impression of the outdoors. They also expressed interest in shoring up relationships with magazine and newspaper editors to ensure prompt acceptance and payment for their work. No records exist that show anything more was done in the initial year.
OWAA’s second meeting was in 1928 in Cleveland. Morris Ackerman was reelected as president. Other officer positions changed hands, and the first board of directors was selected.
The group also voted to standardize names of fish and game animals as a “service to millions of sportsmen and readers throughout the United States and Canada.”
Ackerman said, “There are more than a dozen so-called names for some fish. In different parts of the United States one of them is known as the muskellunge, muskellunge and muskallonge. We’ve decided hereafter to refer to it simply as the musky plural, muskies.”
In 1929, OWAA piggybacked again on the Izaak Walton League convention in Chicago, this time at the Stevens Hotel and attended by 32 members. One newcomer was Marguerite Ives, the first woman since Mrs. Hal Kane Clements to be part of OWAA. Ives was editor of IWLA’s monthly magazine, Outdoor America. She was an avid angler and hunter, and was twice married to and divorced from IWLA founder Will Dilg.
The meeting agenda had three items a proposal to reduce the bag limits on migratory waterfowl, reducing dues for OWAA members and adopting an insignia. Other than approving a waterfowl bag limit of 15, available records don’t show if the other agenda items passed.
Other items were considered, though.
At Jimmy Stuber’s suggestion, Bob Becker wrote a resolution identifying OWAA as “an organization of serious outdoor writers” whose work was educational and informative to the public. Furthermore, OWAA members pledged “to present only authoritative matter in our various lines, and that we respectfully request payment on acceptance of manuscript.”
El Comancho (aka W.S. Phillips) pitched another idea. Saying he wanted the organization to stand for something, he proposed that knowing the scientific names of fauna and flora should be a requirement for joining OWAA. After much discussion, no action was taken.
It appeared OWAA was getting its footing, but not everyone was a fan. In a 1929 column published in the Detroit Free Press under the heading “Life’s Psychology,” C.J. Armstrong took on thousands of organizations for their influence on American society.
“It’s no exaggeration to say that a large portion of the American people gets its ideas from organization propaganda,” he wrote. “This notion is so noticeable that some have begun to say that we are a ‘nation of morons.’” He gave no examples of the brainwashing he accused them of engaging in, but Armstrong lumped OWAA with such groups as the American Academy of Science, Daughters of the American Revolution, the Rotary Club and three others whose motives could hardly be construed as nefarious the Texas Folklore Association, the National Circus Fans Association and the National Pickle Packers Association.
— Phil Bloom is two-time president of OWAA and a lifelong resident of Fort Wayne, Indiana.
THE BEAUTY AND INTELLIGENCE OF WINGED ONES
BY ROBIN MOTZER | TULSA, OKLAHOMA
With a birth name of Robin, and a “medicine name” of Loud Hawk, my monikers are a window to my soul. Nature has been and always will be my best friend. She is there for me to ease the pain, to nurture me and to heal me. She is always present, even when others are not, and she always forgives. Her promise: Spend time with nature and you will be renewed.
When we acknowledge our relationship with other beings, we celebrate the magic and the miraculous awe of what it means to be alive. When we hear the languages of other beings, we are able to understand the generosity of the earth. We learn to give our own gifts in return for her teachings. My personal experiences with the wild, especially insects, birds and raptors, have taught and guided me.
GRAY HAWK AND ROBIN
Winter's light was dimming quickly, naturally illuminating our small covered patio. I was talking with a friend on the phone while sitting in a small chair on the portico of my townhome. Surrounded by the desert’s native plants and trees, the beauty and comfort of the greenery complemented the orange, pink and purple skies tinting the setting sun. It was a sight to behold. The tree and plant branches reached out for me to “be held” by them. I breathed in their offerings and felt the joy of being with nature. Out of the nightfall, two yellow legs quickly approached, flying low, aiming straight for my head. Within seconds of my awareness of her, a gray hawk gently lifted several strands of hair on top of my head, then turned sharply to her right (my left) to head out of the covered patio.
“The raptor and the hair” happened so quickly that it caught me by delightful surprise. I squealed as the elegant and skillful raptor connected with me. Kim, my friend on the other end of the phone asked, “What was that noise? Did you sneeze?” I chirped, “No, a gray hawk just grabbed my hair ever so gently, then flew off into the night. That was the sound of my joy and awe. You, my dear friend, shared the experience via the phone.” We cooed with a gratitude for our shared blessing. Nature is a part of us, protects and loves us.
After our encounter, I continued to see her. She followed me (flying above) as I walked through the neighborhood, sometimes solo, sometimes walking a dog that I was sitting for a friend. We remained wild friends until I moved to another state. She is fondly in my heart and I think of her often, certain that she is receiving my messages through the ether. I send her love and thank her for “the raptor and the hair” connection and for watching over me.
THE BIRDCAGE
Another amazing experience came while I was at a large chain pet store. I had a table to display my Healing with Animals brochure, advertising my training with Healing Touch for Animals and my Animal Communication services. It was nearing the store’s closing time and I was drawn toward the middle of the store to an enclosed all-glass room. As I opened the door and stepped into the room, the noise of roosting birds was so loud that it must have been challenging for them. There were several dozen birds in small wire cages within the all-glass room. Their songs were bouncing off the glass and the decibels were piercing. Clearly, this was human disconnection with the needs of birds. They were forced to inhabit a very unnatural habitat.
With compassion and empathy for them, I began to tone. My intention was to bring some comfort to these beautiful birds in cages in a glass room. At first, I sang very gentle tones using vowels, making harmonic sounds with “ah-eh-oh-
uh-ee.” Within a few minutes, the birds started quieting down and then became completely quiet. The noise went from stark bird shrills and squawks to silence within a very short time. I continued toning and singing as I observed them starting to close their eyes. They fell asleep, quieted by the gentle sound of my voice and calm energy. Once they seemed peaceful and at ease, it seemed my work was complete. Toning, aka sound healing is an ancient technique — much has been written about it and more will be shared in my upcoming features.
With gratitude to connect with sentience, I thanked the birds for the honor of being with them, in service to something greater. Then, I quietly stepped out of the room to head to my own “nest” for the night. I am Robin, aka Loud Hawk, you know.
Remember, dear friends, plants and animals are our oldest teachers. We are made of stardust and soil. We are the core of our mother earth. Be kind to other species; they are our brethren. What we do to others, we do to ourselves.
— Robin Motzer is a writer, artist, poet and naturalist. Her great-grandfather was a farmer and friends with a U.S. president. Another ancestor fought in the American Revolution. She and her partner, a physicist and a citizen of the Cherokee Nation, own farmland that his family has owned since 1902. Food, farming and freedom are infused in her life and restoration-conservation are a part of her soul. “Restoring Soils and Souls” is her soul’s work to guide others to a natural, beautiful, connected, healthy life. You can see her newsletter, Wildlands, at robinmotzer.substack.com.
