I find myself wondering why this nonprofit is worth giving up everything? The answer is that I had to ask myself if we had lost touch with the hunting and fishing culture I had grown up living. In my time owning and operating a sporting goods store, appearing on national television, and being intertwined in the outdoor industry as a female hunter trying to inspire others, I found a lot of trends and commercialization that clouded the true purpose of being in the outdoors. So then I found myself wondering, "are we becoming detached from nature through sensationalizing outdoor culture" my feeling was yes.
For years the nonprofit has been a dream of mine, I wanted to pass on the love and exposure to the outdoors necessary to preserve it and our wildlife, but the purpose started to become more prominent the deeper I dove into this topic. It still is a large part of our heritage and culture in my little town, although it is also changing here. But, of course, there are also places where the heritage is gone; I notice something shifting in the new outdoor culture. Suppose you want to see what I am referring to. In that case, you can quickly find it on any social media platform—sensationalizing meaning "presenting information about (something) in a way that provokes public interest and excitement at the expense of accuracy.
Why are we doing this? It, of course, is a means to make money and gain popularity but is this the right way to grow interactions in the outdoors, or will this leave out the facts and foundation that wildlife conservation and environmentalism needs be everlasting. When asking myself these questions, I decided that even though I am just one person, I am not the only person who believes in the heritage of cultures that hunt, fish, and practice sustainable living. I also can not be the only one that thinks it has to happen from a grassroots approach. So here I am, jumping headfirst into my nonprofit and spending my days trying to build what I believe is a solution.
I know it's simplistic, and I know there are many other issues at hand, but this is my soapbox, and I invite you to join me on my quest.
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