NEW 2009 Password and User Identification Numbers NTA Members are required to use a password and identification number when accessing the Member Only Section of the NTA web site.  With the New Year approaching ALL NTA members, including NTA Life Members will be required to request NEW password and identification numbers.  NEW password and identification numbers will be required to access the Member Only Section beginning January 31st, 2009.  All 2008 passwords will no longer be active on the NTA web site as of January 31, 2009. Upon making your request via email to NTAHQ you will be emailed a NEW NTA password and identification number. In Sympathy NTA Mourns the loss of Bob Davis It is with deep sadness that we post the passing of an icon in taxidermy.  NTA past President Bob Davis of Florida, has died after a lengthy illness.  Bob was truly a friend to the industry and will be missed by all who had the pleasure of meeting him.  Many may recall that Bob Davis was known as "Mr. Fish" due to his variety of fish mannikins. Sadly many of today's young taxidermists may not recall the numerous contributions that Bob Davis provided to our industry. For those who wish to send cards you may forward to: 14445 NW Highway 464B, Morriston, FL 32668 NTA Mourns the loss of Howard Calvin Guy It is with our deepest sympathies that we post the passing of one of our own.  Howard Calvin Guy of Coffeeville, Alabama has passed away due to injuries sustained in a fire.  He was a fine taxidermist and friend but more importantly he was a father, brother and grandfather.  Mr. Guy raised his 5 grandchildren after the loss of their father and helped to increase their creative spirit in the art of taxidermy.  The world of taxidermy is ultimately small and, like a family, we are all deeply affected when we are faced with a loss. Many may not have had the chance to meet and know him personally but we feel like we know him because of our love of taxidermy and the outdoors. No combination of words could properly capture the sense of loss which the taxidermy community feels. Howard Calvin Guy was a fine man, and all of our taxidermy friends are sorry to see him go.  Mr. Guy leaves behind the memory of being a wonderful, generous man and taxidermist.  If you would like to mail a card please forward to The Guy Family c/o Cornelia Guy Houston, 4387 Gin Road, Coffeeville, Alabama 36524 NTA Mourns the loss of Amber Touchstone It is with a heavy heart that I type this.  My friend and many of yours as well, Amber Touchstone passed away this morning. Amber served the NTA from 1996 through 2001 as secretary and then as a Board Member. Amber came from a strong background in hunting, fishing and the taxidermy industry.  She believed in fighting for the preservation of our industry having been a part of Touchstone Supply Company for many years.  Amber was a mother and home educator, and she knew the necessity of educating our young people.  Amber felt that all our battles against those who oppose us were worthless if our young people weren’t taught the value of the privilege to hunt, fish and to be artists in the world of taxidermy.  If you ever attended conventions you could always find Amber helping behind registration or giving children seminars. She was one of the most talented individuals you could ever meet.  Amber was born on July 24th, 1963.  She leaves behind best friend Wesley Touchstone and their children and granddaughter. The NTA and taxidermists everywhere grieve with Amber’s family in her loss.  May our Heavenly Father comfort them with His love, and may it bring them strength to know His house above is a house of many mansions free from pain and sorrow.  If you would like to send sympathy cards or notes you can send them to:  1055 East Texas, Bossier City, LA 71111 CLICK HERE FOR 2009 Membership Drive Texas Hunting Adventure INFORMATION T.E.R.F. NEWS The NTA is pleased to announce that a new TERF committee has been selected and approved. Originally, the appointments were scheduled for October 1st, 2008; however, due to the impact of 2 hurricanes back to back this necessitated an earlier time frame. By making these appointments ahead of schedule this will allow the committee to begin working right away to assist taxidermists which have been affected by Hurricanes Gustav and Ike. TERF guidelines will continue to be the guidelines posted on the NTA website. These guidelines are currently the only approved guidelines and will be used to make decisions on all requests.  