Annual Meetings
Almost Final Speaker Lineup for 2024 WOCA workshop
A message from WOCA President Pat Durkin:
Greetings WOCA members!
We’re less than three months from our annual summer conference at Trees for Tomorrow (Aug. 2-3), and I’m hoping you’re planning to attend. We’ve lined up a strong slate of speakers on a good range of topics, starting with a visit Friday night from Bill Smith, chair of the Natural Resources Board. It’s been a long time since we’ve had an NRB member join us, so I’m looking forward to Bill’s talk, and I’m sure we’ll have plenty of questions for him.
On Saturday morning, we’ll also hear from Dan Storm, the DNR’s lead deer researcher, who will discuss the agency’s comprehensive study on southwestern Wisconsin deer, predators and disease. The 7-year-old project is still providing data, but is now wrapping up. Storm will share the most up-to-date info, and his thoughts on the study’s findings.
I also decided to build our schedule around the work of several WOCA members who published/produced everything from books to movies the past couple of years. I realize I haven’t put a spotlight on the broad range of talent and production capabilities of our members, and will try to make up for it during this year’s conference.
Meanwhile, Tom Luba and I will soon start soliciting door prizes and auction items for the annual WOCA scholarship fundraiser. Let us know if you have any hot leads. Also, if you have any hunting, fishing, camping or other outdoor gear you’d like to donate to the auction, just let me know. We’d be happy to put it up for the silent auction. Just remember this isn’t a junk sale. If your choice is the garbage can or WOCA, please send it off to the landfill.
As we might have mentioned in a previous newsletter, we’ve lost our sponsor for the Friday night cookout. That means our “free” lunch is over. Accordingly, Laurel will add $20 to the price of each conference registration (unless you won’t arrive before Saturday morning), and $20 from any guests who’d like to join us for the cookout. I think that’s a fair price, given that the cookout has cost about $500 in recent years.
As always, let me or Laurel know if you have any questions, and we’ll do our best to answer you quickly.
— Pat
The Wisconsin Outdoor Communicators Annual Workshop is one of the best deals going to get up to speed on outdoor recreational trends and issues. Speakers include newsmakers like the Department of Natural Resources Secretary or state and federal wildlife disease experts. Recent topics include CWD spread, wake boarding, the status of Northwoods walleyes, Stewardship and securing a recreational easement on the Pelican River forest. Chat with and ask questions of speakers. Set up interviews. Share with colleagues at our waterfront Friday evening cookout and social. Pick up state of the art recreational equipment at our silent auction to fund the WOCA/OHEC scholarship. And, if you are game, you can bunk at Trees cabins, private and double rooms available.
The 2024 Agenda will be posted as soon as its available and registration will be open at that time.