Plenty of mail coming your way in the next few weeks including conference packets and ballots please return both as soon as possible and I will see you in June

Gary Graham gary@garycgraham.com

email archives

Ballots Coming
Ballots should be arriving by U.S. Mail this week or next. Watch for them, and please cast your vote. Despite my abject plea a couple weeks back for more candidates — or even nominations — we've got only four candidates for three open seats. That's really remarkable for an organization of more than 150 members, many of whom I know have strong opinions about the role and character of OWAC.

Spring 2008 Conference Registration
Registration packets for the Spring 2008 Conference in Tuolumne County should arrive via U.S. Mail by about April 22. If you haven't received your packet by Mon., April 28, contact me. The deadline for registration will be Wed., May 7.
            The conference is scheduled for June 8-10 in Sonora. Sunday activities will be held at the Best Western Sonora Oaks Hotel & Conference Center, with the Sunday night Awards Banquet catered in the historic Sonora Opera Hall. Members will stay at Inns of California in Sonora. The Monday night barbecue will be at the Union Hill Inn. Monday activities include:

• Flightseeing from Columbia airport, courtesy of Springfield Flying Service
• Touring Sonora's historic underground passageways, courtesy of the City of Sonora
• Touring Railtown 1897 State Historic Park, courtesy of Railtown 1897 and Volunteer Docents
• Gold panning and sluicing, courtesy of California Gold and 49er Mining Supplies
• Trap shooting, courtesy of Mother Lode Gun Club and B-Bar-Y Traders
• Touring Moccasin Fish Hatchery, courtesy of the California Dept. of Fish and Game
• High country horseback riding, courtesy of Kennedy Meadows Resort and Pack Station
• Houseboating and powerboating on Lake Don Pedro, courtesy of Forever Resorts' Moccasion Point Marina and Lake Don Pedro Marina
• Whitewater rafting the Wild and Scenic Tuolumne River, courtesy of Sierra Mac River Trips
• Kayaking at Pinecrest Lake, courtesy of Sierra Nevada Adventure Co.
• Off-roading to sluice and dredge for gold, courtesy of 49er Mining Supplies and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
• Scenic touring the Highway 108 high country, courtesy California Dept. of Forestry and Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A.
• Agritouring Tuolumne County's farms and ranches, courtesy of Farms of Tuolumne County
• Bass Fishing at Lake Don Pedro, courtesy of Fish'n Dan's Guide Service and friends
• Trout and kokanee fishing at Lake Don Pedro, courtesy of Fish'n Dan's Guide Service and friends
• Touring Hetch Hetchy with a world-class photographer, courtesy of Y explore Yosemite Adventures

 

            The pre-conference tour (complimentary for up to eight members) includes a walking tour of Columbia State Historic Park on June 7, lodging that night at the Columbia City Hotel or the Fallon House Hotel, dinner at the City Hotel and a Sierra Repertory Theater Performance of "Hank Williams: Lost Highway" at the Fallon House Theater.
            The post-conference tour (complimentary for up to six members) includes an overnight houseboat/fishing trip on Lake Don Pedro June 10, breakfast at the Evergreen Lodge the morning of June 11, a professional photo tour with Y explore, lunch at the famous Ahwahnee Hotel in Yosemite, a tour of the valley with the Yosemite Association, wine tasting at Big Creek Meadow Ranch, lodgings in Groveland, dinner at the Groveland Hotel and an "apertif" at the Iron Door Saloon the night of the 11th, and breakfast on the morning of 12th.
            For a complete list of conference sponsors, click here. Our hosts put even more energy and money put into these things than you probably think, so please take a few moments to learn about the specific people and businesses that make them possible.

Directory
The next revision of the Member Directory should be completed and emailed as a print-ready PDF by mid-May.

Fall 2008 Conference
The fall conference will be hosted Sunday, Oct. 12 through Tuesday, Oct. 14 in Santa Barbara, "The American Riviera," by the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau (www.santabarbaraca.com). Tentative activities include fly fishing in the surf, ocean fishing on the Stardust, a Channel Islands cruise aboard the Condor Express, Lake Cachuma trout fishing, Solvang wine-tasting, a nature hike in Los Padres National Forest, and bass fishing at an exclusive "pay-to-play" guest ranch. Monday night's barbecue will be at the Santa Barbara Carriage and Western Museum.

—Zack Thomas, owac.director@gmail.com, (775) 562-4585

"One our native freshwater fish, the Tench is a popular target for what we call 'coarse' fisherman (i.e. those that target non-salmonid species). It is also called the Doctor fish as it is believed its slime has medicinal qualities (they certainly have lots of it!) and other fish rub against it when injured to help heal themselves." Photo by Paul Sharman.