TERF committee members are Mary Lou Crabtree of California, Eddie Johnson of North Carolina and Mel Kincheloe from Kansas. In the path of Hurricane Ike Hurricane Ike was the ninth named storm of the season and the fifth hurricane this year.  In the early morning hours of September 4th, Ike became a category 4 hurricane with its peak winds being clocked at 145 miles per hour.  It has been reported that damages from Hurricane Ike in US coastal areas are estimated at $27 billion, with additional damage of up to $4 billion in Cuba.  It has been said that if the estimates are accurate, Hurricane Ike will be the third or fourth costliest Atlantic hurricane and third costliest U.S. hurricane of all time. The storm surge ahead of Hurricane Ike blew onshore onto the coast of Louisiana well ahead of Ike's predicted landfall in Texas on September 13.  Areas in coastal south-central and southwestern Louisiana, some of which were flooded by Gustav, were re-flooded as a result of Ike. Some areas which had not yet recovered from Gustav power outages received additional outages, to the tune of 200,000.  The hardest-hit areas were in and around Cameron Parish, which also sustained catastrophic damage in 2005 from Hurricane Rita. Nearly every square inch of the coastline in that area was flooded heavily once again, with floodwaters reaching as far north as Lake Charles.  Below are Steve German’s words to NTA Headquarters with regard to Hurricane Ike,  “Oh my God. I just thought my house was destroyed.  I wasn`t expecting what I saw. I had a good cry and then got down to picking through the rubble. The power of water is unreal. I wasn`t the only unlucky one in the neighborhood. Probably 90% of the homes were destroyed.  You have my address and phone number now so I`m going back to work."  Thanks for the thoughts and prayers, Steve Operation TLC:  Taxidermists Love Children Needs Your Help NOW! With our visions and goals firmly in sight the National Taxidermists Association with assistance of friends, members and staff are continuing to work with United Special Sportsmen Alliance. With the efforts of the USSA, families are whisked away from the mundane, man-made world of hospitals, and medical bills providing them an opportunity to visit a place of peace to focus on the quality of life and family ties.  USSA coordinates hunting and fishing trips for disabled and terminally ill children all over the United States and is a non-profit organization based in Wisconsin. Most of their hunting and fishing trips are donated by independent landowners, game ranchers, large and small guides and outfitters and many caring individuals like ourselves.  To date USSA hunts have varied: they have included bear, hog, turkey, deer, elk and bison. The NTA is again appealing to you as suppliers and taxidermists to donate your mounting skills, mannikins and other supplies needed to make dreams come true. WILL YOU HELP? Please contact Cindy at NTA Headquarters if you are able to mount a turkey.  We have two children residing in Wisconsin that call for their trophies to be mounted promptly.  If you are located near any of the following cities located in Wisconsin, please call now: Adell, Marshfield, Abbotsville, Medford, Spencer, Port Washington, or Sheboygan.  Leave your name, telephone number and Cindy will contact you promptly. ”In utilizing and conserving the natural resources of the nation, the one characteristic more essential than others is foresight…The conservation of our natural resources and proper use constitute the fundamental problem which underlies almost every other problem of our national life." Teddy Roosevelt’s address to National Editorial Association, Jamestown, VA. June 10, 1907

