By Bruce Ross, Executive Director
This article originally appeared in Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s January 2020 Newsletter edition.
Image courtesy Lambeau Field Events
Happy New Year! This transition to 2020 is especially significant for me – I started with WWA just last January – and I can now lay claim to surviving my first year (if I can just make it to the end of the month and our Annual Meeting at Lambeau January 25th).
My very first article in this newsletter shared my early focus on “seeking to understand”, how we deliver on our WWA Promise to WIWaterfowlers. To that end, I attended every WWA event (except one, a scheduling error). I witnessed the contributions of our many volunteers in the field, in the banquet hall, on the golf course and at the range. I organized a few events, I got a chance to talk with more WIWaterfowlers than I’d have thought possible, informed reporters and podcasters, filmed waterfowl-themed promos, and worked alongside many partners in our habitat-, policy- and education-worlds. I fielded out-of-the-blue calls and emails from members who had big ideas, waterfowlers who have concerns, and legislators who don’t know what we do. I’m drinking from the WWA firehose – there’s a lot to learn, and still more ahead.
But, I have developed a good sense of WWA’s value proposition for Wisconsin’s waterfowlers, and hopefully, sharpened our focus in our lanes.
In the course of my ongoing WWA education, I’ve come to more fully appreciate the scope of the task ahead. In my military experience, it would be called a “target-rich environment.” WWA must:
- Deliver more restoration work through our professional ecologist’s efforts and through our D-I-Y habitat work (like Abrams and AWA).
- Engage more volunteers in waterfowl-related activities which bring sufficient personal reward for their selfless commitments of energy and time.
- Inform more waterfowlers, and would-be waterfowlers, to strengthen our community and pass our outdoor ethic to future generations.
- Diversify and strengthen our funding streams to support operations of increased impact, and to weather reasonably foreseeable economic fluctuations.
The critical enabler in all of these?
- WWA must grow market share amongst Wisconsin’s waterfowlers and broaden its state-wide footprint.
This is not the business of status quo. Doing what we did 35 years ago, or a decade ago, or last year, or even yesterday will not overcome tomorrow’s challenges. Just ask the now-defunct Minnesota Waterfowl Association.
The Board of Directors is directly tackling this challenge through its new committee structure, while working on the 2020 WWA Action Plan. Since most WWA accomplishments get done through our volunteer “workforce”, the board continues to seek persons who bring a passion – and maybe some unique talents – to the vital tasks ahead. Some very encouraging signs are beginning to appear.
- In mid-December, I was approached by a relatively new waterfowler, a professional lobbyist/consultant in Madison, who thought maybe his insights into how things get done in Madison could be beneficial to WWA – could he volunteer his experience?
- A couple of months ago, a Chapter leader raised his hand to become an administrator on our Facebook page – and our follower engagements have skyrocketed.
- And just last week, a young man reached out to express interest in WWA”s Right Fit Job Posting #11 on “Habitat Project Lead Generator” (this volunteer position will work with our Project Director Peter Zeigler to build a list of high-impact project candidates around the state, which has been a limiting factor in the restoration work we can do). His inspiring message below is worth a read to encourage some reflection on why we are a part of WWA:
Wow!! I hope we can live up to his passion and expectations (and let’s change the name of that position!).
As a member of WWA, you’re already a part of WWA’s effort to become more impactful… if you want to play a larger role as a volunteer or benefactor, great, let me know. at bruceross@wi.rr.com. But, even if you cannot, I encourage you to come to our annual meeting the end of this month and meet some of the people who, like you, are committed to the future of WIWaterfowling. Lambeau Leap not included!