by Nate Kennedy, RGS & AWS Northeast Regional Engagement Coordinator
In the Northeast, we have chapters with lengthy and impactful histories with chapters named for incredible RGS & AWS members like Brian Hays and Russ and Carole Dyer, others named for upland writers like William Harnden Foster and Burton Spiller and, even, chapters named for the historic regions they work to steward.
Central New York’s been referred to as “the Chapter that others should aspire to become” and their annual banquet’s been called the premier sporting event of the area. They’ve got a past to be proud of and are still going strong after more than 45 years.
As the longest-standing chapter in the region, Central New York (CNY) has a large committee of dedicated volunteers – many with three-digit RGS & AWS member numbers – who’ve been involved since the chapter was originally chartered in 1980. The CNY Chapter holds many events, attends several outdoor shows and is composed of some of the most incredible people I’ve ever met.
This chapter isn’t only a group of dedicated volunteers, but dedicated bird hunters as well. The classic partridge gunner, die-hard uplander and traveling wingshooter can all be found within their ranks. They lead with camaraderie, sense of humor, passion and an affinity for the lore and tradition of grouse and woodcock hunting.
The CNY Chapter keeps busy, sharing the workload well among their team. They begin each year with a January meeting where they lay out the year ahead and reflect on the previous one. Early in the year, they display at the New York State (NYS) Sportsman’s Expo, providing information in order to grow membership and raise awareness for the RGS & AWS mission.
As much as this crew enjoys their fall in the woods, they love time spent on the range. They host an annual Side by Side Shoot, Breakfast Shoot, KADAT Sporting Clays Shoot, Hunter Challenge Sporting Clays Shoot and a Fall Outing, which is a last-minute tune-up on the clays course before heading into the cover with their dogs.
In recent years, the chapter’s grown their support of youth programs, helping local youth raise funds for their shooting sports clubs like the Scholastic Clay Target Program and New York State High School Clay Target League, which focus on trap and skeet shooting development. Each year, the chapter sends several youth to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC) summer outdoor camp where they learn about conservation, wildlife and outdoor skills. The CNY Chapter has raised over $9,000 annually for 10 youth shooting sports teams across the region, and remains committed to stewarding the future of hunting, shooting and conservation.
This is in addition, of course, to their regular fundraising. Through their annual conservation banquet and adjacent habitat raffle, the CNY Chapter consistently supports the NYS RGS & AWS Drummer Fund and maintains a robust reserve fund, which has directly impacted and improved many acres of habitat over the years. In 2021, when a traditional banquet wasn’t in the cards, the chapter sent out letters asking supporters to sponsor in lieu of their annual event. It was tremendously successful – and a showcase of the strong support that CNY Chapter of RGS & AWS has throughout the region.
When it comes to mission delivery, the CNY Chapter’s led the charge for decades. Most recently, with habitat improvements at Connecticut Hill Wildlife Management Area, the Finger Lakes National Forest and the State University of New York College of Environmental Science (SUNY ESF) and Forestry Heiberg Forest – both financially and through hands-on volunteer days. These projects, and their predecessors, have led to larger partnerships with SUNY ESF, NYSDEC and others who’ve led RGS & AWS impacts in Central New York to a landscape scale.
The Central New York Chapter is in many ways the total package. History, tradition, hard work and a conservation ethic prevail in their efforts – and their dedication and commitment seem to know no bounds.
The truth is I’m honored to know these people and proud to work alongside them. One of them led me to my first bird dog. One calls regularly just to check in. Several of them never send an email without including a photo of their dog(s). They’re bold and outspoken enough to stand up for our mission and our work and to say it like it is when the time is right. They give their opinion and ask for mine. It’s a team – and a darn good one.
In considering which parting words I’d offer about what the rest of us could learn from the Central New York Chapter, I believe two points stand out the strongest.
First, a lesson in differences. They put the work and the mission and the birds before personal differences. Your personal choice in politics, dog breed and barrel configuration doesn’t get in the way once the meeting is called to order and the chapter’s work begins. Kinship and mutual respect for the mission are what leads and what shines through.
Second, a lesson in time. The CNY Chapter honors the past through storytelling, vintage shotguns and keeping with tradition. They live in the present by sticking together, working hard and remaining committed to their work and mission, and they honor the future by investing in a younger generation, growing RGS & AWS membership and maintaining visibility in their community.