•           OWAC welcomes new member Carina Port, editor of the bi-monthly magazine California Waterfowl, published by the California Waterfowl Association. Port was formerly Education Coordinator at CWA. Her work phone is (916) 648-1406; her email is carina_port@calwaterfowl.org. Port was sponsored by former CW editor Katina Oliphant and Carol Lerner, Heritage Projects Coordinator at CWA.

•           OWAC also welcomes as a new member Pat Young of Oakley. Young, who was a member of OWAC several years ago, is Associate Editor for the Northern Foothills Region at Western Outdoor News and also involved in WON BASS. His work phone is (925) 625-3129; his email in mantonman1@yahoo.com. Young was sponsored by Carrie Wilson.

•           OWAC's third new member this month is Bob Semerau of Rancho Santa Margarita, a freelancer and Field Reporter for Western Outdoor News. Semerau's work phone is (949) 466-3073; his email is visualbob@cox.net. He was sponsored by Gary Graham.

•           Tom Stienstra's piece about California's best outdoors towns, based in part on a poll of OWAC members, appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle April 13. Bishop was ranked first, Mammoth Lakes second, Redding third, San Diego fourth and Quincy,in Plumas County, fifth. Stienstra incorporated quotes from Bill Karr, Kathie Morgan and Don Vachini. This single little piece was simultaneously a big boost to OWAC as a whole and to several of its longtime Supporting Members.
            Tawny Thomson, Executive Director of the Bishop Area Chamber of Commerce and Visitors Bureau, which hosted OWAC's Spring 2007 and Fall 2000 conferences, said "Speaking on behalf of our chamber members, board and staff, we are incredibly happy and honored! (We also agree wholeheartedly with your choice!)
            "We who are fortunate enough to live here realize that we've got it good. We also realize what great friends we have in OWAC! Thanks for your continuing support of outdoor recreation in the Eastern Sierra!"
            To read the full text of Tom's story, click here.

•           Diana Lindsay recently won Best in Show and 1st place in the "Landscape" category at the Second Annual Anza-Borrego Photo Contest. Lindsay also picked up Honorable Mentions in the "People Enjoying the Desert" and "Animals in the Desert" categories. There were about 350 total entries. Lindsay's winning photos appear below.

Font's Wash. Best in Show and 1st place in "Landscape." Photo by Diana Lindsay.

Bighorns in Borrego Palm Canyon. Honorable Mention in "People Enjoying the Desert." Photo by Diana Lindsay.

Bighorns in Borrego Palm Canyon. Honorable Mention in "Animals in the Desert." Photo by Diana Lindsay

Supporting Member Notes

•           OWAC welcomes as a new Supporting Member Forever Resorts, based in Scottsdale, AZ. Forever Resorts owns and operates destinations across the U.S. including lodging in national and state parks, recreation areas, river rafting excursions in Wyoming and Nevada and luxury houseboat rentals in California, Arizona, Nevada, Texas and Missouri.
            In California, Forever Resorts has several destinations including Trinity Lake Resorts & Marina in the Shasta-Trinity National Forest; Lime Saddle at Lake Oroville State Park; Pleasure Cove Marina at Lake Berryessa; Moccasin Point and Don Pedro Marina at Don Pedro Recreation Area and the City Hotel & Fallon Hotel in Columbia State Historic Park.
            Forever Resorts is providing houseboats and smaller powerboats for the upcoming Spring Conference, as well as lodging and meals at Columbia State Historic Park during the pre-conference trip.
            OWAC's primary contact is Vice President for PR and Special Events Darla Cook, at (480) 998-7199 or dcook@foreverresorts.com. Visit www.foreverresorts.com for more information.

•           Team effort keeps Cachuma Lake open for boaters and fishermen (release from United Anglers of Southern California). click here

•           Califoria Waterfowl Association announces spring and summer fundraising events. click here

•           Top picks for summer getaways to Monterey County include kayak surfing in Monterey Bay, rock climbing at Pinnacles National Monument, mountain biking at Fort Ord and much more. click here

•           United Anglers of Southern California's 17th Annual Fundraising Dinner set for May 18 in Balboa; Bart Hall to be honored with Bill Ray Conservation Award. click here

•           Spring activities in Plumas County highlighted by fishing derbies, celebrations; Visitors Bureau website includes updated wildflower and waterfall reports. click here

•           Troutstock 2008 "isn't just about a derby," say organizers. "It's about educating the new generation of anglers and introducing families to the joys of fishing in the Eastern Sierra." (Release from Mammoth Lakes Tourism.) click here

