Newsletter

Summer has flown by and we are deep in autumn activities. Most of us are involved in hunter safety classes, youth hunts, and similar things while trying to find time to hunt and fish ourselves.

Thank you again for your support in the past year. Our raffle netted over $800 thanks to all your efforts. Also a big thanks goes to our donors including Muskie Joe Netti, Chuck Booker, Dan Tickner Canoe Outfitters, CNY Gunworks, and Quaker Boy.

Remember that we are offering a limited edition framed print of wild turkeys by well known artist David Maas as a fund raiser to repay the expenses of renovating our new museum. Only 100 tickets @$20 will be sold and the winner will be drawn when all tickets are sold. Contact Scott Faulkner (315-829-3588) for tickets.

Our museum looks good thanks to Bob Monacchio, Ron Kolodziej, and Ed Noonan. We are currently waiting for displays on trout restoration, trapping, and trout in the classroom as well as DVDs on hunter safety, trapping education, and other programs that our members are involved in. Please contact Ron Kolodziej (518-829-7711) if you have donations or questions about the museum.

At the September meeting much of the business involved housekeeping chores such as approving bills for payment, committee reports, and programs for the coming year. One of our new programs was helping sponsor a youth goose hunt, organized by the Oneida County Federation of Sportsmens Clubs and ECOs mentoring and taking the youngsters hunting. This was a very successful outing in terms of education, success, and enthusiasm.

One major item was the report of the by-laws committee which recommended a few key changes to reflect the new reality of our membership and Board of Directors being spread across the state. Since we have truly become a statewide organization it is not practical to expect most people to attend the meetings in Central New York. Changes in the by-laws would reduce the number of meetings and have more of the decisions made by the Board of Directors, including many by e-mail. Updates will be posted regularly on our web site as well as in the newsletter.

Another change will change the election of officers and Directors from December to October since we frequently have to deal with lake effect snow storms in December. The terms of new officers will still begin in January. Note that for this year, the elections will still be held in December 2011.

Please check the web site for the proposed changes with items to be added in red, and language to be deleted underlined. At the next two regular meetings in October and November we will be voting on these by-laws. For those who do not have access to the web site and want to see the specific changes, please contact me and I will mail a paper copy to you.

It is not too early to start the nomination process for new members to the NYS OHOF. Forms may be downloaded from the web site www.nysohof.org. You can also obtain them from the museum or contact me and I will mail them to you. Please send complete nomination packets to Leo Maloney, 321 Robertson Road, Sherrill, NY 13461 by January 30, 2012. Remember that a successful nomination usually calls for a detailed list of accomplishments with several letters of support. This takes time so start now. The annual banquet will be the last Saturday of April in 2012.

Remember that our web site is www.nysohof.org. Our web master Bob Fields does an excellent job but we need your help. Send us items of news of our membership, as well as pictures of our members in action. Remember that we need photos – especially a group shot – of the inductees of the class of 2011 from our banquet last April.

For the rest of the autumn our meetings will be held October 20, November 24, and December 15 at the Whitestown Vets Club at 7 pm.

With your help and support we have entered a new era where communication has enables us to be a true statewide organization and receive the recognition that ll of you deserve. We have endured a few rocky moments in the past few years but we survived them and I believe the future looks bright. It has been an honor and a pleasure to serve this organization for the past five years. Thanks again for your support. I am confident that you will give the new officers the same support and assistance in the coming year.

New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame

Newsletter – Spring 2011

Spring has finally arrived despite some setbacks in temperature. Hopefully everyone will soon be out enjoying fishing, turkey hunting, and other outdoor activities.

Once again we have an outstanding group of inductees from all parts of New York State. The brief introduction that follows does not do justice to the many years and significant achievements of these individuals.

Will Elliott is an outdoor writer from western New York known for championing conservation, hunting and fishing issues and has served the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen in many roles as well as being on the Fisheries Advisory Board. Robert Fields of Oneida County has been a member of Trout Unlimited and has dramatically increased the number of participants and the success of the Trout In the Classroom program.

Fred Golofaro has helped secure access, increase fishing opportunities, and conservation on Long Island, and is responsible for the highly successful Send-a-Kid Fishing Program. Lin Menninger is an educator known for involving youngsters in outdoor activities, being a volunteer instructor for many different programs in Onondaga County and has been named one of “Field & Stream’s” Heroes of Conservation.

Harold Palmer of Otsego County has been active in various sportsmen’s organizations, including the New York State Conservation Council where he helped secure passage of the Youth Hunting and Trapper Mentor Bills. Ed Pugliese has been active as a volunteer coach and instructor for many organizations in Onondaga County and coordinates its highly successful pheasant program.

