If you’re a Nevada hunter or angler who happens to frequent local hunting/fishing retailers, you may have seen or subscribed to the local publication
“Northern Nevada Outdoors” Magazine…..
Jim Billingsley of Winnemucca, founder of the publication, gives NOU an overview of the magazine’s history and commitment to young outdoorsmen……
NOU: Can you tell us about the history of Lowry High School’s production of “Northern Nevada Outdoors” magazine and also your background/involvement with this publication?
Jim: A friend of mine and assistant superintendent, Eddie Booth, told me of a class in Alabama that was doing a magazine through the high school. He thought, because of my love of the outdoors, that it may be a project that I would be interested in. When I looked into it I thought it would be a great idea. First, we had to get it on the high school schedule and find enough students to make it possible. Next, we needed some funding. I wrote and received a grant from the E.L. Cord Foundation for $5,000. and we were ready to go. My teaching experience was a social studies teacher and coach. I knew very little about computers, graphic design and magazine publication. We used the yearbook lab for our class and the yearbook instructor was very helpful. Our first publication came out in the Fall of 2000. We have been going strong ever since.
NOU: How many student hours each school year go into your publication? In addition to students, are there adults and/or volunteers involved as well?
Jim: The class meets four times a week, for a total of 5 hours a week. Because I am retired from teaching, Andy Anderson is the teacher of record and we use his art and computer lab during his free period. If it wasn’t for Andy, this class would not be possible. Andy watches the class if I am gone and is much better at computers and graphic design that I am. He has been a wonderful addition.
NOU: We see in your publication a number of articles featuring Nevada youth and their fishing/hunting pictures and experiences-is there a focus or goal on your part to bring more Nevada young people into the hunting/fishing experience?
Jim: Our main focus is on the youth not only in Nevada, but everywhere. Our mantra is “The Next Generation”. That is why you see a lot of focus on the young outdoorsmen. They are the “Next Generation” that must keep this heritage alive. So anything we can do to encourage that is very important to us and should be to all outdoorsmen. We also have established the Cody Louk “Dream Keeper” Foundation that takes disabled hunters under the age of 18 on outdoor adventures. This has been a very rewarding project that has been very successful.
NOU: From your perspective Jim, what’s the most rewarding aspect of producing “Northern Nevada Outdoors” ? What is the most challenging?
Jim: The most rewarding thing for me is being able to work with amazing kids. We try to hand pick them for the class. To see the final product after nine weeks of work is very rewarding for myself and the kids. We also reward academic scholarships to the students that are in the magazine or two years or more. Tens of thousands of dollars have gone to this scholarship fund. The most challenging part of the magazine is that after getting these students trained, it is time for them to graduate and the training starts over again.
NOU: Besides purchasing your magazine Jim, what can the Nevada hunting/fishing community do to assist in sustaining/growing this publication?
Jim: The hunting community has been awesome. We are supported my many sportsman groups such as Nevada Bighorns Unlimited, Northern Nevada Safari Club, Nevada Muleys, Pershing County Chukars Unlimited and Nevada Chukar Foundation and our many advertisers. We are a break even project, so any support from advertising and subscriptions is always welcome. The more subscribers we have, the cheaper the cost of producing the magazine which means the bigger and better we can get. What really keeps the magazine going is the photos and stories that folks send in. If we have no content the magazine goes away. So we encourage anyone that has taken photos of their adventure in Nevada or if you are from Nevada and have photos of adventures out of state or country, please share them with us. It is awesome to see photos and read stories about places we have been and people that we know. So if you are not a subscriber yet, please sign up now ($20.00 for four issues) and if you are a subscriber we would like to thank you for supporting the “Next Generation”!
Contact Information:
Northern Nevada Outdoors, 50 East Railroad Street Winnemucca, NV 89445 Telephone: 775-623-2918
Be sure to pick up a copy of “Northern Nevada Outdoors” magazine at your local Nevada hunting/fishing retailer, and better yet, consider subscribing to this publication to support our youth!
During August, NOU will be conducting a special member’s drawing for two annual subscriptions to “Northern Nevada Outdoors”. Members interested in participating in the drawing for the subscription should submit their request by contacting NOU via “Contact Us” form at NevadaOutdoorsman.com.
~ Deadline for submissions is August 20th ~