League of Ohio Sportsmen Celebrate 100 Years of Conservation

The League of Ohio Sportsmen will celebrate its 100th Anniversary with a Centennial Convention to be held February 15-17, 2008 in Columbus. The League was founded in 1908 by a coalition of Ohio sportsmen who were concerned with the plight of the state’s fish, wildlife and other natural resources.

In 1908 there were no deer or wild turkeys in Ohio. Fish populations in the state’s streams and rivers were depleted. Many common wildlife species of today were absent or at record lows. Very few conservation organizations in the United States have a longer tenure than the League of Ohio Sportsmen.

The Centennial Convention will highlight the history of the League and the magnificent conservation success stories over the last century while also looking into the future of hunting, fishing and wildlife conservation in Ohio.

The League was the catalyst for forming the Ohio Department of Natural Resources in 1949, is credited with instituting the Hunter Education Program in 1956 and was the grass roots organization that worked to save trapping and modern wildlife management by defeating State Issue Two in 1977.

The League of Ohio Sportsmen is led by Larry Mitchell, Sr. of Columbus. Mitchell has been an active league member for more than 30 years and has been president for eight years.

The Honorary Chairmen for the Centennial Convention are Robert W. Teater, Joseph J. Sommer and Steven A. Gray. Teater served as the Director of the Ohio Department of Natural Resources from1975 to 1983 and was previously Dean of the School of Natural Resources at the Ohio State University. Sommer was ODNR Director from 1985 – 1991 and also served on the Ohio Wildlife Council after his tenure as director. Gray served as Chief of the Division of Wildlife from 2003-2007, was assistant chief for 12 years, and started his career as a wildlife officer for the Division in 1976.

The Convention will be held at the University Plaza Hotel and Convention Center in Columbus. Sportsmen from around Ohio are encouraged to attend with an emphasis on the program of Saturday Feb. 16. At 10a.m. a special plenary session is scheduled featuring Dr. Alan Wentz, Senior Group Manager of Conservation Programs for Ducks Unlimited in Memphis, Tennessee. Dr. Wentz, a native of Kenton, Ohio will speak on the sportsmen’s role in the American conservation success story of the last 100 years. Alan Wentz is a well known conservation leader who also was on the faculty of South Dakota State University, worked as senior director for the National Wildlife Federation and was Assistant Secretary of the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks.

Also speaking that morning will be Rocky Saxbe, a Columbus attorney and sportsmen, who has been instrumental in serving sportsmen on several issues including the statewide ballot issue in 1998 to save dove hunting in Ohio. Rocky will be talking on the Ohio sportsmen’s accomplishments over the last 50 years. His father, William Saxbe, spoke at the League’s 50th Convention in 1958 while he served as Ohio’s Attorney General. William Saxbe went on to serve as the U.S. Attorney General. The Saxbe family are leaders of the Van Darby Sportsmen’s Club in Champaign County and have long been recognized as Ohio leaders in conservation, the hunting heritage and the shooting sports.

National Wildlife Federation President Larry Schweiger of Washington, D.C. will also speak. The League is the Ohio affiliate of the National Wildlife Federation. The National Wildlife Federation was formed in 1937 and has the mission to inspire Americans to protect wildlife for our children’s future.

David Graham, chief of the Ohio Division of Wildlife will round out the morning program with a look into the future of the Sportsmen’s role in wildlife conservation in Ohio. Graham has served the Division of Wildlife for more than 30 years and previously held the posts of district manager and assistant chief before being named chief in April 2007.

The Division of Wildlife Honor Guard will begin the morning program by leading a processional into the ballroom and posting the U.S. Flag. Following will be a video tribute to the League of Ohio Sportsmen by the Division of Wildlife.

After the morning session a reception will be held featuring displays and exhibits from the Division of Wildlife and the state’s major sportsmen’s and conservation organizations. Included will be a display on the history and future of wildlife conservation in Ohio by the Division of Wildlife. This will be a great time for sportsmen to mingle and visit with the leadership of the Division of Wildlife, ODNR and the state’s most prominent sportsmen’s groups including the League of Ohio Sportsmen.

The Centennial Convention is sponsored in part by the Ohio Game Protectors Association. The Association is a professional organization of Wildlife Officers and other Division of Wildlife employees both active and retired. During the 50th Convention in 1958 the Ohio Game Protectors Association met concurrently with the League of Ohio Sportsmen. The current Ohio Game Protectors Association president is Wildlife Officer Thomas Rowan of Lake County.

Registration to attend the Saturday events is $5 which may be paid at the door. For other details about the convention contact the League of Ohio Sportsmen at leagueofohiosportsmen.org or call (614) 224-8970.