Should you choose to upgrade your membership to an NTA Life Member contact Cindy to set up a budget friendly plan.

If you have never attended an NTA Board Meeting, this is an excellent opportunity to do so.  You will enjoy seeing the effort of your Officers and Board Members representing you.  Contact NTAHQ@aol.com or (985) 641-4NTA or Toll Free (866) 662-9054 for additional information.

Please remember to do your nominee the courtesy of asking them prior to submitting their name. Those persons nominated for the office of president must have served the NTA either as a board member or as an officer. Check your November-December Annual Report to see if your nominee has served previously.

According to NTA bylaws you must have paid your membership on or before May 1st to receive an election ballot. A CPA will mail out the ballots between May 20th and May 31st. You are urged to participate in the election process and cast your ballot for your NTA officers and board members.

Look over those running for election. Read their resumes carefully. Select the persons you feel

have the best interests for the NTA now and in the future. The positions that are held are important and require individuals who are willing to make small sacrifices and donate time. They will also be spending some of their personal funds to serve you. 

Requirements: All officers and board members are expected to participate in the early board meeting as well as the national convention. The early board meeting is usually held 5 months ahead of our convention. The president decides on what those dates will be. We usually arrive on a Thursday evening, meet on Friday and Saturday, and return home on Sunday. For the national convention, our meeting is on a Tuesday, Wednesday, and the convention follows from Wednesday evening through Saturday. Aside from the time and energy required by those meetings, they will also cost board members money. For the early board meeting, they will be provided with air transportation and a room to share with another board member. Their meals, airport parking, or any other expenses they incur are their responsibility. For the convention, they will be provided with a room on Tuesday night and a complimentary convention registration. They are responsible for travel expenses, additional room nights, meals, etc.

Any individual who cannot attend the necessary association functions or complete the projects appointed to them without valid reason is encouraged to step aside. The association cannot function properly with officers and board members who contribute on a partial basis. There are those individuals in our membership that are able to spend the time and effort required to make our association something we can all be proud of. It is far more gratifying to be a member of a great association than to be an officer or board member of a mediocre association. The NTA has a 17-person board because it takes that much effort to make it work. 

Elections will be held for president, vice-president, secretary and board members. Please consider your decision carefully as you cast your vote.

To see more of how the NTA Conservation Committee has been representing all taxidermists, please read the following: 

Author, actor and SCI member James Swan, Ph.D. called upon SCI members to provide him with tales of their favorite out of the way hunts in preparation for a new book, Chasing the Hunter's Dream, co-authored with TV-hosts Jeff and Sherol Engel. Guides, outfitters and members from around the world responded, adding to the 600-page comprehensive listing of hunting destinations available in print. Chasing the Hunter's Dream is now done and available at http://www.harpercollins.com/books/9780061343827/Chasing_The_Hunters_Dream/index.aspx ..  SCI members who played an instrumental role in finishing this project include: Joe Hosmer, Tom Dum, Robert Keagy, John Sievers, John Banovich, John Janelli, Wayne Lau, Ivan Carter, Jameson Parker, Srdja Dimitrijevic, Donald William Craig Patterson, Jerome Knap, John Hagen, and Bjorn Birgisson 

The National Taxidermists Association received a request from James Swan, author of “In Defense of Hunting”, to supplement his new book; this assignment was presented to the Conservation Committee.  John Janelli, submitted a ten page chapter entitled “The Business of Taking Care of Trophies” for inclusion in the book.

1.  Earned at least 5 points at the NTA Annual Competition including one first place ribbon beginning with the 1982 competition. 

2. Earned at least 16 additional points at a national, regional or state level in NTA sanctioned competition using NTA score sheets, criteria, and judges. 

Note:  One must be an NTA member prior to a competition before points will be credited.  The competition must be an NTA Affiliate or regional and follow NTA requirements for sanctioned competitions.  It is the responsibility of the affiliate to complete the standard NTA forms for proper credit of points earned in competition.  For information on competition points you may contact NTA Headquarters 108 Branch Drive, Slidell, LA 70461 or via email: Ntahq@aol.com or phone toll free (866) 662-9054 or FAX: (985) 641-9463.

Note:  A of E notification letters informing NTA members that they will be receiving their award in Lubbock, Texas will be mailed in June. 

The NTA Points Committee, wishes to remind everyone that May 15th is the deadline for your competition points to be counted for those persons wanting to receive their 2009 Award of Excellence in Huntsville, Alabama.  Those that have completed the requirements will be notified in June that they will be receiving their NTA Award of Excellence.  Please forward points for your competition information promptly.   Points may be forwarded to NTA Headquarters 108 Branch Drive, Slidell, LA 70461 or via email: Ntahq@aol.com or phone toll free (866) 662-9054 or FAX: (985) 641-9463.