ORU FOLDING KAYAK FOR OUTDOOR
MEDIA
PROFESSIONALS
BY SUZANNE DOWNING | ALBERTON, MONTANA
Aas an outdoor media professional, you probably know that sometimes, accessing the nooks and crannies of lakes and ponds can be a good way to get your money shot or access that special spot on a river or pond to get that perfect cast.
The same is true for having a convienient and reliable flotation device on open water.
And for some people, having your own kayak or canoe on the water when out in the field fishing and photographing for a piece you’re working on is ideal, especially if you like to spend hours patiently waiting for a fish to bite or the light to hit perfectly out on the water for a destination photograph. When you have your own kayak, you can go where you want to go and focus on what you want to experience and capture for your audience.
ORU BEGINNINGS
Oru first surfaced in 2012 on the crowdfunding website Kickstarter after inventor Anton Willis, an avid paddler and architect grad, played around with a foldable kayak design when his old fiberglass kayak wouldn’t fit into his small apartment. Bottom line: Willis wanted a kayak he could store in his closet.
To continue his innovative pursuits, he teamed up with Ardy Sobhani, a design strategist. Roberto Gutierrez, an outdoor product sales pro, also joined Willis. Shortly after, the team brought the first Oru kayak to life. And the trio appeared on Season 5, Episode 28 of Shark Tank in 2014, where they landed a deal with investor Robert Herjavec.
Today, Oru continues to be increasingly popular and known for offering the world’s best origami-inspired kayak.
After spending time on the water in the
Oru Beach LT Sport Kayak (which retails for $1499 and is periodically on sale), I found a number of positive attributes to this kayak as a photography and fishing vessel.
With the Beach LT Sport kayak’s portability, ease of assembly and disassembly, sturdiness and a smooth ride, you’ll be comfortable and secure out on the water when trying to get that perfect fishing experience or money shot.
PORTABILITY AND FUNCTION
The Oru Beach LT Sport weighs in at 28 pounds — making it fairly lightweight and easy for one person to carry. It’s 10 pounds more than Oru’s smaller Lake Sport kayak. The built-in handles on the fairings allow you to easily transport the kayak by hand once assembled. The kayak folds up into a compact box shape
measuring 33 by 13 by 29 inches, which fits into the back seat or trunk of most compact cars.
When you have your camera gear and fishing equipment in tow, this kayak makes getting loaded up and out on the water fairly simple. Traditional hardshell kayaks can be awkward and bulky — especially during the loading and unloading process that requires considerable arm strength to lift the kayak off the top of your vehicle and carry it out to the water. The Beach LT Sport eliminates some of these hassles, offering journalists the freedom to explore remote paddling spots more easily. Oru’s engineers added an integrated rail system to this model, so you can securely mount accessories from fishing-rod holders to camera gear without using adhesives.
UNFOLDING AND DISSASSEMBLING
Out of the box, the Beach LT Sport Kayak arrives folded. Before heading out to open water, I recomended practicing unfolding and assembling the kayak indoors a few times in a room large enough to move around in. The setup process is straightforward and enjoyable, requiring no tools and guided by Oru’s step-by-step instructions, which include a helpful assembly video link.
The built-in adjustable tension straps used for assembling the kayak are intuitive and easy to secure. The adjustable footrest and gel-cushion upgrade enhance comfort and are simple to install. With practice, you can complete the setup in about 10 minutes.
STURDINESS
For outdoor photography and journalism, the Beach LT Sport proves itself as a reliable platform on calm water for up to 300 pounds of loaded weight. Its width of 29 inches provides ample space inside to accommodate your camera gear, an extra backpack and fishing equipment. This model has a sturdy foundation as well as a comfortable gel cushion and footrest so you can focus on your craft without worrying about being comfortable, tipping over or having your kayak fill with water.
FINAL THOUGHTS
After using the Beach LT Sport kayak in the field, I found it easy to transport, simple enough for one person to assemble (although easier with another person), and lightweight enough to carry.
— Suzanne Downing is a freelance writer and the publications editor for Outdoors Unlimited.
10 (MORE) OUTDOOR STORY LEADS EL PASO, TEXAS
BY JAZMIN VELASQUEZ | EL PASO, TEXAS
OWAA’s annual conference makes its debut in El Paso, Texas, September 20-22! The summertime is El Paso’s liveliest season, with warm days, cool nights and countless story leads that showcase the best of what the city has to offer for outdoor adventures.
SPOTLIGHT EL PASO’S LARGEST URBAN PARK WITHIN CITY LIMITS
Delve into the geological and ecological significance of Franklin Mountains State Park, highlighting conservation efforts, wildlife preservation and year-round events centered around the park and its ecosystem.
REPORT ON CASTNER RANGE NATIONAL MONUMENT
In 2023, the beloved Castner Range was officially declared a national monument. Write a story describing the history of Castner Range and its one-year anniversary. Highlight the monument’s historical significance and preservation of its 6,672 acres of West Texas beauty.
WRITE A PIECE ON HOW TO IDENTIFY EL PASO’S DESERT PLANTS
The Sun City is overflowing with botanical treasures, from creosote and tarbush to acacias and cottonwood. Embark on an exploration through El Paso’s Franklin Mountains State Park and identify the most common vegetation found across the park’s acres.
OBSERVE DESERT DWELLERS IN EL PASO
An array of desert animals call the Franklin Mountains their home. Write an article introducing readers to the desert critters of El Paso, like coyotes, mountain lions, gray foxes, jackrabbits and rattle-
snakes. Discuss their behaviors, where they are most likely to be spotted, and best practices to take in case of finding one in person.
SHARE YOUR EXPERIENCE: RENT A UTV AT RED SANDS
Just west of Hueco Tanks, seek a thrilling off-road experience by renting a UTV
at Red Sands. Visitors can traverse the sandy landscape, enjoying adrenaline-fueled adventures against the backdrop of expansive desert vistas. Write an article describing the must-visit attraction and give details on how to rent a UTV from Off-Road Adventures.
... Continued on page 18
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site
Aztec Trail at Franklin Mountains State Park
A rock climber at Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site
CREATE A LISTICLE ABOUT BORDERLAND BIKING
Hit the local bicycling trails of El Paso and uncover the best mountain biking routes in the city. Make a listicle of the diverse terrain that makes up El Paso’s thriving biking community and advise readers of the easy, moderate and challenging routes they can discover, from the Franklin Mountains and McKelligon Canyon to the Rio Bosque Wetlands and Lost Dog Trail.
