Questions:
What are outdoor writing organizations good for?
What will they do for me?
Answer:
They should rake all outdoor stakeholders, both public and private, into a pile to discuss the messaging presented to sportsmen and the public. That function provides members with the ideas and networking needed to sell articles and outdoor products. The words preservation and conservation infer plans for the future. Also, they insinuate journalistic honesty. Without those words the outdoor industry and those folks that appreciate our heritage dwindle into a pale subculture.
No singular agency, organization, corporation, committee, group, think tank, or person owns a monopoly on messaging the ideas for managing natural resources, or educating the public and influencing its perceptions.
The Texas Outdoor Writers Association (TOWA) accesses state agencies such as Texas Parks and Wildlife, the General Land Office, the Texas Department of Agriculture, the Rail Road Commission, and the Texas Commission of Environmental Quality. It coordinates programs and exchanges information with the National Shooting Sports Foundation, the Coastal Conservation Association, the Dallas Safari Club, the Texas Wildlife Association, the Texas Brigades, the Texas 4-H, and other federal and regional conservation groups. TOWA’s membership includes publications such as The Texas Outdoor Journal, Hook and Barrel magazine, Texas Fish and Game magazine, and Texas Parks and Wildlife. Its active members include writers, bloggers, photographers, illustrators, television broadcasters, radio hosts, podcasters, etc. TOWA strives to engage young people interested in outdoor journalism careers through collegiate scholarships and its TOWA Youth Excellence In Craft Awards. The group also annually recognizes the outstanding contributions made by its members with the TOWA (adult) Excellence in Craft Awards.
Until 2004, professional outdoor communicators enjoyed sharing perspectives and ideals on a national scale. They gathered in massive conferences with politicians, bureaucrats, academics, manufacturers, hunters, fishermen, competitive shooters, and anyone with a stake in the game. Unfortunately, political ideologues torpedoed the illustrious assemblages during the time that the communications industry stumbled into the 21st century internet era. With that loss communicators became polarized on issues, journalistic accuracy suffered, and a grand level of faith in human integrity was lost.
In the void of raising outdoor writing and photography as an art – sales and marketing shifted from its close second position to the forefront. This change was compounded by the advent of cyberspace and the explosion of niches suddenly made available. A new generation of scribes and manufacturers existed solely focused on their personal bottom-line. They were scattered with only marginal kinship amongst them.
The good news is that blatant commercialism wears thin. Pay to play marketing schemes are plainly seen as corrupt to consumers, and manufacturers recognize the value of quality media material. Another redeeming note is struck by those folks staying true to youth outreach.
TOWA endeavors to sustain an empirical degree of journalistic integrity with the knowledge of history, legislative acts, game laws, technology developments, who-is-who, and the general wherewithal of “How Texas Works”. TOWA respects personal liberties, private property rights, and the benefits of state parks and refuges. It is imperative for journalists to listen to all issues, weigh them on the scales of reality, to report without bias, and have due regard for personal preferences while favoring the outdoors.
Wildlife conservation practices in North America began taking shape over a century ago, driven by early conservationists such as Teddy Roosevelt. These practices were formalized and widely implemented when the Pittman–Robertson Act of 1937 established dedicated funding for state wildlife management programs, turning conservation principles, practices, and laws into an operational reality. Decades later, scholars distilled these laws, traditions, and management practices into the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, a framework of seven guiding principles. TOWA recognizes the importance of this model as a fundamental guideline for understanding North America’s unique approach to wildlife conservation.
— TOWA Board Chairman, Herman W. Brune