Membership cards for those not attending the Bishop conference 2007 were mailed April 5. For those of you attending the conference, I'll bring them and hand them out there. If you paid your 2007 dues and aren't coming to the conference, but haven't received a card, let me know.

Also, I'm about done with the new online Supporting Member Directory. Once it's posted, I'll embark on an overhaul of our private and public Member Directories. Please watch for a questionnaire to arrive via email. I realize many of you have already updated your entries in the interactive directory, but I promise the one I'm putting together will be a substantial improvement and worth the five or ten minutes it will take you to fill in the blanks.

Finally, my plea for submissions in the last issue has been roundly ignored. Don't make me start calling names ...

• OWAC welcomes new member Wynne Benti of Bishop. Ms. Benti is Publisher/CEO of Spotted Dog Press, author of Favorite Dog Hikes In and Around Los Angeles, co-author of Favorite Dog Hikes In and Around Las Vegas (with Megan Lawlor) and Climbing Mount Whitney (with Peter Croft), and editor of the forthcoming Woman on the Rocks: The Mountaineering Letters of Ruth Dyar Mendenhall as well as several other titles. Benti is also an accomplished designer who has served as Senior Art Director at FOX Broadcasting Company, Art Director at NBC, and Art Director for Lost Arrow Corporation, designing Patagonia's catalogs. She's a member of OWAA, the Publishers Marketing Association, and the American Alpine Club, and a Chair Emeritus of Friends of the Eastern California Museum.

• Check out the interview with Tom Leech in the March 31 issue of the online publication Voice of San Diego. click here

• Carol Martens has a lot to be proud of these days. Her son, California bass ace Aaron Martens, notched a fourth BASS victory March 25, winning the Bassmaster Elite Series "Duel on the Delta presented by Mahindra Tractors" with 85 pounds, 12 ounces. Carol took home a check from the tournament, too. The same week, Aaron's wife, Lesley, had the couple's second child, a boy named Spencer. click here

Supporting Member Notes

• OWAC welcomes new Supporting Member Seven Crown Resorts. Seven Crown Resorts is the largest houseboat vacation rental company in the US., with locations at Lake Shasta, the Sacramento Delta, Lake Mead and Lake Mohave. Seven Crown also offers shoreside lodging, RV sites, small boat rentals, slips and dry storage. OWAC's primary contact is Karen Lippe-Ferrell at klippe@sevencrown.com or (949) 588-7100. Visit www.sevencrown.com for more.

• OWAC also welcomes Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. TMS manufactures, markets and distributes cars and trucks in the U.S. TMS has 10 manufacturing plants and 1,350 dealers nationwide selling Toyota, Scion and Lexus vehicles. The full-size Tundra pickup truck was introduced in Spring of 2007. OWAC's primary contact is Michael Dobrin of Michael Dobrin Public Relations at mdobrin@mdpr.com or (510) 865-8005. Toyota trucks and 4WD vehicles can be made available to OWAC members with appropriate assignments. Visit www.toyota.com for more.

• Baja on the Fly also joins us this month as a new Supporting Member. Operated by OWAC's own Gary and Yvonne Graham, Baja on the Fly has provided literally thousands of guests quality saltwater fly-fishing 365 days a year in Baja, Zihuatanejo and Guatemala since 1991. With FFF-certified, English-speaking guides, Baja on the Fly is your best bet for marlin, sailfish, dorado, roosterfish, tuna, snook and jacks on a fly. Baja on the Fly's growing destination list now includes Cabo San Lucas, East Cape, La Paz, Magdalena Bay (both offshore and in the mangroves) and Loreto. OWAC's primary contacts are Gary and Yvonne at (800) 919-2252 or bajafly@bajafly.com. Baja on the Fly offers special consideration for writers with assignments below the border. Visit http://www.bajafly.com for more

• Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A. to be premier sponsor of 2008 wildlife refuge photo contest. click here

• Wedgetail (Stanley Jigs) joins forces with master lure designer Jerry Rago and Castaic Soft Bait, Inc. click here

• Custom-made logo lures from MacDaddy's Fishing Lures make unique, effective promotional items. click here

• Tackle Tech offers Passion Pink model of innovative Readi-Lure tackle box just in time for Mother's Day. click here

 March 2007 Committee Update

Californian of the Year: Craig Hanson — The deadline for Californian of the Year nominations is coming up on June 1. The Californian of the Year should be a person you feel exemplifies the spirit of the outdoors through contributions above and beyond the call of duty. Email Craig with nominations or questions.

Raffle: Carol Martens — Carol is still accepting donations. Bring the items you'd like to donate with you to Bishop, but please tell Carol about them ahead of time so she can be better organized at the conference