Visit Port Arthur Texas has some great suggestions for our TOWA membership and outdoor communicators to take part in. Check out these things to do while you visit Port Arthur Texas.
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We have made every effort to maintain a healthy environment for our event, and we ask for your support. Each of us plays a role through social distancing and staying informed of the current guidelines from the government and CDC
63rd Annual Conference
"BE THE NARRATIVE"
Hosted by:.
Join us for the Texas Outdoor Writers Association Annual Conference original signature event
FEBRURARY 27th-28th 2021 in Port Arthur, Texas.
Pre-Event activities starting February 25th and Welcome Reception in the evening of the 26th
7660 Memorial Blvd, Port Arthur, TX 77642
This Year's Speaker Lineup
Women in the Outdoor Industry & How to Get YOUR Narrative Heard!
Speaker: Brooklee, Marketing Manager of Female Initiatives at Silencer Co.
How I started out in the industry.
What I did to prove myself.
How I worked my way up.
What to keep in mind moving forward, how to get your voice heard, and how to be the narrative for women in the industry.
What to keep in mind moving forward, how to get your voice heard, and how to be the narrative for women in the industry.
The 2nd Amendment & How Changes Can Affect You
Speaker: Harold Carter, 2nd Vice President of the Texas State Rifle Association
How should you communicate about hunting? This lecture is your one-stop shop to cover shooting, hunting and gun rights all in one hour!
Reality, Renewal & Redfish
Speaker: Chester Moore, Higher Calling Wildlife
How now more than ever we can be the narrative through a renewed commitment to the outdoors and outdoors journalism.
Chester has been a TOWA member since he won the scholarship in 1994, is Editor-In-Chief of Texas Fish & Game, and is founder of the Higher Calling Wildlife and The Wildlife Journalist media platforms.
Let’s Talk about Biology
Speaker: Macy Ledbetter, Leading Wildlife Biologist of Texas, Owner & CEO of Spring Creek Outdoors
As a wildlife biologist, avid outdoorsman, naturalist, and fifth generation landowner, Macy completely understands land and wildlife management and pride of ownership. He practices what he preaches and can relate to the challenges of modern-day management challenges.
Paddle. Fish. Heal. more than a tag line
Speaker: Joe Winston, Director of Operations at Heroes on the Waters
Our Pre-Conference Speaker will wrap up our day of competition with an inspirational message discussing how his organization promotes wellness in the outdoors through Kayak fishing. They’re actively being a part of the solution—come and join them!
So, You Want to Publish Your Own Book?
Speaker: Sam Caldwell, Author
You have a magnificent manuscript that demands publication... Options: 1) Find an agent, publisher and marketing expert ,or 2) Do it yourself, using Amazon's KINDLE. The speaker has tried both avenues. Standard publishing vs Amazon Kindle. The pitfalls, learning curves, and financial possibilities.
AGENDA
Friday, February 26th
3:00PM - Pre Conference Fishing Tournament Awards
5:00PM - Speaker: Joe Winston - "Paddle. Fish. Heal. more than a tag line"
7:00pm - Welcome Reception
Saturday, February 27th
8:00am - Breakfast in Main Room
9:00am - Speaker: Brooklee Grant - “Women in the Outdoor Industry & How to Get YOUR Narrative Heard!”
10:00am - Speaker: Harold Carter - "How to Communicate about Hunting"
11:00am - Speaker: Macy Ledbetter - “Let’s Talk about Biology”
12:00-1:30pm Lunch
1:30-3:00pm - Ride & Drive, Sponsor Booths
4:30pm - Shuttles to Gulf Coast Museum start at the hotel lobby
5:00pm - Cocktail Hour
6:00pm - Banquet @ Gulf Coast Museum: Event in Honor of Ed Holder - Speaker: Chester Moore, The Wildlife Journalist
7:00pm - EIC Winners Announced
7:30pm - Auction
Sunday, February 28th
9:00am - Prayer Breakfast
10:00am - Speaker: Michael Bennett
10:30am - Speaker: Jenn Nolan
11:00am - Speaker: Sam Caldwell, “So, You Want to Publish a Book”
12:00pm - Lunch & Member meeting
Things to Do In Port Arthur
Content Ideas for Port Arthur
Need a story? We have you covered. Check out these leads courtesy of Chester Moore
Sabine State Records
The Sabine Lake area is known for big fish it holds the state record for flounder and redfish. A story about the history and current status of those fisheries can be conducted by talking with local guides like Eddie Hernandez and Texas Parks & Wildlife Department coastal fisheries officials.
Virgin Oyster
The oyster reef at Mesquite Point on Sabine Lake is the largest virgin (never harvested) oyster reef in North America. It is used for research on how oysters impact sport fisheries like those for speckled trout and redfish. Since oysters are a hot item in terms of regulations and conservation focus, this is a great takeaway story.
Mottled Duck Marshes
The mottled duck unlike most waterfowl hunted in Texas is a resident of the coastal areas. Officials with the J.D. Murphree Wildlife Management Area and Anahuac National Wildlife Refuge have conducted interesting research on issues facing this duck that has seen some declines in recent years.
Shark Nursery
Sabine Lake is a nursery for bull sharks. These large predators cane live in totally freshwater and come in to have their babies on the upper end of Sabine Lake, often near the mouth of the Neches River. Texas Parks & Wildlife Department coastal fisheries officials can aid in getting info on sharks caught in their gill net surveys, etc.
Surf Santa
A great Christmas time story is that Marcus Heflin of Christian Surf Fishing Adventures hosts free fishing clinics through Sea Rim State Park. He also plays Santa for kids throughout the area, specializing in underprivileged children. It's a powerful human interest story.
Marsh Bassin'
The Bassmaster Elite Series has visited the Sabine area out of Orange several times since 2013. The biggest stringers come out of a marshy area called Taylor's Bayou in the Port Arthur area. Contacts would include local tackle shops.
Coastal Gar
Alligator garfish have become a popular catch-and-release fishery due to Jeremy Wade of "River Monsters" fame featuring them on his program. The Sabine area hosts a large gar population and angler Frank Moore is an expert in the field of catching them in the bay and rivers.
Skinny Water Reds
The Keith Lake system and Bessie Heights Marsh offer as good a shot at sight-casting to reds as anywhere on the coast but they get little play in media. Pluggers and flycasters can score on big reds in super shallow water here.
Coastal Wardens
Being a game warden is a challenge. Being a game warden that works the Gulf Coast is another level of challenging. A great story would be what coastal wardens who work the nearshore Gulf have to go through and what issues they come across in the wilds of the Upper Coast with rough seas, game law violators and commercial and recreational fishing interests to monitor.
Alligator Alley
The Port-Arthur and Sabine Lakes area marshes hold more alligators than any other location on the Gulf Coast. The return of gator's to huntable numbers after being on the endangered species list is a conservation marvel. Gators also pose special issues for game wardens as well as the biologists who monitor their populations.
Keep checking back for updates as we add ...
- Pre and Post-event activities
- Win $100 for your article about Port Arthur
- Auction updates and EIC Banquet info
Register
- Registration for the 2021 Conference is 1 flat fee for all conference attendees
- You must have a current up to date membership to qualify for attendance at the TOWA Annual Conference
- Payment is done via PayPal however you do not need a PayPal account to checkout. Use the "Pay with Debit or Credit Card" button after clicking the "Pay Now" button.
- You may purchase tickets for & sponsor another member/attendee. Please provide a note of the first and last name of the member.
- Don't forget to book your hotel!
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