All of you know that I am very proud anytime the NJOA gets coverage from our friends in the media. I get great enjoyment at posting the information - happy we are finally having our issues covered and thrilled for the recognition.
In the same spirit I am posting coverage in today's Star Ledger, which was written by Fred Aun. Those that know me understand that I wear my passion on my sleeve when it comes to the outdoors and this came out during my conversation with Fred - and it turned into coverage focusing more on me than I would have imagined.
My apologies to all of you for "hogging the limelight" but I also do not want to take away from Fred's wonderful coverage of the NJOA and his steadfast support of our mission. Thank you Fred.
And, of course, thanks to all of you for the makings of the NJOA.
Ant
http://www.nj.com/outdoors/ledger/index.ssf?/base/sports-0/121877501665900.xml&coll=1NJOA chairman Mauro a real action hero
Friday, August 15, 2008
BY FRED J. AUN
For the Star-Ledger
Anthony Mauro, chairman of the New Jersey Outdoor Alliance (NJOA), knows how to get things done, and he even manages to reach some goals in the process of pursuing others.
He said the NJOA, which turned a year old last week, is a good example.
About six years ago, the Monmouth County hunter and conservationist got the urge to experience an African big-game hunting safari. Initially, Mauro wanted to go alone, but that idea didn't go over well with his wife.
"The next thing I know, my wife said, 'You can't go without me,'" said Mauro. The collapse of his plan for a solo wilderness adventure didn't end there.
Unwilling to leave behind their 14-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter, the couple decided to make it a family trip. Eventually, the entourage also included Mauro's 73-year-old mother-in-law.
While on the safari, Mauro took reams of notes. His kids kept diaries. Mauro wasn't a writer, but he knew the trip "would be a great story" and might help him express the often intangible motivations that inspire hunters to hunt.
Mauro's "Take Me on Safari (A Family Affair)" was published by the Xlibris Corporation in 2003.
It was a satisfying accomplishment, but Mauro still wanted to spread his thoughts on how ethical wildlife management practices often include hunting. A year later, he published a second book, "The New Age Hunter," hoping to show the important role hunters play in preserving wildlife.
Mauro didn't get wealthy from the books, and he never really knew how far the books had spread his conservationist message. Last year, his energy, and that of fellow hunters Cory Wingerter and Jerry Natale, was directed toward forming a political action committee to fight for sportsmen causes in Trenton.
The effort resulted in the creation of the NJOA. While the organization's primary focus -- at least during its first year -- was to fight against proposed laws it deemed to be anti-sportsmen (and against the election bids of those bills' sponsors), Mauro believes the alliance is accomplishing the same mission as his books: Spreading the truth about conservation.
"The NJOA is now the voice for what is in those books and the voice of what I had personally been trying to do," he said. "It's become a conduit to get out the message of what's in those books. It's kind of fascinating how that worked out."
In an email he sent to friends and NJOA colleagues last week, Mauro expressed pride and satisfaction in recalling the alliance's efforts during its first year. "NJOA has built quite a resume for a yearling," he wrote.
The organization now has a 14-member council, four outdoor advisors, three managers, four directors and 25 volunteer representatives. It also has a full-time lobbyist "working the halls of Trenton on behalf of outdoorsmen and outdoorswomen throughout New Jersey," noted Mauro's letter.
Mauro likes to remember the way life used to be in Monmouth County, back before the influx of urbanite transplants diluted, if not erased, the rural flavor. When he was a kid, he said, he would regularly carry his .410 bore shotgun on his bicycle as he pedaled to his favorite waterfowling spot. On his trip home, the police would ask how he made out.
Those days are gone in New Jersey, but Mauro hopes the NJOA will be able to at least remind the lawmakers and regulators there are still about a million people in the state who like to hunt, fish and -- if the alliance has its way -- vote.