EXPLORE THE CENTENNIAL MUSEUM AND CHIHUAHUAN DESERT GARDENS
The Centennial Museum and Chihuahuan Desert Gardens are fascinating places to escape the heat and learn more about El Paso’s region. Write an article on the museum’s flora, fauna and geology exhibits and expand on the history of the Chihuahuan Desert.
CAMP AT HUECO TANKS STATE PARK AND HISTORIC SITE
Hueco Tanks is best known for its famous rock climbing and bouldering routes, but visitors can also camp overnight to get the full desert-life experience. Write an article on what to pack for an overnight stay at Hueco Tanks. Research the campsites and their amenities and let readers know of best practices for visiting the state park.
PLAN A BIG BEND ROAD TRIP
With its proximity, El Paso is the gateway to the Big Bend region! Start your journey in El Paso and plan a short road trip to Big Bend National Park. Write an itinerary-styled article detailing plans for visiting El Paso and making a trip to Big Bend to explore its wide-open spaces, hiking, camping and scenic drives.
BIRDWATCH AT RIO BOSQUE WETLANDS PARK
Discover a diverse array of bird species at Rio Bosque Wetlands Park, located along the Rio Grande. This park offers trails and boardwalks through wetlands and riparian habitats, providing excellent birdwatching opportunities.
— Jazmin Velasquez is the content writer for Visit El Paso.
Franklin Mountains
Hueco Tanks State Park and Historic Site
PORTFOLIO
ANN AND ROB SIMPSON | STEPHENS CITY, VIRGINIA
Greater in area than the contiguous 48 U.S. states, Brazil is the largest country in South America and sustains the greatest variety of animals in the world. Even though our primary goal for our trip was to photograph jaguars, maned wolves and ocelots, the impressive array of birdlife was an added bonus.
The shovel-shaped bill of the mainly nocturnal boat-billed heron is very sensitive, which allows it to feel out prey when it searches for fish, frogs and insects.
The yellow-billed cardinal belongs to the tanager family, not the cardinal family. Its bright red head is suggestive of the distinctive clothing worn by cardinals of the Catholic church.
Brazilian families in the Pantanal rely on their fishing skills to feed their families.
RIGHT PAGE ABOVE LEFT: A distinctive symbol of the Pantanal, the jabiru stands five feet in height and boasts an right-foot wingspan. In the native Tupi-Guarani language, the name jabiru means "swollen neck" in reference to the pelican-like pouch.
RIGHT PAGE ABOVE RIGHT: Related to ostriches and emus, the flightless greater rhea is the largest bird in North and South America, impressively reaching more than five feet in height. The conversion of native grasslands to farms and cattle ranches has led to a decrease in population.
BELOW: Abundant fish in the wetlands of the Pantanal are an easy catch for this black-collared hawk.
Brazil's national flower, the spectacular tabebuia or ipê tree, is highly prized for its strength and resistance to decay. The thick bark has been used in traditional medicine to treat infections and fevers.
The cobalt blue feathers of the hyacinth macaw led to its near extinction as demand in the illegal pet trade has reduced its numbers to about 4,000 individuals in the wild. Ecotourism efforts have helped support conservation efforts.
A spiraling observation tower at SouthWild Pantanal Lodge offers a unique viewing experience of nesting jabirus. Totally habituated to humans, they continuously add on to their huge six-foot-wide nests.
What editors want
Q&A with Tom Carney
BY SUZANNE DOWNING ALBERTON, MONTANA
WHETHER YOU’RE A SEASONED FREELANCER
or new to the freelance world, mastering the art of pitching your articles is crucial for success. To help you refine your skills, here are some valuable tips from the editor of The Upland Almanac.
THE UPLAND ALMANAC BIRD HUNTING, DOGS AND DOG TRAINING, SHOTGUN ENTHUSIASTS
Editor: Tom Carney tom@uplandalmanac.com
Tom Carney has won over 100 awards for his journalism, books and photography in a career that has spanned more than 40 years. He lives near Grand Rapids, Michigan, with his wife Maureen and their English setter Jack. His work appears in the The Upland Almanac, Nature, South Florida Sun Sentinel, Des Moines Register, GuruFocus, Hour Detroit, Alpena News, bioRxiv, Woods -n- Water News and more.
Q. What makes a pitch stand out in your inbox?
A. Might just be me, but my antennae perk up when they encounter a timely placed “please” or “thank you.”
While I like to think I give all pitches a fair reading, those that usually get serious consideration straight away are those that communicate the “how” of the story — explaining how the story will be reader-worthy and how it will be developed beyond the notion of “I went hunting and had a good time.”
And by “reader-worthy,” I mean that the writer shows an awareness that the reader’s need to be engaged is more important than his/her personal desire to see the story published. I try to read pitches from the point of view of the readers and to determine if it speaks to us.
Q. Can you give three pieces of advice to a writer pitching you?
A. While I tend to be pretty informal and even kid around with contributers, they can help their own causes by being re-
spectful of what I’ve spent hours writing, reviewing and rewriting over time: the guidelines.
The first thing writers should do is to request and read a publication’s contributor guidelines before they start composing a pitch. This resource tells you just about everything you need to know in order to submit a successful pitch. Why is this? Because I used to teach high school and realized early on that to help the students produce a reasonable facsimile of what I’d be grading them on, it was best to be very specific with the directions. That gave both them and me an identifiable starting point upon which I would evaluate their work. Same thing goes for writers and their pitches.
For example, I have always said not to submit “dead dog” stories. And yet more than once I’ve received queries that included a variation of this remark: “I know you don’t want dead dog stories, but this one is different.” Nope.
I never before thought about what to include in the subject line because that sounds more formal than needed. But it would be really cool if the subject line could read, “Query – Last Name –Topic.” Realistically, though, I don’t expect people will do that.
Q. Regarding feature articles, what specific themes or angles are you currently looking for (if any) in hunting, bird species and conservation pieces? Can you list three specific themes for 2024/2025?
A. Here’s the easy part: We need well-written stories about upland bird hunting everywhere in the U.S. and will occassionally publish features about other places in the world. We’d like to see more stories set in the Southeast, Southwest, the Mountain states and the Northwest. And by “stories about upland
bird hunting,” I don’t mean only stories about hunts. They can be about anything having to do with bird hunting — dogs, locales, natural history, conservation news and so on.
We’ve featured the American woodcock so much over the past couple of years, however, we should probably lay off them for awhile — unless something comes in that is really, really special.
The magazine has been under new ownership for less than a year now, and we’ve spent the bulk of our energies and time trimming the sails and charting new courses. As a result, we haven’t planned any specific themes for the future, except for the “Hey-it’sdowntime-for-hunting-let’s-get-somefly-fishing-stuff-in-there” stories for the Summer 2024 issue. We have to see how that issue is received before we plan to do another.