•           Yosemite Association to offer two unique, multi-day, backpack-in photography courses in the park May 16-18 and June 16-18, both taught by Sierra veteran John Senser. click here

•           13th Annual Mammoth Festival of Beers and Bluesapalooza, Aug. 1-2, to showcase a tasty variety of brews and blues in an idyllic mountain setting (release from Mammoth Lakes Tourism). click here

•           Livin' La Vida Locavore in Santa Barbara: Demystify the locavore lifestyle and learn how to eat “green” while tasting your way through the American Riviera (release from Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau, hosts of the Fall 2008 conference). click here

"One of the treats of being back in England and working for a fly-fishing website is being able to fish the famous River Test this past year a few times. This is a carrier stream that diverts some of the flow across the water meadows that this whole area is famous for." Photo by Paul Sharman.

Committee Update

Tear sheets: Ken Jones — Send in a tear sheet, and you're automatically entered in a drawing for a free conference. Address is 1701 Lakeshore Dr., Lodi, CA 95242. Deadline for tear sheets related to 2007 conferences (Bishop and Calaveras) is extended to May 15. The winner will be drawn at the Spring 2008 conference. The free conference voucher is non-transferable and good for either the Fall 2008 or Spring 2009 conference.

Awards: Bill Becher — I'm getting contest results back from judges. One, the editor of a southern fishing magazine, wrote, "I enjoyed reading all the stories from the OWAC
writers. You have some strong talent in your organization." —Bill Becher

Publicity: Bill Becher — Bill is working to assemble a list of publications that should receive general-interest OWAC press releases about Outdoor Outreach recipients, Californian of the Year honorees, etc. Please send your suggestions to bb@becher.com

Outdoor Outreach: Ken Jones — Grant applications can be downloaded from the OWAC website at www.owac.org/president/outreach.htm. If you know of a deserving organization, please suggest that they apply or let Ken know about them

Californian of the Year: Craig Hanson — Now is the time to give nominations for Californian of the Year some serious thought. In the past couple of years, OWAC members have raised the bar with well-deserving candidates and spirited competition.
            We are looking for that person who exemplifies the spirit of the outdoors through contributions above and beyond the call of duty. The nominee’s qualifications may be for a lifetime of work, or a recent accomplishment.
            Past recipients of the Californian of the Year award have been truly honored by the presentation. We should continue this tradition with a stellar contingent of candidates.
            This is something worth getting behind…It doesn’t have to be a dissertation of one’s life, just solid reasons why this person should be awarded OWAC’s top honor as Californian of the Year. The presentation is scheduled to take place at the fall conference in Santa Barbara. Deadline for candidate nominations is July 1, 2008.
            Email me with questions and nominations at sfangler@mindspring.com. —Craig Hanson

Newsmaker: Bill Ryan and Craig Hanson — We’ve got ourselves one heck of a topical newsmaker coming to our Spring Conference. A consortium of major fishing, hunting and outdoor groups will release a study on the impact of climate change on outdoor recreation in April. We will get a firsthand explanation of the results delivered by either former U.S. Fish and Wildlife director Steve Williams, or former South Dakota Fish and Wildlife director John Cooper. Support material and one-on-one interviews will be available after the presentation. Visit www.seasonsend.com to learn more about the report. —Craig Hanson

Craft Improvement: Bill Ryan and Craig Hanson — I'm pleased to announce that Justin Coupe of Skinny Fist Productions, LLC, has just agreed to be one of our featured Craft Improvement speakers at our Spring Conference. Skinny Fist is an independent video and web producer in Sacramento. After 18 months of research, development and filming, they are close to wrapping up their feature-length film, Rivers of the Lost Coast. We will see segments of the film that tells a living history story of the old days of steelhead fishing on North Coastal rivers and the men and women who made it happen.
         For the other Craft Improvement session, Rick E. Martin will give away some trade secrets to Photoshop-ing his award-winning photos. —Bill Ryan

Bylaws: Kathie Morgan — The revised bylaws will be ready for review and emailed to members in mid-May. Members may vote to accept of decline the revisions.

"This fine old cane rod accounted for this fish and was part of a new countryside TV show my website is involved with. You can watch the show, which was filmed at the old Orvis UK headquarters in southern England, at my website: http://www.fishandfly.com/articles/20071208/" Photo by Paul Sharman.

•           Partnerships for Sustainable Oceans announces support for conservation-based proposal to protect California's coastline; Blue Ribbon Task Force to vote April 22-23 on alternative proposals for North Central Phase of MLPA process . click here