Outdoor writers gather in Lewiston
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The Lower Niagara River is providing a spectacular backdrop with my friends from the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW), as they host their 70th annual conference in Lewiston and Niagara Falls. The event started yesterday and will run through Friday.
Headquartered at the Niagara Crossing Hotel & Spa in the historic Village of Lewiston, AGLOW members are surrounded by one of North America’s most compelling outdoor landscapes -- where the Niagara River races through the dramatic gorge, Lake Ontario begins just downstream and some of Western New York’s finest fishing, boating, hiking, hunting, camping and conservation stories are right outside the door.
For an organization devoted to telling outdoor stories, the setting is almost tailor-made. I'm very happy to have been a member since 1992. AGLOW Executive Director Kevin Paulson and his board have gathered the best of the best for this anniversary conference. Paulson is editor of Hunting Life magazine, a digital outdoor publication that is free to read online (HuntingLife.com).
The milestone gathering will combine professional development with plenty of opportunities to experience the region firsthand. Learn-it/do-it sessions, seminars, networking events, trade-show opportunities and informal gatherings will give writers, photographers, broadcasters, videographers and other outdoor communicators opportunities to sharpen their skills and build relationships.
Of course, let's not forget, then there is the fishing. The fourth annual AGLOW Fishing Tournament, sponsored by Fish Donkey, St. Croix Rods and Seviin Reels, will put participants on the Niagara River during one of our prime fall fishing periods. The river’s renowned multi-species fishery provides an ideal living laboratory for outdoor communicators looking to experience and tell the story of Niagara's fishing opportunities. The event is coordinated by internationally famous angler and Charter Captain Frank Campbell with Niagara Region Charter Service.
The conference also reaches well beyond fishing. Scheduled learn-it/do-it sessions include instruction involving fishing rods and reels, cellular trail cameras, thermal imaging, onX Fish, field first aid, outdoor photography and tick education. There are editors from Deer & Deer Hunting, In-Fisherman, and many of the major outdoor media outlets.
For those who venture beyond the conference hotel, like me, Lewiston offers an exceptional mix of outdoor recreation, history and small-town hospitality. The village waterfront provides direct access to the Lower Niagara, while the Niagara Gorge and Artpark offer dramatic scenery and opportunities for hiking and exploration.
AGLOW’s 70th anniversary is also a celebration of the people behind the stories. With more than 200 outdoor content creators from the United States and Canada, the organization brings together writers, photographers, broadcasters, podcasters, bloggers and social-media creators who connect audiences with hunting, fishing, boating, conservation and outdoor recreation. Some of them know about Lake Erie walleye and yellow perch, like Mike Schoonveld and Tom Berg from Indiana. In a pre-conference stop to Chautauqua County, they fished Lake Erie at Sunset Bay with Captain Daryl Glasner of CEO Charters.
Sponsors for the conference include Whitetails Unlimited, Safari Club International, Delta Defense, Spypoint, Vosker, onX Fish, onX Hunt, Pulsar, the National Shooting Sports Foundation (NSSF), and the American Sportfishing Association, Quad 4 Plastics, Trout Routes, Hunter Outdoor Communications, Stewards of Conservation, Fish Donkey, St. Croix, Seviin, Duct-Aid, Apex, Niagara Falls USA and numerous tourism and industry partners. I'm attending, so I plan to share stories about useful new products through autumn.
From river banks and boat decks to seminars and evening campfires, AGLOW’s 70th anniversary gathering promises something especially valuable: a week in which the people who tell outdoor stories get to experience one of America’s great outdoor destinations for themselves.
For Lewiston, Niagara Falls and Western New York, that can mean something lasting. The opportunity for new stories about Niagara and Western New York will travel to readers, listeners and watchers far beyond the Niagara River itself. AGLOW visited Chautauqua County in 2016.
Gotta love the outdoors.
Outdoor Calendar
Oct. 13: Children in the Stream Youth Fly Fishing /4H Program, Fly tying/fly fishing classes, 7-8:30 p.m., free, Costello Room, Rockefeller Art Center at SUNY Fredonia, For info: email Alberto@albertorey.com.
Oct. 17: Women Fishing Class; 3-4:30 p.m., The Hairy Trout, 3891 Seneca St., West Seneca, with Nicole Marie and Sara Hastings.
Oct. 17-30: Fall turkey hunting season, one bird either sex allowed, sunrise to sunset. See dec.ny.gov for zones.