This just in ... UA’s new owner, Ernie Foster IV, has announced he is looking for writers to help expand our coverage of appropriate events in these subject ar-
"We've been given more pages for editorial and a much more accomodating design that is allowing for longer stories ..."
eas: sporting clays, classic shotguns and food. He also wants to develop profiles of individuals, giants in the world of conservation and upland bird hunting — past and present.
One of the things I’m most intrigued and interested in as well as excited about is Foster’s interest in longer pieces, even creative nonfiction. We’ve been given more pages for editorial and a much more accomodating design that is allowing for longer stories — when appropriate, of course.
I’d say we are drifting away from covering hard news, so any conservation pieces need to be packaged as pretty good stories.
Q. Could you elaborate on the types of destinations you’re interested in highlighting for traveling upland hunters?
In your opinion, what elements make a location stand out for inclusion in the magazine?
A. Historically, each “Destinations” piece highlighted a single lodge/hunting ranch that a writer would visit and report on. This was usually accompanied by ads from the places, so, except that freelancers and not lodge staffers were doing the writing, it was basically advertorial. We have been tossing around different ideas on how to adapt that angle to Foster’s vision for the magazine — stay tuned for updates.
Elements to stand out? That’s easy. Anyone who has gone to any number of pheasant lodges in the Dakotas or Nebraska, for example, will tell you that the
days all play out the same way: breakfast, hunt, lunch, hunt, dinner, social time, bed, with little variation on that theme. And the pheasant hunts are usually organized the same way: drivers, wingmen, blockers; switch. So, the hunting part and daily routine are basically the same no matter where you go. What makes a destination story stand out will be how well the writer identifies and spotlights the special qualities of an operation — the food, the setting, the facility, the dog work — specific things to focus on to give the readers a feel for what it’s like to be there.
Now, we offer another department that I really like called, “Notes from the Road.” Different from “Destinations,” it does not focus on a lodge but on hunting
trips that take writers “beyond their home territories.” Again, most of the time, simply chronicalling each day’s hunt will likely become monotonous. For these stories, we want to see what makes the trip so appealing ... the drive, the country, cool places or people you encounter along the road. (For two good examples, see the “Bayou, Times Two” stories in our Winter 2024 issue.) Hunting should be included, of course, but the story doesn’t have to be structured like a journal with day-by-day hunt summaries. And by the way, such stories really lend themselves to loads of wonderful photos that go beyond those showing hunters’ backs as they walk up to dogs on point.
Q. How do you approach personal essays in the “Day’s End” section? Are there specific tones or topics you prefer for these pieces?
A. The “Day’s End” section is meant as a showcase for stories, photography, artwork, poetry — things that you might enjoy at the hunting cabin after dinner when you’ve traded your boots for cozy slippers, are sitting in a comfy chair and your dog is curled up before the fire. The “no first-person references” rule is relaxed here. People often write specifically for this department, while at other times, over-the-transom essays that aren’t really long enough or substantial enough to be given “article” status can go here.
Tone and topics are wide open. You can write about anything from the old hunts with your grandfather to accounts “written” by your well-worn boots. The only no-no: “dead dog” stories.
And if you submit poems, please make sure they don’t include “words that tear and strain to rhyme,” as a Paul Simon lyric says.
Q. In terms of photography submissions, what qualities do you prioritize in selecting images to accompany articles? Are there particular styles or subjects that resonate well with your readership?
A. Most of the photos we use are submitted by the writers; that’s one of the requests we make for a complete packet when an article is submitted.
I’m not as good of a photographer as Colleen Miniuk or Richard P. Smith, but I know four things that anybody with a camera in their hands can do to increase the marketability of their photos: Be aware of the sun’s position and avoid sun glare or deep shadows; if you’re photographing people, get rid of the visor shadows and sunglasses; fill the frame — it’s more important to get up close to
"What is extremely important to the process of putting a magazine together is that contributors label their photos and captions according to the guidelines."
capture good details of the hunter’s head, shoulders and arms, and the bird than to stand back and include the 10 feet of nondescript parking lot between you and them; finally, if you must include a dead bird photo, make sure the blood is cleaned off and try not to use birds with wet feathers.
What is extremely important to the process of putting a magazine together is that contributors label their photos and captions according to the guidelines. Equally important: Do not use the option that automatically numbers the list (captions): If I cut a photo, then cut a caption from an automatically numbered list, then all the other captions will be misnumbered. Think of the headache that blossoms when a folder includes 60 photos with captions that are automatically numbered, and I remove from consideration 40 from random spots.
For people who want to submit standalone photos for us to select for use “sometime,” here’s a tip: Provide a proof sheet (electronic or hard copy) of the photos so the editor can glance through to see if you’ve got something he can use. It’s terribly time consuming if he has to click open each individual photo in a zip file or on a CD to see if you have something to offer.
Q. Can you provide insight into the balance between narrative and educational content in “New to the Game” articles? What level of expertise do you expect these pieces to cater to?
A. Well, “New to the Game” pieces are also “New to the Magazine.” While a specific format or style might identify itself in the future, for now we are using it as a place where hunting newbies of any age and situation can share with other potential beginning hunters in the audience their stories of how they came into the world of upland bird hunting. Or they might serve to inspire experienced hunters to help bring along someone into the sport. Our first offering came from OWAAer Kris Millgate, a highly experienced communicator but limited experienced bird hunter. The second one was written by a retired gentleman who, in his first-ever story, tells how he taught clay-target shooting to a new shooter, a 20-year-old woman, and how together they became hunting buddies, new to the game. The department is wide open for stories about fresh bird hunters.
So, to respond specifically to your question, there is no recipe for a balance between narrative and educational content. It’s whatever works for the person telling the story. These can be first-person stories or stories about someone else.
Additionally, Foster wants OWAAers to know that the Upland Media compa-
ny, parent of The Upland Almanac, has revitalized The Successful Hunter (successfulhunter.com) for the sole purpose of mentoring writers, artists and photographers who share the goal of preserving the outdoor sports tradition through story and art! He says the magazine is meant to attract contributors new to submitting works for publication or who view themselves on the “junior varsity” level regarding their talent. “We utilize print, video and social media to promote your experience while providing national exposure,” says Foster.
And here’s the kicker. One goal of this re-startup is to donate some of the profits to OWAA!
Q. Anything else a writer should know outside of what’s listed on your contributor guidelines?
A. We want contributors to be serious about two things: the quality of effort they put into making their writing as strong as possible and the fun they have doing it.
When preparing materials to submit, put yourself in the shoes of those who have to encounter your work: the editor, the art director, the reader. Do you know how many stories entitled “Upland Almanac – Spring 24” I received this year? It’s not hard to add your last name and topic to that so that it’s easier to find in the inbox: “Stemler – Kansas Quail – UA Spring 24.” I’ve already mentioned the importance of labeling your photos and captions, but it bears repeating: Follow the guidelines. And here’s something else: Do not prepare suggested layouts or include your photographs in the Word doc with your stories. We just have to go in there and remove them ... uh ... Actually, they are usually returned for the writer to take care of that.
