Believe it or not, you should have a registration packet in your mailbox by late this week or early next week for the Fall Conference in Calaveras. Anna Davies and Lisa Reynolds, who are coordinating things from the Calaveras end, say materials will be in the mail on July 17 or 18.

 

There will be a little more emphasis on craft improvement than at previous conferences, with two fifty-minute sessions and a choice of two topics in each session. In other words, there will be four individual sessions, of which each member can choose two. They should be relatively small, seminar-style discussions. Alternative activities for guests and spouses will be offered at the same time.

 

That's certainly not to say that the conference shouldn't be a lot of fun too. Monday activities include horseback riding, kayaking, mountain biking, scenic touring, caving, golf and of course fly and conventional fishing. Sunday activities will take place at Ironstone Vineyards, as will Sunday dinner, preceded by a tour with food and wine pairing.

 

Calaveras is also offering several exciting pre- and post-conference activities, all of which are complementary. Among them are competitive (not really) grape stomping on Saturday at the Gold Rush Street Faire and Grape Stomp, golf and lunch on Tuesday at the Greenhorn Creek Resort and an outdoor concert Friday night featuring George Thorogood and Bryan Adams.

 

Then there's the Camanche Cast 'n' Blast, a two-day extravaganza of shooting clays, fishing and duck and pheasant hunting, all hosted by the California Parks Companies. This outing was announced in the May OWAC News, and coordinator John Poimiroo recently said that only seven of the 15 reserved rooms remain. RV camping is available too. Email John at john@poimiroo.comif you're interested

• OWAC welcomes new member Cal Kellogg of Auburn. Kellogg is Associate Editor at The Fish Sniffer and has also published numerous stories in California Game & Fish and Washington-Oregon Game & Fish magazines. A regular on OWAC member Sep Hendrickson's radio show, Kellogg also has some television work to his credit. Click here for a large selection of his Fish Sniffer stories. Kellogg's work phone is (530) 320-0368; his email is calkellogg@fishsniffer.com.

• OWAC also welcomes as a new member Carrie Duncan, editor of the biweekly Gringo Gazette, "Baja's English Language Newspaper." Duncan, who is based in La Quinta in the Palm Springs area, also contributes numerous stories to each issue of the Gazette. Her work number is (562) 714-6735; her email is carrie@gringogazette.com.

• Anne Austin, a freelance writer based in Clearlake Oaks in Lake County, is our third new member this month. A contributor to the "Fun & Travel" insert of the Lake County Record-Bee, Austin also owns the Eleven Roses Ranch with husband James. Her work number is (707) 998-4471; her email is aaustin@pacific.net.

Supporting Member Notes

• American Sportfishing Association announces New Product Showcase Award winners from ICAST 2007; Pure Fishing wins in Fishing Accessory, Line and Soft Lure categories; MacDaddy's Fishing Lures wins in Giftware category. click here.

• Kayak bait tank from Hobie offers plug-n-play installation, custom fit click here

• Digital Camera Adapter from Alpen Optics connects digital cameras to spotting scopes. click here

• Gov. Schwarzenegger Proclaims Support for California Children's Outdoor Bill of Rights (release from Poimiroo + Partners). click here

• Tuolumne County August events include fundraising run and 11-day, 76-mile historic wagon train trip over Sonora Pass. click here

• Avid angler, sportfishing advocate and Coastside Fishing Club Science Director Dan Wolford appointed to Pacific Fishery Management Council (release from American Sportfishing Association). click here

Committee Update

Outdoor Outreach: Ken Jones — Grant applications can be downloaded from the OWAC website at www.owac.org/President/outreach.htm.

Californian of the Year: Craig Hanson — Californian of the Year ballots were mailed in early July. If you haven't received one, contact Zack Thomas. And remember that the deadline for voting is Friday, August 3. It's not too early to start thinking about who you want nominate next year, either.

Craft Improvement: Craig Hanson — After some debate and discussion we’re planning on four — count ‘em, four — craft improvement sessions in Calaveras. Two will have to do with web creation, right now being labeled Web 101 and Web 201. The other two will be coordinated by Zack Thomas and tentatively focus on photography and common mechanical/grammatical screw-ups.

• The Sportsman, a quarterly magazine published by The Sportsman Channel, seeks photos, stories. click here

• National Marine Fisheries Service denies drift gillnetters access to Pacific Leatherback Conservation Area off Northern California and Oregon (release from National Coalition for Marine Conservation). click here

• Editors, agents to speak at annual Yosemite Writers Conference Aug. 24-26. click here

• Pending IGFA approval, monster 43-lb. rainbow will break 37-year-old all-tackle record for the species. For Brett Pauly's story on the catch, click here.

• Alaska Mountain Guides and International Wilderness Leadership School offer complementary adventure trips to writers with verified assignments. click here

• CDFG offers tips on safety in bear country. click here

• Hunts scheduled for Carrizo Plains Ecological Reserve, Chimineas Unit. click here

• Greg Hurner appointed Department of Fish and Game Senior Advisor. click here

• CDFG Wraps Up 2007 Duck Breeding Population Survey. click here

• Newport Harbor Nautical Museum to host special showing of original high-end sporting art by two of America’s leading outdoor artists click here