SECTION ONE
belong to AGLOW together. If you want to
make the most of your membership, then you
must attend the annual conference.
My first AGLOW conference was in Ashland, Wiscon-
sin in 2010 and I have not missed one since. This means
I wasn’t at the 2008 Lake of the Woods conference, but
I believe the fact we are returning only nine years later
speaks volumes about the quality of the destination.
I’ve heard tell the 2008 conference was one of the best
in memory for many.
I hope when September 30 th rolls around, and
members are dispersing to homes across the
country, the new narrative is the 2017 Lake of
the Woods conference was the best anyone can
remember, and boy are we set up for success.
Breakout Day, Shooting Day, Learn It Sessions,
Awards-in-Craft, A Day in the Field and hospitality
nights, oh the hospitality nights where Lesmeister
shines. These activitie s make the annual conference a
must attend event. But really, more than anything, it’s
the people. The members of this organization love the
outdoors and love sharing the outdoors through words,
photographs, videos, radio, art and other forms of com-
munication. So if you have been waffling on whether
or not to attend, choose yes, and register today. Who
knows, you may even get to see Pat Kalmerton in a
dress…again.
See you down the trail.
BB-
First of all, the location of this year’s conference is
astounding. Sportsman’s Lodge sits right on the shore
of the Rainy River. I can hit a golf ball into Canada
from the boat dock. If you don’t believe me, bring a
driver and a $20 bill. It’s a remote location and a little
hard to get to, but isn’t that what we outdoor com-
municators like? I know I do. I want to be able to step
outside my door and start fishing, and that’s the cast at
this conference site. There are plenty of other outdoor
opportunities, as opportunities for hunting, paddling,
hiking, birding and more abound in the region. You’re
not stuck in some city convention center. You’re in
a wilderness setting surrounded by people who love
wilderness settings.
I belong to a number of outdoor communicator
organizations and people often ask me to ex-
plain why. I tell them all of these groups have
strong suits and all offer great reasons to join.
The return on investment of each of my many
memberships is positive. But AGLOW is my
favorite. And it is because more so than any
other outdoor communicator organization, we
spend time doing things outdoors. Seems sim-
ple, but is overlooked by most others.
HORIZONS | 07