Seeking to fill Membership Vice President position
The ODCCA has a current opening on its Board for the Vice President responsible for Membership. This is an important position that we are looking to fill immediately. Please see the details regarding this position below. The Application Deadline is October 5, 2022. Position: Membership Vice President Reports to/Gets Support From: ODCCA President Duties and Responsiblities:
The highest priority for the person in this role is Leading membership drives and promoting and developing new benefits to ODCCA membership. At this time, due to extending membership at no charge due to Covid, 70% of current memberships will expire for those who have 1 or 3 year memberships. An unprecedented membership drive will be required to maintain and grow membership beyond current numbers. Skills Required:
Please forward your application to Brad Falkinburg, ODCCA President at [email protected] or click here. Application Deadline: October 5, 2022 |
Volunteers needed for our 2023 show!
Important Call for Volunteers for the 2023 ODCCA Show and Competition!
Successful Decoy Competitions and Shows require at least 3 things to be successful: 1) Carvers, 2) Decoys and 3) VOLUNTEERS. Putting on the Annual ODCCA Show and Competition takes a huge amount of effort, and a huge amount of time from a lot of volunteers. Over time and for a variety of reasons, the pool of ODCCA volunteers has shrunk and we urgently need your help in setting up and running the 2023 ODCCA Show and Competition. For the 2023 ODCCA Show (March 18 - 19, 2023), we are seeking volunteers to shadow and fill roles as Event Chair Persons and as Show Volunteers. Briefly the work involved in each of these includes: Event Chair Persons - Coordinates & staffs all activities/tasks prior and during the Event that they are responsible for. - Trains and supports Show Volunteers working with them on their event to enable them to execute their tasks successfully. - A few examples include: Decorative Floating Chair, Ain’t Vintage Chair, IWCA Style Contest Chair, Rest of Marsh Chair, Kids Painting Chair, etc. Show Volunteers - Executes tasks and duties at the show in support of the Event that they have volunteered for (with the guidance of the support of the Event leader). - A few examples include; show set up/take down, decoy handling for competitions and photos, staffing the admission desk, recording competitions, staffing the Club Table, Registration, etc. Please sign up soon! We will collect this information and forward it to the Show Committee who will then reach out to each of you regarding next steps. Expect this to happen in late October. The ODCCA Show has been running the last 5 shows without enough volunteers. Other Decoy Shows across the country that have closed or are struggling, observe that they have run out of volunteers long before they have run out of decoys. Let's not let that happen to the ODCCA. Please Volunteer today! For those interested in volunteering for the ODCCA: Please complete the form below with your information and your area of interest. Or send us an email at [email protected] and give us your name, email address, phone number and your area of interest. |
On July 21, 2022, the Ohio Decoy Collectors and Carvers Association marked its tenth year as a sponsor for the “Day on the Wildside” kids event held at Winous Point Shooting Club located on Sandusky Bay, Ohio. ODCCA donated $250 and president Brad Falkinburg, and his son Ethan volunteered their time at the event.
The Ottawa Soil and Water Conservation District along with many other partners hosted the event for 60 kids ranging from 5th thru 8th grade. ODCCA president and long-time volunteer, Brad Falkinburg, and his son, Ethan, are dedicated to hands-on learning. “My son Ethan and I have been volunteering with this important introduction to the outdoors and wetlands for several years. I help with the “Life in the Marsh” station where we teach the kids about the importance of wetlands and how they act as nature’s kidneys, what lives there, water quality, the types of ducks that rely on these types of coastal wetlands, etc. We take them out in the middle of the marsh in the classic Winous hand built punt boats and show them wetland plants, aquatic insects, and we seine for fish and aquatic bugs. The kids all get out of the punt boats and get wet and muddy and help catch the fish. Ethan has been a group leader for the last 4 years where he is responsible for taking one of the five groups of kids to the various stations set up around the property. The stations include bird banding, fishing/lure making, trapping, punt boating, archery, target shooting with .22 rifles, Life in the Marsh, and wildlife ID,” said Mr. Falkinburg. To ensure each student experienced each station, five groups of 12 were created and led by a handful of volunteers. Every 45 minutes, the groups would switch to a different activity station run by volunteers who are experts in their respective fields. Ever since it was established in 1856, the non-profit Winous Point Shooting Club has been at the forefront of waterfowl and wetlands conservation. Coastal wetlands of southwestern Lake Erie are among Ohio’s most valuable natural areas. Winous Point helped pioneer establishment of wetland protection, restoration, and management strategies, academic research in wetlands, and migratory bird regulations. Most recently, Winous Point Marsh Conservancy was established in 1999 to meet the mounting challenges to wetland conservation in southwest Lake Erie. “It is important for students to experience one of Ohio’s most valuable natural areas. They learn about the many ways they can enjoy the outdoors and to become stewards for wetland conservation,” said Mr. Falkinburg. |