Make sure you also think about the reader. How helpful is it to give a company or organization’s home page URL when the reader has to figure out where to go from there to get the necessary info? Don’t give the entire, long URL of the link — it’s too easy for the reader to mess up when trying to type it in. Instead, give
directions: “Go to xyz.com and click on ‘History’ on the top menu. Then click on ‘1990s’ from the dropdown menu.” Doing so also makes it easier on the editor so they don’t have to look it up and put it in there for you.
I guess everything I said above boils down to this: If you want to publish a story in The Upland Almanac, come up with ideas that go beyond “I went hunting and had fun,” and do everything you can in order to make things easier on the people who will deal with your story: the editor, the art director and the reader.
Contact Tom Carney: tom@uplandalmanac.com
— Suzanne Downing is a freelance writer and the publications editor for Outdoors Unlimited.
TRANSITION INTO
INVESTIGATIVE JOURNALISM
BY ED RICCIUTI | KILLINGWORTH, CONNECTICUT
Looking around the room inside a back-alley Bangkok compound with walls topped by concertina wire, I wondered which of them would do away with me first. “Them” being the Great Dane, collared with scary spikes that prowled around me; the leopard, chained by the neck, sitting a few feet away, eyeing me balefully; the immense python, curled on a purple cushion, opposite the cat. Or, more likely, enthroned between leopard and python, the knockout gorgeously sinister human female, tabbed the “Dragon Lady” by federal law enforcement agents after the character in the iconic comic strip “Terry and the Pirates.”
She was a doppelgänger of the comic-strip character, her long glossy black hair draped down her back. She even wore a black, slit-sided cheongsam dress. Unlike her fictitious counterpart, however, she did not head a pirate gang but a ring that smuggled illegal wildlife. The scene was so surreal that I doubted anyone would believe it if I could eventually survive to write about it.
“If she suspects anything, we’re gonna die,” I muttered to the British expat who had secured my entrance into the compound by claiming I was an animal dealer in search of exotic specimens. Obviously, she did not, and I was able to add another piece to the story I was writing for Audubon magazine on the international trade in illegal wildlife.
I became expert on the subject, working closely with federal law enforcement agencies and some abroad. The reason I had a leg up was that most journalists covering wildlife conservation did not have my background — solid creds in science and nature but also as a crime and investigative reporter, one who had covered international drug piracy and
interviewed the boss of a New York City crime family while sitting with his own family in his kitchen.
During what I consider the glory days of my career, over a quarter century or so starting in the 1970s, I regularly covered assignments around the world at the drop of a hat. One day, I was camped with scientists atop Tatoosh Island, at the mouth of the Strait of Juan de Fuca. A little over a week later, I was arranging my sleeping bag in a police post 14,000 feet up in the Peruvian Andes, in the heart of Shining Path guerilla activity and without heat in sub-freezing nights. I was fortunate to have writing assignments from periodicals that could pay my freight around the globe as well as consulting gigs. For instance, a project for the Shah of Iran’s government (I complied with the Foreign Agent Registration Act) brought me to the Imperial Palace in Tehran, and working on the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s World Conservation Strategy sent me afield in Africa with top conservation biologists. While covering nature reserves in Israel, I met with Avraham Yoffe, legendary general and the father of conservation there, and watched as he showed me on a map how an armored strike could cut the country in two at its narrow neck. Given recent developments, the image of that map has often come to mind.
For a while, I was sent to Africa at least once a year, often two or more times. The first trip in the early 1970s found me making a serious newbie mistake. I had camped in a tent several hundred yards from a game lodge in Kenya. At night, zebras and antelope grazed between the tented area and the main lodge. My first night, I suspected one of them had been under my tent fly because I felt
something bump against the canvas. I punched at my side until it stopped.
The next night, after sitting at the lodge’s bar, I walked back through the grazers to my tent. Something moved in the darkness under the tent fly. Figuring it was a zebra, I poked my head under to get a better look. I felt something large and wet against my nose. It was another nose. That of an African buffalo.
In my other life, I had been a curator at the New York Zoological Society (later Wildlife Conservation Society), which operates the Bronx Zoo. I was also the Animal Man on a WCBS-TV show for kids. So I was used to being close up with wild critters. Looking into the buffalo’s eyes, I suspected it was as unnerved as I, so I bid it good night, entered my tent, went to bed and let it bump me through the canvas as long as it wanted.
Africa assignments usually related to elephant conservation and the ivory trade or the socioeconomic side of wildlife conservation. Arriving at the Harare Airport in Zimbabwe to research the role of sport hunting in funding conservation efforts, I was told by the surly young man at immigration that my letter from Wildlife Conservation magazine was insufficient documentation. It was Friday night. He warned that if I could not obtain press credentials by the time the government press office opened Monday morning, I was outta there on the first available plane.
Monday morning, I camped out by the office. I showed the press officer my letter. She was nice enough but not particularly impressed. Then I played my ace in the hole.
Let me backtrack. For nine years, I had a client that provided me with the
fattest checks ever, the only time I made really big bucks. Half of my time was spent developing a publications program for the World Wrestling Federation just as it hit big time. Part of my job was helping foster character lines, and I was on the road regularly with the likes of Hulk Hogan, the Iron Sheik and Macho Man Randy Savage.
Knowing that the WWF had a huge fan base in Africa, I brought a bag full of magazines and a bundle of business cards listing me on the masthead. On a hunch, I produced some of the magazines and showed my WWF card to the press officer. The place went wild. The entire staff gathered around me, peppering me with questions. What was Hulk really like? Who is the best wrestler? A staff photographer was summoned, my photo was taken, and in moments, I had my press credentials.
I consider myself fortunate to have seen the former Yugoslavia before, under
communism, and during the war that ended it as a polity. The first time was a sponsored trip on which the late fishing writer Dave Finkelstein, a fellow martial arts teacher, described me as fly-fishing while looking and sounding “like a crazed Buddhist monk in a grade-B karate movie.” Indeed, we visited classic fly-fishing streams in stunning, pastoral surroundings. A few years later, I returned to what had been Yugoslavia, this time to the war zone. I was at a meeting of the parliament of Montenegro in Durmitor National Park, interviewing both president and prime minister, while the lawmakers declared the environmentally rich country an “Ecological State.”
All well enough. But on the way there, I had been passed by a military convoy carrying Montenegrin reservists to the siege of Croatia’s historic city of Dubrovnik. I knew that fighting was raving some of the grand national parks I had visited on my earlier trip. When I had ar-
rived in Belgrade a couple of weeks earlier, all was quiet. Returning to the airport from Montenegro, it was an armed camp. Troops with automatic weapons were everywhere. I watched as a woman with two young children, who had nervously boarded with me, was marched off by two soldiers, the anxiety in her eyes turned to fear. I was most happy when my plane lifted off on the way back home.
