We welcome your participation and support as a member!

There are two membership options:

• Active Member ($40 annual dues): Active Members must meet (and continue to hold annually) certain qualifications/criteria based on a points system audited by the Board of Directors. Individuals shall be eligible to apply for active membership after they have obtained a minimum of 100 points by any combination in every calendar year for which they are members. The board of directors may direct that membership audits be conducted to determine if active members still meet minimum criteria. Points scale is listed below. (NOTE: In certain circumstances an APPRENTICE Membership may be offered at $20/yr.)
• Supporting Member ($75 annual dues): LOWA supporting members are firms, individuals or organizations who are not active communicators, but who also have an interest in nature-based outdoor activities. Supporting membership provides an opportunity for access to and interaction with outdoor communicators. Supporting members provide valuable services in a partnership capacity to LOWA.

The membership committee shall review all applications, for Active and Apprentice memberships and determine if the applicant meets the criteria for membership, and forward their decision to the executive secretary/director for processing. A member’s status may be changed from active to active-retired, apprentice to active, active to apprentice, or have their membership terminated under the rules and bylaws.

All new members must have a sponsor who is a current, Active Member in good standing.

Dues are payable on January 1 of each year, and become delinquent on March 1. Membership privileges are suspended during the period of delinquency and terminated 90 days thereafter, unless termination is waived by the Executive Committee for good cause.

A cheque for the full amount, payable to LOWA, should be mailed to:
LOWA
3320 WEST ESPLANADE AVENUE NORTH
METAIRIE, LA 70002
(your membership cannot be completed without it).

Once you decide which membership you qualify for, complete the form below.

The following are criteria (including points awarded) to become an Active Member of LOWA:

• OUTDOORS EDITOR – A paid outdoors editor for a daily or weekly public newspaper or magazine with a minimum of 2,000 subscribers – 100 points.
• SYNDICATED NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST – Syndicated newspaper writer or paid columnist – 20 points for each newspaper that buys the column and publishes it a minimum of twice each month.
• WILDLIFE ARTIST – Cartoonist, illustrator or artist of original artwork of an outdoor nature – 10 points for each paid published or commercially sold piece.
• RADIO AND TELEVISION BROADCASTER – Primary host or co-host of a radio show or television program focusing on the outdoors – 5 points per paid broadcast of 5 minutes duration or less, 10 points per paid broadcast of 5.01 to minutes duration, 20 points per paid broadcast of 10.01 minutes or greater duration.
• PHOTOGRAPHER – Freelance photographer for newspapers or magazines. Photographs must be of an outdoors nature – 10 points for each paid outdoor photograph.
• PUBLIC AFFAIRS SPECIALIST – Public relations manager for a government or private organization in which 50 percent or more of time is directed towards outdoors communication. Duties must include such activities as news release writing, public speaking, newsletter publishing photography, speech writing or other communications endeavors -100 points.
• MAGAZINE STAFF – Publisher, editor, paid staff writer, and/or staff photographer for a recognized outdoors magazine or other similar print publication with a minimum of 2,000 subscribers – 100 points.
• FREELANCE MAGAZINE WRITER – Freelance outdoors magazine writer or columnist – 25 points for each freelance article sold to a magazine for which the writer is not a staff number.
• NEWSPAPER COLUMNIST – Outdoor newspaper columnist, feature writer, or freelance writer not considered a staff writer or edition for the weekly or daily newspaper in which it appears -10 points for each paid published piece.
• BOOK AUTHOR – Author of an outdoors book published and sold commercially – 100 points. The full 100 points carry over for five years after the initial publication date.
• MOVIE PRODUCER OR VIDEOGRAPHER – Producer, writer or videographer of outdoors movies or videos sold commercially – 90 points for each paid or sold video of 30 minutes duration or longer. Points awarded only for the year in which the movie or video was first marketed.
• INTERNET JOURNALIST – Publisher, editor, paid staff writer/photographer or freelance writer/photographer for a commercial, for-profit Web site with a minimum of 500,000 hits and 50,000 user sessions per month, in which the majority of the content is devoted to outdoors, activities such as fishing, hunting, boating or camping. The statistics must be published daily to the Web site by a recognized professional traffic-analysis package. The Web site must contain traditional articles (no fishing reports), photos, news or other information normally associated with print newspapers or magazines, and must be available to the general public. The prospective member must be responsible for editing/writing articles or taking/publishing photos. Advertising sales efforts shall not count toward LOWA eligibility. The posting of fishing reports alone shall not be counted towards LOWA eligibility. Publishers, editors and paid staff reporters – 100 points. Freelance writer – 25 points for each article sold to a Web site for which the prospective member is not a staff member. Freelance photographer – 10 points for each photo sold to a Web site for which the prospective member is not a staff member.
• LECTURER – A speaker who provides an oral presentations/lectures on outdoors related activities (i.e. hunting, fishing, decoy carving, boating safety, etc.) for payment or who conducts the presentation before a LOWA recognized organization (Rotary Club, Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, educational group, etc) – 20 points for each presentation lasting a minimum of 30 minutes. The LOWA reserves the right to make the determination of whether the organization is recognized by the LOWA or not. Questions about whether an organization is recognized by the LOWA should be referred to the Executive Director.
• PAID LOWA WORK – An individual who is paid by LOWA for services (i.e. Executive Director/Secretary and Fish Records Committee Chair) and lectures or writes about those functions – 5 points for each lecture, media appearance or written piece, for a maximum of 45 points per year.