If you are not a member of the Outdoor Writers Association of America
or somehow associated with this organization, you probably did not hear
about the major spat among members last year that led to the
resignation of some 20% of the organization's membership. Without
recapping that entire episode, here is the latest news regarding the
dispute, which was triggered by remarks made by then-NRA president
Kayne Robinson about another suppotrting member of OWAA, the Sierra
Club. This is a news release sent out by OWAA, presumably to members
and other media outlets. There is more information on this issue on the
OWAA Web site.
PRESS RELEASE
June 28, 2005
OWAA Board of Directors Apologizes to Membership
Missoula, Mont. [^] Outdoor Writers Association of
America[base ']s (OWAA) board of directors apologized June 17 to its members for
the upheaval caused by sending a letter last July to former National Rifle
Association President Kayne Robinson. The letter expressed the board[base ']s disappointment
for Robinson[base ']s comments made in a speech at OWAA[base ']s 2004 conference in Spokane,
Wash.
After the board-approved letter was sent to Robinson, more than 400
members of the 2,000-member outdoor communicators group signed a [base "]letter
of dissent[per thou] protesting the letter. An ensuing battle within OWAA endured
most of 2004 and spurred numerous member resignations.
In conjunction with OWAA[base ']s recent annual conference
in Middleton, Wis., OWAA[base ']s board penned an apology to members, which said,
[base "]We apologize to OWAA members for a well intended action that has produced
unintended reactions. We should have anticipated that people would have seen
battle lines drawn because of our action: We did not.[per thou] The apology will be
mailed to all OWAA members.
At the OWAA membership business meeting held on
June 19, members expressed opinions about the letter sent to Robinson, and
they emphasized ending the crisis so the association can heal. Several OWAA
past presidents were among those voicing opinions to the board, and a letter
was read listing nine past presidents who did not approve of the letter sent
to the NRA president. Members then voted to approve all actions of the board
over the past year except for sending the letter to Robinson. The motion
passed by nearly a 2-1 margin.
At a follow-up June 21 board meeting, the board
resolved to offer members who either resigned or did not renew their 2005
memberships the opportunity to reinstate their memberships without application,
devoid of late charges, and without reinstatement fees. The offer is valid
until Aug. 31, 2005, and includes all former members who were in good standing
in 2004, including life members, individual members and supporting members.
The board unanimously passed the resolution.
Outdoor Writers Association of America is an international
organization that represents a diverse group of professional communicators
dedicated to sharing the outdoor experience. Headquartered in Missoula, Mont.,
the nonprofit[base ']s mission is to improve the professional skills of its members,
to set high ethical and communications standards, to encourage conservation
of natural resources and to mentor the next generation of professional outdoor
communicators.
1:39:44 PM 
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