The NTA Distinguished Taxidermists Competition is open to those NTA members who have won a Judges Best of Show award at an NTA licensed or sanctioned affiliate or regional, WTC, SCI and NWTF competition since the 2008 NTA Convention in Lubbock, Texas.  Entrants must be registered members of the NTA Convention, be present at the convention, and pay all appropriate entry fees plus an additional $35.00 entry fee for this award prior to the early registration deadline.  Entries in this competition will also be eligible to win all other awards in their proper division. 

The mount entered in the Distinguished Taxidermists Competition must be the exact same mount that won in the state or regional affiliate competition and NO substitutes permitted.  Any mount that has been entered in any previous NTA National Competition is NOT eligible.  Entry into the Distinguished Taxidermists Competition is allowed only if members fulfill these requirements and present an official registration form.   Forms may be obtained from NTA Headquarters upon request.  NO entries are allowed into the Distinguished Taxidermists Competition unless this form is presented at time of registration or entry. 

The National Taxidermists Association scoresheets, judging criteria and judges are designed to distinguish and assist those taxidermists who endeavor toward high quality standards in their competition entries. The National Taxidermists Association is pleased to present the following information with regard to sanctioned events. 

All state chapters will be considered in one of four categories when hosting taxidermy competitions.  Please read below to reference where your state chapter falls.

1.  Affiliated states are those whose memberships are 100-percent NTA members.  These states may host sanctioned NTA competitions provided they make use of NTA judging criteria, NTA judges and NTA scoresheets.  Their competitors, as NTA members, will earn points toward their NTA Award of Excellence and NTA Certification.  Points must be presented to the NTA Pointskeeper by May 15th in order to qualify for that years Award of Excellence.  Affiliated states are provided 100 complimentary scoresheets yearly.  Affiliated state conventions are published in “Outlook” once information is forwarded to NTA Headquarters.

2.  For a $250.00 "licensing fee" per event, all associations other than NTA affiliates, may conduct a sanctioned competition provided that NTA judging criteria, NTA judges and NTA scoresheets are used. Scoresheets must be purchased from NTAHQ.  All NTA members that enter competition will earn points toward their NTA Award of Excellence and NTA Certification.  Points must be presented to the NTA Pointskeeper by May 15th in order to qualify for that year Award of Excellence. Sanctioned taxidermy competitions are published in “Outlook” upon receipt of information at NTAHQ.

3.  If chapters desire to host an unsanctioned competition they have the option of paying a $50.00 “licensing agreement” and make use of the NTA copyrighted scoresheets, which must be purchased through NTAHQ.  However, competition points are not credited for competitors, as the competition is not an NTA sanctioned event.  Without a signed and paid licensing agreement or licensing fee, no competition may legally make use of the NTA scoresheets.  NTA scoresheets are protected by U.S. copyright. Without the licensing fee, or licensing agreement, NTA copyrighted scoresheets cannot be used under any condition.

4. Chapters are, of course open to host unsanctioned competition and make use of their own or other form of scoresheet.

The above information released by National Taxidermists Association Headquarters, 108 Branch Drive, Slidell, Louisiana 70461.  For scoresheet costs, licensing agreement and additional information contact NTAHQ (985) 641-4NTA (4682) or Toll Free: (866) 662-9054.
 

Please take the time to visit  The Taxidermist Emergency Relief Fund Site Mounts and taxidermy items for sale on www.taxidermistrelieffund.com Join the NTA now! Call, write, or e-mail Cindy at NTA Headquarters NTA Headquarters 108 Branch Drive Slidell, LA 70461 Phone 1-866-662-9054 E-mail: ntahq@aol.com Fax: 985-641-9463 Want to know about advertising rates with the NTA? Click here for our Media Kit Information Copyright © 2001-2008 National Taxidermists Association