Derwood Say, an instructor, educator, and sportsman has been active in many organizations in Allegany County and southwestern NY, as well as co-founder of Conservation Alliance of NY. Ed Van Put of Sullivan County is well known for publicizing the Catskill fishery and is credited with securing public fishing rights, and protecting the fishery there in many ways.

They will be honored at the Annual Banquet on April 30, 2011. Guests and interested sportsmen are encouraged to attend. Information or reservations are available by calling 315-363-3896 by April 23.

We will also be presenting the special award of Outdoorsmen of the Year to the Fish Creek Atlantic Salmon Club for their efforts and success in restoring Atlantic salmon to the Oneida Lake watershed.

Thanks to those of you who have paid your dues to the Association. As most of you know the NYSOHOF Association is the legal entity that allows us to carry on the business of the Hall. If you have not paid your 2011 dues yet we urge you to do so. Please send your check to PO Box 605, Poland, NY 13431.

The dues and our annual raffle are the two main sources of revenue that we need to carry on the functions of the Hall of Fame such as our insurance, the plaques and other expenses associated with induction, membership in NYSCC and NYSOWA, and other expenses. This year we have the added expenses of upgrading the facilities and new exhibits for our new Museum.

We are also enclosing some tickets for our annual raffle for those of you that find it difficult to attend the meetings or other functions. We hope that you can purchase or sell them to help out our finances. Chances are $1 each or 10

for $5. Please contact Scott Faulkner or Leo Maloney if you need more.

Our new Museum at Wildlife Sports & Educational Museum in Vails Mills is progressing. We had decided to alter the original plans slightly and this resulted in a delay. We will have the various mounts and other objects used to highlight our educational exhibits. Plans are to have a grand opening this spring to coincide with the busy tourist season in that area and we will be coordinating that with Fulton County Tourism.

The WSEM is a world class museum with an extensive display of wildlife mounts and a history of sporting goods theme. It is located at the busy crossroads of Rte 29 and 30A between the Mohawk Valley, Great Sacandaga Lake, Saratoga, and the southern gateway to the Adirondacks.

To help finance needed changes to our Museum we are holding a special, dedicated raffle. Howie Cushing has generously donated a limited edition turkey print and we are having a limit of 100 tickets at $20 each for the drawing. The print will be awarded when all 100 tickets have been sold. The print will be on display at the annual banquet and will be pictured on our web site soon. For chances at this print please contact Leo Maloney (363-3896) or Bill Lloyd (315-768-8800). Thank you in advance for your support.

Once again this year the NYSOHOF will be co-sponsoring the Adirondack Fishing Expo in Old Forge on May 21 – 22. This will feature seminars, demonstrations, exhibits, guides, and clinics to expose people to the recreational opportunities available and encouraging more to take advantage of them. If anyone is interested in helping or participating please contact Leo Maloney.

The New York State Outdoor Writers’ Association annually sponsors the M. Paul Keesler Outdoor Citizen Award to the person or organization who has done much to publicize or improve enjoyment of the outdoor resources of New York State. The past four recipients have all been members of the Hall of Fame! Please consider nominating someone with an explanation of 350 words or less (the person does not have to be a member of NYSOWA or NYSOHOF) and send it to Leo Maloney by August 15, 2011.

Thanks for all your support in the past year and we hope to see you at the annual Banquet and the grand opening of the new museum.

We hope that everyone is staying warm, as well as enjoying winter sports. With the new calendar year comes the reminder that association dues are due. The NYSOHOF Association is the corporation that legally entitles us to carry on functions of the Hall of Fame. Our biggest expenses involve plaques and induction of new members, insurance, membership in NYSCC, and newsletter and publicity expenses. Dues are $15 for inductees ($20 for non-inductees). Thanks to all of you who have already paid your dues.

You will note that we have a new post office box to make it more convenient for the secretary and treasurer. Our new address is NYSOHOF, PO Box 605, Poland, NY 13431.

Our regular meetings have been moved to Whitestown Vets Club, 174 Whitesboro St., Yorkville. Please use the rear parking lot and enter through that door. Our next regular meeting will be March 17. Meetings will be posted on our web site www.nysohof.org.

Despite some recent problems, our web site is functioning again thanks to the effort of Bob Fields. We have new information including information on the new museum, list of donors, and meeting highlights. If anyone has photos of interest please send them to Bob Fields – troutman@dreamscape.com.

Work is proceeding with the new museum at Wildlife Sports Educational Museum near Johnstown and we will keep you informed by newsletter, e-mail, and web site. We hope to have a grand opening in early spring. Thanks again to all the donors who have made this possible!

