Hi Friends! I am energetically stepping up my activities to promote diversity in the great outdoors. There are several important connections that I have made just since retiring from the City of Portland on December 1, 2001.
First, I have accepted an invitation to present a workshop at the International Hunter Education Association’s 40th Annual Conference on June 2nd in Kansas City, Mo. It will be my first opportunity to talk with hunter education managers and staff from throughout the country and around the world about hunter education opportunities for people of color in general, and African Americans specifically. The specifics of the conference, my workshop and profile are on the IHEA website at http://www.ihea.com/_assets/documents/2012ConferenceSpeakersProfile.pdf .
I have also been contacted, spoken with the director of research for the National Shooting Sports Foundation. NSSF is seeking help to survey hunters and African American Hunting Clubs around the country. The research director and I will meet at the aforementioned conference.
I have added a page for African American Hunting on Facebook with lots of pictures. We also created AAHUNTTV on Youtube. We combined several existing videos and new videos. If you take a look at the latest by clicking on the link below you will see how we are reaching our audience with positive information about hunting in Oregon. This video is on the Emergency Hunt Program and features an interview with an ODFW wildlife biologist from the Springfield Office.
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The Environmental Protection Agency’s Civic Engagement Office has also contacted me. They have an interest in connecting African American community groups interested in conservation and other related outdoor recreation issues. The also wanted to make connections to their Black History Month activities.
I guess I am going to be a very busy retiree. Also during this first 3 months I co-produced and performed as emcee for the broadcast of our 27th annual tribute to Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., conducted management training as a guest lecturer for the City of Portland and I am coordinating the Fifth Annual Youth Day at the City on this coming Thursday.
We are planning to take 6 to 8 youths on a fishing trip to central Oregon on Memorial Day weekend in May. I am looking for sponsorship of equipment for fishing and camping. I will generate a more formal appeal soon. If you have any leads for sponsorship, pleaselet me know at you earliest convenience.
i’m glad to have stumbled across this page. i believe that you would triple your exposure if you can link this to facebook.
You are right and we are going to do it soon!
I like your plans for “retirement”!