Anyone from Upstate NY? Read this

[Str8shooter]

The President of the Lake Plains Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation and I met before the April meeting and empowered me to initiate a Wheelin' Sportsmen Program here in Rochester NY.

With the same dedication it has brought to restoring wild turkey populations across North America, the NWTF is delivering, and in some cases, re-introducing, the beauty and excitement of the outdoors to thousands of disabled people through its outreach program, Wheelin' Sportsmen. You can learn more about the program by going to www.nwtf.org.

My main focus and delight will be to provide the physically challenged with opportunities to get out and enjoy outdoor activities, such as hunting, shooting, fishing and more in this part of upstate New York and beyond. I say "beyond" because in a telephone conversation with Wheelin' Sportsmen Regional Director, he thought it wise to cooperate with other chapters across the state in shared activities. My first venture is to join two veteran members in the Syracuse NY area this May for a disabled Spring Turkey hunt with a barbecue to follow. You can bet I'll be paying close attention to learn how they have done this successfully for the last six years.

Another goal is to work closely with the Department of Environmental Conservation and other agencies to increase and improve access to public lands and to generate more participation in outdoor activities in conjunction with Project 2015. Still another is to organize events, with the assistance of national and local sponsors, and mutually beneficial relationships with local chapters of other sporting groups for yet more diverse exposure to the outdoors. And lastly, to create and maintain a clearinghouse of information on events, products, and services for people with special needs who are sportsmen.

This last objective can be accomplished by the development of a web site, somewhere down the line, dedicated to the program. Towards that goal, wheelinsportsmen_rochester_ny@yahoo.com is a domain I have reserved now for email messages, a database of members and supporters, and a calendar of events. I will immediately accept all questions and comments at the new site and encourage your questions, input, and notifications on special events for disabled outdoorsmen.

Someone once told me there is no "i" in success. There is no question that we will endure. The issue of giving everyone a sporting chance to enjoy the outdoors is simply too important. The number of people willing to actively participate will clock the speed of our accomplishments in direct proportion. If you can, please help.

Thank you,
Rob (NY-STR8SHOOTER) Moss