The 2015 POMA Business Conference is just around the corner.

The 2015 POMA Business Conference is just around the corner. To celebrate our 10th Anniversary event, the Springfield Missouri Convention & Visitors Bureau is graciously rolling out the red carpet to members attending the conference.
 
To add money-making opportunities for media attendees, the CVB has developed a list of terrific story ideas, outdoor communicators can sink their creative teeth into.
 
Making money at conference is almost as simple as picking cash from a money tree.
 

 

GENERATE CONTENT in Springfield
to PAY FOR YOUR TRIP, and then SOME

The ideas listed below, and more, await you. With great photo opportunities, amazing stories to be told and ample opportunities, get our and explore Springfield before or after the conference. Make your trip pay even bigger dividends!

 

fishing story ideas

  • MDC is working to teach families and youth the skills needed to have a successful fishing trip. Many would like to fish, but don’t have the basic skills. Volunteers are teaching a series of four courses on how to bait hooks, use lures, cast and locate fish. Each lesson is followed by a fishing trip where the participants get to try their new-found skills. These lessons are being taught at the Bois D’Arc Conservation Area near Willard and at Walter Woods Conservation Area near Joplin. Would-be anglers call to sign up for a class and are then directed to available locations. For more information, contact Fisheries Management Biologist Dave Woods at 417-895-6881, ext. 1623.

  • Trout-fishing has become such a routine part of fishing in the Ozarks that it’s sometimes taken for granted in this part of the state. It’s hard, however, to overlook the impact Missouri’s largest trout hatchery – Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery in Branson – has on the local and statewide fishing scene. Each year, this state-of-the-art cold-water fish-rearing facility produces more than 1,200,000 trout that are stocked into Lake Taneycomo and elsewhere around the state. Combine these with the trout produced at Missouri’s other cold-water hatcheries (Bennett Spring near Lebanon, Roaring River near Cassville, Montauk near Salem and Maramec Spring near St. James) and it’s easy to see why trout fishing is a major part of the billion-plus dollar impact fishing has on the state’s economy. Contact MDC Hatchery Systems Manager James Civiello – 417-348-1305 – at Shepherd of the Hills Hatchery in Branson to learn more.

 
  • Lew’s Fishing Tackle announced plans to invest $3.5 million for a new corporate headquarters and consolidated distribution center in Springfield. The new 58,000-square-foot facility will be built on land north of Partnership Industrial Center and plans to add five new jobs to the current workforce of 26. Established in 1949 by Lew Childre, the Lew’s rod and reel brand is known for product innovation. The Lew’s brand was purchased in 2009 by family friend Lynn Reeves, now CEO of Do Outdoors, Inc./Lew’s Fishing Tackle. Lew’s currently sells fishing rods and reels to Wal-Mart, Academy Sports, Cabela’s, and Dick’s Sporting Goods, and is steadily increasing its number of international customers. .
 
  • Missouri fish hatcheries and trout parks not only support our state’s great fishing, they’re also fascinating places to visit. Some feature visitor centers with displays, films and exhibits. Several have tour schedules or will accept appointments for special tours.
 
  • Professional guides at Longboat Outfitters assist with trips down the Eleven Point, Gasconade, James and North Fork rivers and Bryant Creek. Trips include a float fishing expedition, an eco float trip and overnight river camping.
 
  • The Bennett Spring area was founded by pioneers who used the cool, rushing waters of the spring-fed stream for gristmills. Now, it’s one of America’s premier trout destinations where people come to wrestle with rainbow trout and fish a stream that’s stocked every night. Bennett Spring State Park has fishing, hiking that runs from simple to strenuous and a lodge with hearty stick-to-your-ribs food.
 
  • Open daily, Mountain Spring Trout Park allows you to fish with no license, no limit. Pay only for what you catch and your trout and cleaned and packed on ice for free.
 
  • How does Fin & Feather, a small mom-and-pop shop, compete in the shadow of Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World? Fin & Feather is a popular stop for those seeking fishing equipment and other gear for their hunting and angling needs.

