Award Winning Georgia Outdoor News

Georgia Outdoor News has received two prestigious awards for excellence in reporting sportsman’s issues.

At its annual meeting three weeks ago, the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association (GOWA) presented their highest honor to GON Publisher Steve Burch as the group named him their Georgia Outdoorsman of the Year.

Last Saturday night in Rome, Wildlife Federation President Glenn Reeves presented GON with a special Conservation Achievement Award for exceptional reporting of sportsman’s issues.

GOWA President John Trussell said, “Georgia Outdoor News has done a tremendous amount for Georgia’s sportsmen in the papers’s two years, not only in providing information but in helping get things done for sportsmen.”

He cited the Pitch Morgan-Hunter Safety Bill, signed by Governor Joe Frank Harris, and the campaign to continue hunting on Piedmont National Wildlife Refuge as examples of GON’s commitment to the state’s sportsmen and wildlife.

Last Saturday evening in Rome, The Georgia Wildlife Federation also honored GON during its annual convention. The Wildlife Federation selected GON for a Special Conservation Achievement Award citing exceptional reporting of sportsman’s issues. In presenting this special award, Federation President Glenn Reeves pointed to issues raised by GON resulting in direct and positive action. He cited erosion and sedimentation conditions discovered at Lake Oconee, the result of developers improperly dredging the lake, that were discovered and reported by GON. The dredging was stopped and the erosion problems corrected following GON’s disclosure. Additionally, Reeves noted that of the 28,000 comments received in Washington, D.C. concerning continuation of hunting on federal wildlife refuges like Piedmont NWR, 20,0000 comments were from Georgians, the result of GON’s coverage of this national issue that hits close to home.

Bill Shultz (left), outdoor reporter for the Associated Press and vice president of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association, presents the Outdoorsman of the Year award to GON Publisher Steve Burch.