Still Time to Win a Hunting or Fishing Trip

[Omaha Steve]

http://blog.aflcio.org/2008/04/01/still-time-to-win-a-hunting-or-fishing-trip/

by Mike Hall, Apr 1, 2008

There’s still time to snag an ultimate fishing spot or hunting blind in some of the world’s top outdoors sites, including Argentina, the Canadian tundra, Texas’ top bass fishing lakes and the Panamanian coast. That’s where some lucky union sportsman or sportswoman could be if selected for a hunting or fishing trip of a lifetime on the third season of “Escape to the Wild.”


Union members can submit their applications for a spot on the union-sponsored television series of the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP) that airs on the VERSUS Network. Click here for an application and instructions from TRCP’s Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA). The deadline is April 15 or June 1, depending on what hunting or fishing dream trip of a lifetime that you want to bag.



The show has become quite a hit, with some 400,000 viewers for each episode. Says host Tom Ackerman:

There’s just something right about this show. The winners—and they are winners in every sense of the word—are hardworking Americans who share a love of the outdoors and have gone the extra mile in their community, at home or on the job.

Each show not only chronicles a unique outdoor adventure but also offers viewers a glimpse into the winners’ lives, like Fire Fighters (IAFF) member Rocky Raimondi, who lost union brothers and friends in the Sept. 11 attack, and United Steelworkers (USW) member Kelly Bingham, who has helped provide more than 7,500 pounds of food to the hungry since starting the Utah chapter of Farmer & Hunters Feeding the Hungry.


Letter Carriers (NALC) member Jason Berkley, who won an “Escape to the Wild” elk hunt this past season, says:

I think the concept of a union-dedicated hunting and fishing show is a fresh change and long overdue. This show stands out in the way it tells a story about the winner’s life and struggles, while engaging viewers in the hunt. I feel very blessed to have been involved in such a truly great show.

Launched in 2007, the USA is a joint venture of the TRCP and 21 unions, for union members, retirees and their families. One of USA’s main goals is to support the TRCP’s long-standing dedication to guaranteeing access for hunters and anglers, conserving fish and wildlife habitat and increasing funding for conservation.