— Ed Ricciuti is an award-winning author, journalist and naturalist known for his extensive work in writing about nature, science and wildlife.
ASK AN EXPERT
BY GWENDOLYN REED | AUSTIN, TEXAS
Classically trained chef Steven Corso has traded tiled kitchen walls for simple camp stoves and barefoot riverside meals. Driven by “the wonderful trifecta of people, place and food,” he founded Outdoor Eats in 2019 with a mission to enhance the outdoor cooking experience.
Through e-guides and pocket-size recipe books, Outdoor Eats provides recipes for flavorful, filling meals containing less than 10 ingredients and ready in less than 30 minutes. Additionally, Corso’s television program “Outdoor Eats TV” and YouTube channel capture him cooking in remote locations as he shares his best tips and tricks.
Backpackers everywhere are all too familiar with subpar hiking meals — from flavorless dehydrated meats to watery oatmeal and canned beans. Seeing this inspired Corso to take his tools to the trail. He’s completed culinary school in Northern Italy and Napa Valley, worked as a head chef, served as a research chef in test kitchens and trained culinary teams around the world all before jumpstarting Outdoor Eats.
Whether you find yourself biking through the Guadalupe Mountains, thru-hiking the Pacific Crest Trail, surfing the Gold Coast or simply making lunch at your local park, Corso offers meals suitable for any adventure to ensure you’re fueled for the journey.
Q Your experience as a classically trained chef yields credibility. How would you say your time spent cooking in Italy, working as a research chef in a test kitchen and training culinary teams prepared you for your current position in outdoor cooking? Can you give an example of something specific you learned that often transfers to cooking outdoors?
AI’ve always really enjoyed teaching people how to cook, whether that’s inside teaching how to make a fresh pesto or hummus, or taking it outside for an easy trail pad thai or stroganoff. My culinary experience has been a layered one that hasn’t always been behind a line cooking for a few hundred people a night.
I think my time as a research chef was really influential to where I am today. I was able to test and develop new ice creams, salad dressings, smoothies and beverages in a test kitchen, making products that would eventually be sold in grocery stores around the country. Each project gave a new set of challenges to test through to make the best possible end product.
I took my research chef skills to the trail when I first started testing recipes for Outdoor Eats. I wanted to understand the challenges and barriers to cooking a good meal in the backcountry, and I landed on a few “recipe rails” as I call them to guide all recipe development:
All recipes have to be ready in 30 minutes or less.
All recipes can only use 10 ingredients or less, including water.
No pre-prep, no dehydrating.
Recipes must be mindful of pack weight and volume.
And as the recipe bank grew, I added options for different dietary restrictions.
I have had a few other positions where I was responsible for training national and international kitchen or management teams. I learned a lot about different communication styles, different personality types and ways to connect with the learner in a way that would eventually lead to them understanding the “how” and “why.” I once had to teach two separate groups of Japanese team members for a new store opening in Tokyo with no interpreter and only one person speaking some English. Let’s just say I had to get creative with my methods and use a lot of exaggerated facial expressions and hand gestures to get my message across. It ultimately was really fun and successful.
QYou started your show, Outdoor Eats TV, almost a year ago. Can you talk more about this project? What pieces of advice would you give to someone thinking of starting a TV series and what are some ways you’ve seen growth in your company since the show began?
A Outdoor Eats TV has been an evolution of the last five years of Outdoor Eats. The company started with a few recipes, then grew into a successful pocket-sized cookbook line, “Trail Meals,” which grew into short and mid-length YouTube content.
Through the YouTube video creation, I realized that there wasn’t quite a chef that was teaching folks how to eat well outdoors. There are a bunch of great chefs that do great things for indoor cooking, grilling or knowing where to eat when you travel. I saw an opportunity to share the Outdoor Eats mission of eating well outdoors and learning something along the way with a larger audience.
I also have enjoyed telling longer-form stories from the destinations that we have been able to film at. I have loved learning how people recreate from California to Texas to Florida, cooking up some great, locally themed meals along the way. We just wrapped up season two with four episodes, and they will air nationally on Bally Sports and Outside TV starting in July. We are rolling into production for season three, heading to Switzerland and Liechtenstein in August for our next episode!
Tips if you’re thinking of starting a TV series:
1. Talk about your idea. Once you’ve thought about your idea a bit, ask a friend or family member to listen and chat about your idea. Vocalizing your thoughts is a great way to understand them. Accept all feedback you receive (even if it’s not the best) and use that to guide any tweaks to your original idea.
2. Hone your idea. After chatting with multiple people both inside and outside your specific space, hone your idea until you feel comfortable with it.
3. Research the category. Which hosts/ shows do you resonate with? Which hosts/shows do you not? How do you want your show to look, sound, be structured, etc.?
4. Find your voice. You don’t have to be like, and frankly shouldn’t be like, someone else. Find who YOU are and own that. The content will be more fun
to create and resonate better with your audience when you are naturally you. The community has definitely grown since we launched the show. It’s great to see where people are cooking not only around the United States, but all over the world. We are also seeing great engagement with our current recipes, recipe testing and social-media channels.
Q As you work to continually communicate your ideas to the outdoors community and market your products, what does your team look like? Are you wearing all the hats, or are you able to pass tasks onto a copywriter, content creator, photographer, website developer, outreach coordinator, etc.?
A I do about 96 percent of the work for Outdoor Eats. I have learned A LOT along the way about graphic design, website development, small-business ownership, accounting, marketing and editing. I know enough to ask the right questions in a lot of categories, and at this point, I contract out website work, video editing and anything else that I don’t have the bandwidth for.
Q Many backpackers intertwine the experience of eating subpar food with being in the great outdoors — they cling to their watery oatmeal, canned beans, dehydrated meat and one too many granola bars. How do you market your more tasty, gourmet meals to those who may be set in their ways when it comes to trail meals? What’s the strategy on revealing that there are better options worth exploring?
A This is something that I will never understand. I don’t understand why many folks want to go on a culinary sufferfest when they don’t have to. I understand that the previous path to cooking outdoors is the same old staples and packaged meals, mainly because they are easy. But I am here to share through years of testing that there are so many better options that don’t weigh down your pack, are quick to cook up and will ultimately complement our experience so much better than a dry, salty bag with little texture.
On one of my solo adventures into the North Cascades a few years ago, I figured out something while hiking for six miles on a forest service road. A boring, unsatis-
fying meal plan is like hiking on a forest service road for six miles, day after day. An exciting, flavorful and fun meal plan is like hiking to the peak of a fourteener, jumping in an alpine lake or hiking through a meadow of wildflowers EVERY DAY OF YOUR TRIP! To me, that sounds like a better time.