 

hunting story ideas
 

  • MDC is engaged in an ongoing effort to improve success rates of shotgun hunters who use non-toxic shot. Spurred by the transition away from lead shot that has taken place across the country, MDC’s “Effective Wingshooting for the Hunter” seminars focus on how hunters can improve distance estimation skills and can better judge the performance of their shotgun and ammunition. MDC “Effective Wingshooting” seminars are held at select sites across the state. Contact Mike Brooks – 417-742-4361 – at the Dalton Range for more information.
 
  • Missouri has the highest annual hunter recruitment (hunters gained over hunters lost) in the nation and a major reason is MDC’s hunter education program. Mandatory for all firearms hunters born on or after Jan. 1, 1967; this program teaches hunting safety, ethics and skills to thousands of Missourians each year. Hunter education participants have options of taking classes online or in traditional classroom settings, but August is when people who need hunter education need to start looking for classes. Contact MDC Outdoor Skills Specialist Greg Collier at 417-895-6881, ext. 1644, for details on MDC’s hunter education effort in this region.
 
  • MDC’s Southwest Regional Bobwhite Quail Study is collecting data that will be used to sustain the population of this popular game bird in Missouri. MDC biologists are looking into a wide variety of habitat management strategies to revive a quail population that has dropped in recent decades. Site-specific information about nesting and brood-raising could have valuable information for hunters and landowners alike. For more information about this project, contact MDC Southwest Regional Wildlife Supervisor Tim Russell at 417-895-6881, ext. 1636.
 
  • In business since 1957, Black Widow Bows are manufactured and sold only in Nixa, Missouri, online, or by catalog orders. All bows are custom made. Archery Hall of Famer G. Fred Asbell along with country singers Blake Shelton and Easton Corbin are among the customers. Factory tours are available and the company does shooting clinics the first two weekends in May.
 

outdoor education story ideas

 
  • Outdoor Initiatives offers educational programs as well as custom speakers, presentations, displays, clinics, demonstrations, community service projects and other opportunities.
 
  • Springfield Public Schools and Wonders of Wildlife have partnered for the WOLF School for a select group of fifth grade students. The students attend class at WOW and classroom studies feature a conservation-based science program. To learn more, call Warren Rose at 417-895-6881, ext. 1640.
     
  • The Missouri National Archery in the Schools Program encourages schools to add archery programs. To learn more, contact MDC Outdoor Skills Specialist Greg Collier at 417-895-6881, ext. 1644.
 
  • Consider a feature about the Andy Dalton Shooting Range and Outdoor Education Center and how the Missouri Department of Conservation (MDC) operates shooting ranges in Missouri. Dalton Range manager Mike Brooks – 417-742-4361 – could do an interview and other MDC sources are available.
 

Adventure story ideas

 
  • As a locally owned, specialty outdoor retailer, Dynamic Earth quickly gained the attention of outdoor enthusiasts across the Midwest after opening in 2002. The owners believe in focusing on the gear itself and utilizing a knowledgeable and experienced sales staff to create custom tailored systems for each customer’s individual needs.
 
  • Ozark Adventures has been serving outdoor enthusiasts since 1979. With a large selection of outdoor clothing and gear, it’s your first stop when planning any outdoor activity.
 
 
  • Trail Spring Foundation, a non-profit focused on creating and funding trail-building projects in the Springfield area, opened Two Rivers Bike Park in 2013 just south of Nixa, Mo. The park features 8.5 miles of mountain biking, hiking and trail-running paths near the confluence of the Finley and James rivers.
 
  • An eight-mile, north-south, bike-pedestrian corridor connects Springfield’s north and south sides. The Link, part of the Ozark Greenways trails system, also connects many of the Greenway trails making the city more pedestrian and bike friendly than ever before.
 

local destination story ideas

 
  • Lake Springfield offers opportunities for fishing, nature walks, bird watching, canoeing and kayaking. The beautiful Boathouse Community Room is available for rental.
 
  • Missouri’s only National Forest, Mark Twain, encompasses roughly 1.5 million acres, mostly within the Ozark Highlands. The forest is characterized by large permanent springs, caves, rocky barren glades, old volcanic mountains and nationally-recognized streams. Activities include hunting, fishing, camping, trails and enjoying the beauty of the great outdoors.

 

Interested in learning more?

Contact Susan Wade
Public Relations Manager
Springfield, Missouri Convention & Visitors Bureau
417-799-0401 or 800-678-8767, ext. 101
swade@springfieldmo.org