One of our inductees, Les Monostory of Fayetteville, was honored recently as one of the six finalists of Heroes of Conservation by “Field & Stream” magazine. He was honored for his work with the Izaak Walton League and efforts to clean up Onondaga Lake.

Another inductee, Bill Schwerd of Saratoga Springs, was honored by NYS Outdoor Writers’ Association with the Paul Keesler Outdoor Citizen Award and is currently featured in an article in “New York Outdoor News.” As we earlier noted and listed on our web site Ron Urban was named Conservationist of the Year by the American Fisheries Society.

Once again we will be holding a fund-raising raffle with eight great prizes to be drawn in June. We will be giving away a River & Rail Trip from Tickners Moose River Outfitters, a muskie fishing trip for two with Muskie Joe Netti, salmon or steelhead fishing with Chuck (Big Chinook) Booker, gun cleaning for automatic rifle or shotgun by Central NY Gunworks, gift certificate from Quaker Boy Calls, Smoky Joe Weber Charcoal Grill, family camping tent, and $50 cash. Please contact Scott Faulkner (315-829-3588) for tickets to sell or purchase.

We plan on having booths at the Central NY Sportsmens Show (Feb 5), Adirondack Outdoors Show (Feb 19 & 20), the Mohawk Valley Trout Expo (April 16) in addition to sponsoring the Adirondack Fishing Expo in Old Forge (May 21 & 22). If you can help out at these events please let us know.

Save the date of April 30, 2011 for our Annual Induction Banquet in Canastota. Details will be forthcoming with names of new inductees.

We would like to tell everyone that there will NOT be a regular meeting in October. The next regular meeting will be November 18 at 7 pm at the Vernon Rod and Gun Club. The Club is located on Stuhlman Road in Vernon, opposite the entrance to Vernon Downs.

We are looking to find a permanent central location for our meetings. Until then we will rotate our meetings around central New York. Meetings will be posted on our web site www.nysohof.org. We will also post highlights of the minutes of meetings there.

A sincere Thank You goes to everyone involved in meeting our special appeal. After we were forced out of Gander Mountain on a week’s notice we had no choice but to hire a professional mover to remove, pack, and move the contents of the museum. The cost of $1400 essentially left us with a little over $400 in our account. Over 50 people generously responded and we have received $2150.

At the September meeting it was approved that any money above the amount to replenish our account (balance of $750) would be set aside in a special account to enhance our new museum. For example we are planning a computer system with large flat wall screen whereby visitors can put in the number of an inductee and they will see and hear a short video of that person discussing why he or she was inducted into NYSOHOF. We will keep you informed of these and other improvements as we transform the museum into a modern exhibit that all members can be proud of.

In the two months following our eviction from Gander Mountain we have asked for suggestions and publicized our plight. We had only two new, sincere, and practical offers. One did not have adequate space, and the other was in a remote area of northern New York.

We have had a site/ relocation committee in place since February 2010 and they accepted Wildlife Sports and Education Museum’s generous offer to store our material for free. The Committee met with WSEM’s Board of Directors in August and made the recommendation that we relocate there. The Board of Directors of NYSOHOF unanimously accepted the report and authorized moving there. Since that time some members of the Committee and I have been meeting with Bob Kazmierski of WSEM and discussing our plans.

The NYSOHOF Museum will be in part of the large gift shop area of WSEM and open to the public at no charge. We will create a partition, mount the plaques, and arrange many of our material in new educational, informative exhibits. As started earlier we hope to have the computer and interactive media displays operating there.

WSEM is a world-class museum in a great location. It is at the crossroads of Rte. 29 and 30 and gets lots of traffic since Rte. 30 is the southern gateway to the Adirondacks and Rte. 29 is a popular route to Mayfield and Great Sacandaga Lake as well as Saratoga. The Fulton County Visitors Center is across the intersection and will provide promotion for us. This will enhance our recognition. There will be new signage announcing our location there.

We remind you that the NYSOHOF is a 501-c corporation legally formed to conduct the business of the Hall of Fame. Thus we have the annual dues which enable us to function and meet our expenses such as induction, plaques, insurance, etc. There is a Treasurer’s Report given at every meeting. For those who are unable to attend meetings, the policy is to give this information to any dues-paying member who requests it. After some difficulties this summer, the website is up and functioning again thanks to the efforts of Bob Fields.

