President’s Message

by Gray N. Thornton

President & CEO

WHAT’S NEW WITH WSF?

In December of last year leading up to our 2022 convention, I was asked by a radio personality in Reno “what’s new for the 2022 Sheep Show®?”

I paused, hesitated a bit more to collect my thoughts, took a breath, and then attempted to wax on about our plans for the live streaming Basecamp Studio seminar and event stage. It was a weak reply and a far cry from our usual list of innovations and new offerings. That hurt.

I expressed my personal angst in a staff meeting afterward and reluctantly had to admit to the fact that what was “new” for 2022 was actually conducting an in-person show despite the lingering pandemic, the news on the “Omicron variant” on the horizon, and the uncertainty of what this latest scourge would bring to restrictions and even WSF and our industry partners executing in-person conventions.

To be frank, like most of us, I’m sick and tired of the pandemic, the words “virtual”, “online”, “remote” and all things Covid. WSF is an innovator, the pandemic tested us and our innovation and we shined through, but I am looking forward to bringing new innovations to our foundation and industry.

WSF has a great history of introducing programs and initiatives that are new to us and our community. We started the Chapter Summits in 2008, then with our host WSF Alberta, we launched the Chapter and Affiliate Summits in 2010 in Edmonton. These were moved under a “new banner” conceived in May of 2008 titled “One Tent – One Campfire” to describe the WSF C&A Family. We conceived and created the Marco Polo and Chadwick Ram Societies to broaden and diversify WSF funding sources. We created and launched the <1 Club® in 2012 to attract aspiring sheep hunters to the family and send them on sheep hunts to be “kicked out” of the club. We launched Floor Credit Drawings at the Sheep Show® to be a win, win, win, win for attendees, our exhibitors, our sponsors, and WSF.

In 2013, we launched the Take One Put One Back program as a donor- direct funding program whereby 100% of the donations are directed to put wild sheep on the mountain and keep them there. To date, we have directed $1.4 Million to enhancing wild sheep and their habitat through that program alone. We offered a tattoo parlor at our 2018 convention so our members and guests could “ride for the brand.” In the summer of 2020 we pivoted, sourced, and then executed a fully immersive and truly “virtual” convention in 2021 including an interactive expo—the only organization in our space to do so.

We are innovators.

Yet, in December 2021, I had to think hard about what was “new” for WSF and our 2022 convention. We collectively held our breaths and all of us conducted our 2022 shows thank God. We’re grateful but it is time to kick in the afterburners.

So what is new with WSF? What’s new for the 2023 Sheep Show® and Sheep Week®? Plenty!

Digital Version of Wild Sheep® –

We’ve been discussing the merits of producing a digital version of Wild Sheep® magazine for years. While we are still a group that like to be hands on and touch and feel printed product, last summer we decided to launch the first digital version our of publication with our spring 2022 issue and ensured all content included clickable links. Turning a printed version of a magazine into digital is simple. But we wanted to do it right to benefit our advertisers, sponsors, and partners. We’re anxious for feedback from our members.

WSF’s Sheep Fever Podcast –

Admittedly we wanted to launch this in July of 2021, but the pandemic put this project on hold. We’ve been gathering content this spring and look to launch SHEEP FEVER – The Official Podcast of the Wild Sheep Foundation about July 15th. Watch for it on all podcast mediums. We’ll cover all things wild sheep, wild sheep conservation, and wild sheep hunting!

Legacy Projects & Chapter & Affiliate Focused Grant in Aid –

WSF directs more than $6 million annually to Mission Programs including wild sheep enhancement, restoration, habitat improvement, disease research & mitigation, advocacy & education, and industry support. We’ve directed more than $50 Million in the past 10 years alone. Our conservation Grant In Aid “bucket” of funds we solicit projects from, represents typically $1.2 Million of the $6+ million, but often we do not receive requests for the total funds we budget for, nor do we get large landscape style “legacy” proposals. To be more impactful to the resource and more relevant to our purpose, I proposed to the board a revised GIA process for the next two years where we seek out $25,000, $50,000, $100,000, and even $250,000 projects to fund, and for the majority of them, we’ll solicit through our Chapters and Affiliates who are our eyes and ears and boots on the ground. The board approved this new process during their

recent meeting in San Antonio and it was announced to the C&As present at the C&A Summit XIV. I’m excited about this new focus and way of executing our conservation mandate!

<1 Club® – 4 hunts to be given away – Plus, <1 Club® Veteran for

the 5th! – Since it’s launch in 2012 and first Beer Reception in 2013, the <1 Club® has been one of the most innovative membership recruitment campaigns in our industry as well as an invitation to the WSF family for the aspiring sheep hunter. We’re celebrating a decade of kicking members out by adding a fourth hunt for <1 Club® members and we are building a platform for veteransonly to win a fifth! Watch for more information as we celebrate the <1 Club’s Tenth Anniversary.

<1 Club® Social Community

– Adding to the current WSF Women Hunt™ social community on Facebook and Instagram we’ve launched a <1 Club® community on both platforms. Find us on Instagram and follow Facebook and come along on the journey!

2023 Sheep Show® and Sheep

Week® – There are a bunch of new programs and events on the horizon for the 2023 WSF convention January 11-14 in Reno, Nevada.

We’ve also adjusted the schedule for some of these changes.

We have increased the show footprint to allow for requested booth expansion from our current exhibitors and to allow for new partners as well. Booths will be located in all three halls including surrounding the usual WSF association displays for Membership, WSF Store, Silent Auction, Societies Lounge and Ride for the Brand Tattoo parlor in Hall 3 of the Reno Sparks Convention Center (RSCC.)

For our exhibitors we will kick off the Expo component of the convention with a full breakfast Thursday morning in the Mt. Rose Ballroom of the RSCC.

We are moving the Friday Ram/ FNAWS/Mountain Monarch Awards breakfast to a Luncheon Awards Program on Thursday afternoon also in the Mt. Rose Ballroom of the RSCC.

The Thursday Annual Membership Meeting will be moved from Thursday morning at the RSCC to Friday morning in the Tuscany Ballroom of the Peppermill Hotel. We’ll get members out in time to get to the expo hall before opening at 10 am.

The Friday Ladies Luncheon will be a Ladies Cocktail & Hors d’ouerves Social from 1-3 pm Friday in the Naples Ballroom of the Peppermill.

We’ve got a number of other updates, changes and improvements to the show in planning stages and look forward to sharing as they are completed.

We kick off the 2022-2023 Fiscal Year July 1st with some exciting changes on the horizon. It is good to be back in the innovation business!

Enjoy this summer issue of Wild Sheep® and good luck with the thinhorn hunts up north! WS

Gray N. Thornton

President & CEO, Wild Sheep Foundation Editor-in-Chief, Wild Sheep® magazine Summit Life Member Chadwick Ram Society® Member Legacy Society Member