Fort Boise WMA NWTF Hats off to the Idaho State Chapter's Wheelin' Sportsmen committee for their duck season opener at the Fort Boise Wildlife Management Area in early October. Located in the marshes and ponds near Snake River in southwestern Idaho, the WMA is wheelchair friendly with a well-concealed blind within easy access of the road. The ducks were plentiful and provided numerous shooting opportunities for the seven Wheelin' Sportsmen members who attended the hunt. The hunt is one of many Wheelin' events the Idaho Chapter hosts each year. — photos and event information submitted by Glen Goff

Wheelin Fishing Event

The Wheelin' Sportsmen Bream Buster Challenge in Lufkin, Texas, celebrated it's 10th anniversary in August. The annual fishing event is co-hosted by the USDA Forest Service and the Pineywoods Local Chapter and gives residents of the Lufkin State Supported Living Center, who range in age from 10 to 40, a chance to get outside and experience something new. Participants were treated to a day of bream fishing, a reptile exhibit and appearances by Smokey Bear and Woodsy Owl.

Illana Burkhart
Wheelin' Sportsmen Coordinator

Check out the new Outreach Event Manual at www.wheelinsportsmen.org.
Click on the Events link.

Good idea

The NWTF convention is rapidly approaching. I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting new folks who share a passion for helping people with disabilities. One of my favorite parts is the Outreach Coordinator's Meeting, where chapter leaders share tips for successful events.

I'm impressed with the our volunteers' creativity when it comes to planning Wheelin' Sportsmen events and their efforts to improve events each year. A great example is the Elmore County (Ala.) Catfish Roundup, co-hosted by the Alabama Power Service Organization. Each year, the chapter, led by volunteer event coordinator Jenifer Glover, and APSO find inventive ways to grow the event. Here are some of their secrets to success:

More volunteers — They have more than 100 volunteers from the APSO, local Boy Scout troops, Alabama Department of Fisheries, fishing clubs, board of education employees and youth groups. Young people make great volunteers.
Streamline registration — With help from computer-savvy volunteer Jim Wolfe, the chapter set up an event website with schedules and directions. Participants could register online, which made it easier to keep track of the almost 200 participants and dozens of volunteers. They also used mail-in pre-registration forms and onsite registration.

Make it fun — Anglers for Kids brought their tournament trailer, and with the help of Prattsville Junior Bass Anglers, weighed participants' fish weighed and announced the stats like they were all winners of a high-stakes fishing tournament.
Make it memorable — Event sponsors paid for a small trophy and an event T-shirt for each participant. Volunteers cleaned and filleted fish as participants caught them, then divided the more than 350 pounds of fish into Ziploc bags for each participant could take home some of the day's bounty.

Plan for downtime — They set up craft tables inside the lodge, so participants could take a break from the heat.
Jenifer and the Elmore County Chapter are planning ways to improve their event next year. I want to hear your ideas, too. Send me an e-mail (iburkhart@nwtf.net), or come to the coordinator meeting at convention and share with the group. It's not too late to register. Find information at www.nwtf.org/special_events. — Illana