It is not too early to start working on nominating new inductees for 2011. It takes time to complete the new form and get several letters of support. Since we have become a truly statewide organization and our Board reflects a wide area with different interests it is necessary to build a case and list several pages of accomplishments along with letters of reference. Two or three brief lines is not going to get someone inducted. Please give thought and effort to nominate the many worthy people that are out there. If you have questions please contact me. [Leo Maloney, (315) 363-3896, lmalone1@twcny.rr.com ] The deadline for nominations is January 30.

Once again we will be having an annual raffle in 2011 and are in need of trips or items. If you can help with donations please let me know. We will also be involved in co-sponsoring the Adirondack Fishing Expo in Old Forge in May.

Again thank you sincerely for the donations, offers of assistance, and many words of encouragement. You have certainly lived up to the ideals of the New York State Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame!

Save the date: April 24, 2010. That is the date of our annual banquet and induction of new members of the Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame. It will be at the Rusty Rail, Canastota with registration and social hour at 5 pm and dinner at 6 pm. Cost is $22 pp and reservations must be made by April 17 by calling (315) 363-3896 or e-mailing lmalone1@twcny.rr.com.

Again we have an outstanding group of individuals to be inducted. Dave Barus of Erie County founded the Teach Me To Fish program and has served many organizations, including the Erie County Federation of Sportsmen. Bill Button of Yates County founded many youth programs, led his local clubs and the Yates County Federation, and founded a local chapter of SCOPE. Bob Hughes from Steuben County has been active in hunter and trapper training and served as president of NYSTA.

Bob Monacchio of Saratoga County spent many years improving the fishing, ecology, and access to Great Sacandaga Lake as well as serving on CFAB. Ed Noonan, an award winning writer from Saratoga County has devoted much time and energy in youth hunter and fishing education. Glenn Sapir from Putnam County has served as editor of several publications and mentored many hunters and writers in addition to promoting shooting sports.

Ed Sidote of Chenango County is known as “Mr. Finger Lakes Trail” and has been dedicated to hiking and outdoor education for many years. Al West of Warren County developed a trapper education curriculum and served as president of NYSTA and the Joint Trapper Initiative. Steve Wowelko from Onondaga County has founded and served on many organizations including Friends of Carpenters Brook and youth programs. More detailed information will be posted on our web site (www.nysohof.org) soon.

Thanks very much to all of you that have paid your dues to the NYSOHOF Association, which is the legal organization that conducts business of the Outdoorsmen Hall of Fame and maintains the museum, etc. We hope that if you haven’t, you will consider paying the dues to enable us to continue our programs.

Congratulations to Ron Urban, one of our inductees, who was recently honored by American Fisheries Society as Conservationist of the Year. Ron serves as Chairman of Trout Unlimited’s NYS Council. Previous winners of the award were Dr. John Braico and Bill Wellman.

Bill Schwerd invites everyone to attend the 11^th Annual NYS 4H Shooting Sports Banquet in Saratoga on April 17. In addition to camaraderie and recognition of volunteers, it is a major fund-raiser for the program with items including art work, African hunts, and African photo safari up for auction. There are many, many great items too numerous to list that will be available for auction, raffle, etc. This is the biggest event of its type in the state. If you can make, plan on attending for a good time and a great cause. Reservations must be made by April 9. Contact Bill at wms4@cornell.edu. Check www.nys4HShootingSports.org.for details.

Thank You: Thanks go to “Muskie Joe” Netti who has donated a muskie fishing trip that will be raffled off at our banquet on April 24. Also thanks to Bill Girvan who helped to update our membership mailing list as well as update the information on our plaques and the web site noting members who are deceased. And of course thanks to Bob Fields who maintains and improves our web site.

Help Wanted: We can use help with things like registration and raffle and other activities at our April 24 banquet to insure that things go smoothly. Please let us know if you are available to help out. Earlier that day the Future Anglers Outreach which we are involved in will host its annual kids fishing clinic and outing. If you can help mentor at the event which is held at Marion Manor Marina from 8 am until noon, call Ted Dobs at (315) 264-6624.

Two other events where we will distribute information and sell raffle tickets will be the TU Trout & Salmon Expo in New Hartford on April 10 and the Adirondack Fishing Expo in Old Forge on May 22 & 23. If you can spare a few hours to help it will be appreciated. Please contact Leo Maloney or Scott Faulkner (315) 829-3588.

We are holding our annual raffle with eight great prizes to be drawn June 17. Many of you have picked up tickets, but in case you haven’t, we are hoping that you can purchase or sell them to help us meet expenses. Please contact Scott Faulkner for tickets. Tickets are $1 each or 10 for $5.

There will be no regular meeting in April or May. We hope to see you at the Banquet!