That was the message delivered during a “summit meeting” Dec. 9-10 attended by nearly 30 representatives of the archery industry and national bowhunting organizations. The meeting was sponsored and coordinated by the Bowhunting Preservation Alliance (BowhuntingPreservation.org), a non-profit foundation that's part of the Archery Trade Association. Among those attending the summit were representatives from Safari Club International, Pope and Young Club, National Field Archery Association, International Bowhunting Organization, American Crossbow Federation, Mathews Inc., Hoyt USA, Easton Technical Products, Precision Shooting Equipment, and the National Bowhunter Education Foundation, to name a few.

Jay McAninch, president and CEO of the BPA, said the group established five objectives for the alliance to address immediately, and ranked them in order of importance:
1) Retain and grow the number of bowhunters.
2) Increase bowhunting opportunities.
3) Increase public awareness about bowhunting.
4) Lower barriers to bowhunting opportunities.
5) Unite bowhunters and bowhunting organizations.

“The group made it very clear that the next time they meet, they want to see some results they can measure,” McAninch said. “They’ve all been to lots of meetings over the years, and even though this was one of the few times these high-profile groups all met at the same time, they agreed meetings serve no purpose if they don’t produce changes people notice. We’re in the best position we’ve ever been in to make a lasting impact on the future of bowhunting. The BPA’s pledge to them is that starting Jan. 1, 2004, we’ll be taking the steps necessary to meet their objectives. If we can’t show them tangible benefits, we’re not doing our job.”

McAninch is confident the BPA is positioned to develop long-range strategies and execute them. A year ago the ATA board approved plans to form the BPA foundation, and fund it with proceeds from the annual ATA Trade Show. One immediate objective at the summit meeting was to not only make better use of industry money, but also do a better job of capturing federal funds and grant money to build and improve archery ranges and bowhunter education programs.

A key feature of the BPA is that it will facilitate communication among bowhunting groups to reduce overlap and increase cooperation on programs, McAninch said. He is confident the nation’s bowhunting groups will find more ways to work together. Glenn Hisey of the Pope and Young Club agreed. “We know nothing will ever get 100 percent support, but this meeting showed we’re on the right track and that we can work together on common goals,” he said.

Dave Parker of Kinsey’s Archery Products in Pennsylvania said he hopes the BPA can find ways to harness the power of the nation’s many archery and bowhunting organizations. “Let’s get a better handle on all these archery clubs and state bowhunting groups, and find ways to work with them,” Parker said. “Who are their members, what are the issues they’re facing, how are they willing to help, and what can we do to help them? I admit I’m not a patient person, and I like to see results and accomplishments come out of meetings. I also know momentum is difficult to build, but it’s also difficult to stop once it gets rolling. Even if it’s just one objective, let’s get behind it and make it work.”

Bowhunting Preservation Alliance
BowhuntingPreservation.org