I also want to share that Outdoor Eats recipes aren’t necessarily “gourmet.” Sure, you can add some goat cheese, pesto and pine nuts to some pasta for a “fancy” meal. But many of our more than 300 trail-tested recipes are “normal” food with ingredients you can find at most grocery stores with minimal special ordering. We have a series of recipes called Classics Elevated where I chef hack most packaged meal flavors like stroganoff, jambalaya, pasta with five-minute marinara, and chicken and dumplings. We have another series called Truck Stop, where all recipes use a bag of chips or crackers, making Funyun French onion soup, Cheez-It cheddar grits, Dorito enchilada bowl, Triscuit panzanella and more.
We have gotten some resistance from the seasoned, epic adventurer. I think it’s important to meet them where they’re at for their meal plan and suggest ways that they can elevate their oatmeal or beans with just a few ingredients. Many of our recipes land from 2.5 to six ounces per serving, which is about the same as a packaged meal and often a steep fraction
of the cost. Many of our recipes can be as inexpensive as 50 cents per hearty serving and are naturally lower in salt and preservatives. Food on the trail doesn’t have to be boring — it can be something to get excited for and help you push through the last few miles.
Imagine waking up to cranberry orange granola as you roll out of your tent, a no-cook grain bowl lunch during a break by the river or Creole shepherd's pie waiting for you at the summit.
Ultimately, they need to take a chance and take a step down a new path. To me, it’s worth it for an overall better experience. If you are hesitant, I welcome you to try one at home before you go. The feedback we have received is that once you start cooking Outdoor Eats-style recipes, you don’t go back to packaged meals.
Q What health benefits could this hold for people spending time outside? Could they expect a difference in their performance and the way they feel throughout a trip if they were able to embrace more balanced meals on the trail?
A “Health” is a very subjective term these days, and I am no nutritionist. There are so many reasons for ways of eating, whether that’s a dietary challenge or a philosophical reason. I am working to build our recipe bank so there’s something for everybody and they don’t have to sacrifice their choice when they head out on their trip.
Calories are important to be mindful of on longer trips, and every belly and body is different. From my experience, I believe that if you eat real food at every meal and not just eat the standard oatmeal, nuts/ jerky/packaged meal fare, your mind and body will be more satisfied with hearty, filling, flavorful meals that REALLY complement your trip.
Imagine waking up to cranberry-orange granola as you roll out of your tent, a nocook grain bowl lunch during a break by the river, or Creole shepherd’s pie waiting for you at the summit. Our recipes are also lower in sodium and preservatives and higher in micronutrients and texture to sustain longer trips better than the standard fare.
Q You seem to prioritize traveling light without compromising meal quality. What are two things you do to
keep things simple and minimal when it comes to cooking meals under the stars?
A For any meal plan, I always start in the pantry. There are many low-weight, filling options that you may already be packing that are great building blocks for great meals. Instant rice, pastas, tortillas, instant mashed potatoes, instant stuffing, grits/polenta, rice, ramen noodles and more are all great places to start.
The best bang with the lightest weight are good spice mixes. Choose your flavor adventure, from Mexican chili powders to Indian/Thai/Japanese curries to Italian seasoning to easily flavor up your dishes. And don’t be afraid of packing fresh vegetables. Snap peas, bell peppers, broccoli, avocado, citrus, etc., last longer than you think and add great texture, flavor and color to your meals.
Q You say in one of your videos that the ultimate goal for you goes beyond the food itself; it’s about sharing a meal
with your friends in a beautiful place. What is one of your favorite memories sharing a meal in the great outdoors?
A We plan our adventures with our friends or family. We pack up the gear list, we get the permits and we get out there and do it. But it all comes back to sharing a great meal outdoors together. It’s the wonderful trifecta of people, place and food that I am trying to share. Food has been an afterthought on too many trips for too long. It’s time to enjoy the food experience and get rid of the culinary sufferfest. You can do it. It’s not that hard. And I and the Outdoor Eats community can show you how. Wow, so many great memories and so many great meals. I often say that every recipe has a story. I’ve cooked biscuits and gravy on the California coast, shiitake sesame ramen on the top of Ruby Mountain in North Cascade National Park, trail tacos deep in the old-growth rainforest of Olympic National Park and Moroccan couscous in Joshua Tree. But the one
that comes to mind was actually one of the first recipes I ever tested for Outdoor Eats: tom yum noodle in the Enchantment Lakes of Washington State. I had volunteered to cook for our crew of six for our four-night adventure. On night two, I whipped up an amazing soup with coconut milk powder, curry paste, seasonings, rice noodles, zucchini and baby bok choy (yes, I packed up cabbage for this meal). It turned out great and was so flavorful and fresh. We all made campy chopsticks with fallen twigs and enjoyed the view of Colchuck Lake and Dragontail Peak as the sun went down. It was a very memorable day on the trail with great friends and a satisfying meal.
Website: outdooreats.com
— Gwendolyn Reed is a recent journalism grad from the University of Texas and OWAA’s summer intern.
MEET OWAA'S 2024 SUMMER INTERN
Gwendolyn Reed graduated in May from the University of Texas (UT) at Austin with a bachelor’s degree in journalism. Focusing on digital and print media, her love of writing is rivaled only by her passion for exploring the great outdoors. This summer, she is interning with OWAA while freelance writing and working at a vineyard and winery. Come fall, she plans to move to Mallorca, Spain, for a couple of months to work with a local’s ceramic studio and environmental nonprofit.
Her experience as a journalist includes writing for Drift Magazine, UT’s outdoor-focused publication, and working as a communications intern for Environment Texas and an editorial assistant for Texas Global.
In her free time, she can be found climbing at her local bouldering gym, swimming at Barton Springs Pool, beekeeping with UT’s Beevo Beekeeping Society, tending to vines in the vineyard, enjoying a yoga class or perusing a nearby thrift store.
An outdoor magazine enthusiast, her growing bedside collection holds everything from Adventure Journal, Whalebone, Wildsam and Texas Parks & Wildlife to Surfer’s Journal, Outside and National Geographic. Naturally, she’s thrilled to be a part of this community of creative outdoor communicators.
One of her favorite outdoor experiences was her summer spent working as a wilderness guide, where she led groups of campers through weeklong backpacking trips in the backcountry and kayaking trips on the Pecos River. There, she had the privilege of introducing kids to the wonders of nature in an entirely new and immersive way.
Gwendolyn believes our work as outdoor communicators should put our audience in awe of nature. This awe factor is essential in persuading the population to protect our planet. She dreams of writing about adventure, travel and the outdoors — striving always to put nature’s wordless beauty into words.
Connect with Gwendolyn Reed: gwendolynreed@utexas.edu, linkedin.com/in/gwendolyn-reed
LETTER TO THE EDITOR
Response to "Science journalism: Through the looking glass" Outdoors Unlimited | Winter
2024 | Page 36
Iapplaud the piece on science journalism in the winter issue but for one point, and I would like to expand upon it. I differ with the comment about submitting the article for review by a source. If that demand is made of me, I go to another source. On the other hand, if a source makes it as a request, and I feel it proper, I will do it, making clear there are no guarantees I will accept changes. Beyond that, there are times when the science is complex from my standpoint and I readily ask the source to review the article.
That said, I am a science writer who dabbles in hook-and-bullet, writes lots about law enforcement, and has used my science-writing background and a stint as a curator with the New York Zoological Society (now Wildlife Conservation Society) to earn my spurs covering natural history and conservation worldwide. All the while, I have continued to write on the physical science as well as most of the biological disciplines. One of the last pieces I wrote was on the use of gas chromatography to study pheromones of
pine beetles, requiring knowledge of both biology and chemistry to complete.
My reason for writing this letter is to add a note of caution to writers who have minimal knowledge of scientific disciplines and have been inspired by the previous article to try science journalism. You need extensive training, likely including that of an academic nature. I started learning on the job as a newspaper reporter with an interest in science. My efforts were amateurish until I was placed in a mentorship program of the Council for the Advancement of Science Writing and then was awarded a Sloan-Rockefeller Fellowship at Columbia’s graduate JSchool. (It was separate from the standard graduate program there.) After a stint as an editor for a science magazine, my curatorial position enabled me to work side by side with scientists, including afield.
All that was in the 1960s. Since then, I never have stopped studying science, keeping up on developments, reviewing what I have learned in the past. There are some assignments I would
not undertake because I lack sufficient knowledge — quantum physics, for example. And, when it comes to outdoor writing, I would no more try to review a new firearm than I would write on the Schrödinger equation. I lack enough knowledge to do either well.
All this is not to say you cannot educate yourself as preparation for becoming a science writer, but it is not easy. Having a science degree, on the other hand, is no guarantee that you will become a competent science writer. Of course, you need writing talent. I’m talking here about science writing as opposed to science journalism. To be a science journalist, covering science news just as other journalists cover crime and politics, you need training in journalism. Having a Ph.D. in astrophysics, for example, is not what you need to ferret information out of a government health agency that is obscuring facts about sensitive research.
— Ed Ricciuti an award-winning author, journalist and naturalist.
2023 OWAA FINANCIAL DASHBOARD
Income (Key Indicators)
Advertising: $5,700
Conference: $136,636
Excellence in Craft contest: $20,071
Individual member dues: $85,275
Supporting Group fees: $39,125
Total income: $334,108 (includes ALL income, not just the key indicators noted above)
Endowment Status
Bodie McDowell Scholarship Fund: $542,497
John Madson Fellowship Fund: $74,807
Real Estate Fund: $173,534
Lonnie Williamson General Endowment Fund: $278,185
Operating Fund: $83,734
Total endowment: $1,152,757
Expense (Key Indicators)
Conference: $98,014
Excellence in Craft contest: $26,488
Employee expenses: $113,362
Contractor: $23,679
OU: $12,174
Total expenses: $384,824 (includes ALL expenses, not just the key indicators noted above)
Net Income: $-50,716**
Membership Individual: 631
Supporting Groups: 98
** Highlighting our commitment to transparency and support for our outdoor media community, this indicator represents a temporary increased investment in personnel in 2023, which has returned to previous levels (2022 levels) in the 2024 fiscal year.
OWAA FIELD FEST 2024
In and around Johnson City and Knoxville, Tennessee | Photos by Suzanne Downing, Chez Chesak and Jeff Hess
OUTDOOR WRITERS ASSOCIATION OF AMERICA
2814 Brooks St., Box 442
Missoula, MT 59801
406-728-7434, Fax: 406-728-7445
info@owaa.org, owaa.org
COPYRIGHT NOTICE: Contributors grant rights for OWAA to publish once in Outdoors Unlimited, both the print and online versions, including archives, and on the OWAA website.
OUTDOORS UNLIMITED
Summer 2024
Vol. 85, No. 3
Meet a member
NAME: Chad Brown
RESIDENCE: Portland, OR
OWAA MEMBER SINCE: 2023
An award-winning documentary-adventure photographer, filmmaker and conservationist, Navy veteran Chad Brown is the founder/president of nonprofits Soul River, Inc., and Love is King. In addition, Chad’s latest focus areas include outdoor adventure travel, threatened wild spaces and BIPOC (Black, Indigenous and people of color) communities. Through his projects, he connects the public to endangered lands, capturing the true essence of their peoples in moments of passion and the indomitable human spirit. Utilizing striking documentary portraits, photographic exhibitions and film, Chad also advocates for social and environmental justice.
Filmaking, adventure photography and stylized portraits. My work centers around telling stories of underserved voices that documents Indigenous stories, especially up in the Arctic Circle, and stories from BIPOC communities that revolve around their connection to the outdoors. Telling these stories helps dismantles stereotypes and false narratives but yet brings to light new conversation and ideas across all conversations. The idea of BIPOC recreationists in the outdoors as a new concept is not new! Yes, there are newbies, but there are also newbies from all races. But historically, BIPOC have been connected to the outdoors and not strangers in nature.
WHAT DREW YOU TO THE FIELD?
I have always been drawn to the field of creative storytelling, and throughout my career, I have pursued my creativity by developing concepts for brands and products. Art, design and photography have always been central to my life. However, there was a period when I had to put this passion on hold due to personal challenges related to my experience as a veteran fighting PTSD.
As I emerged from that difficult time and fought hard to overcome it, I began experiencing small successes that allowed me to carve out spaces for myself where I could express my creativity professionally. While I love telling stories in general, I became particularly interested in exploring narratives within the outdoor space.
The more time I spent in nature and connected with my own soul, the more stories of fear among BIPOC individuals came to light. Even my own parents expressed concerns about me venturing into the outdoors and urged me to be cautious. This fear is deeply rooted in generational experiences and is not unique to every BIPOC person. However, it troubled me greatly that these fears could prevent individuals from fully embracing outdoor activities.
WHAT ENTICED YOU TO JOIN OWAA?
It’s always great to step into an community of passionate folks who carry the wonder of talent telling stories in unique creative ways.
WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY WORKING ON?
Currently, I am involved in multiple projects. One of them is a film called “The Guardians,” which focuses on the journey of five BIPOC veterans as they explore the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. Through their experiences, they undergo healing and connect with Indigenous cultures like the Gwich’in community. The film highlights their transformation from PTSD into advocates for the land and their understanding of political issues while sharing common ground with Indigenous people and connecting with the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge.
