Press Releases

Outdoor Ambassadors Announced

Date: September 12, 2005

Contact: Ami Simpson, 334-242-4537

State Tourism Agency Announces Outdoor Ambassadors for 2006 “Year of Outdoor Alabama”

MONTGOMERY, Ala. — The Alabama Bureau of Tourism and Travel has selected 14 leaders in the state’s outdoor adventure industry to serve as ambassadors for its 2006 promotion “The Year of Outdoor Alabama.” The group--including an award-winning television host, two photographers, kayaking and canoeing experts, and two charter boat captains--will be featured in the agency’s 2006 Official Alabama Vacation Guide.

The outdoor ambassadors were announced today at the annual Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism held at the Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center in Montgomery. Lee Sentell, director of the Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel, said selections were based on input from the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources and tourism professionals in the state. The tourism industry is joining forces with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources to promote outdoor activities, from hiking, biking and rock climbing to hunting, fishing and golf, during next year’s promotional campaign. Ambassadors were selected for each of the four regions that ABTT uses to promote the state.

Outdoor ambassadors representing Alabama’s River Heritage region are Tess Jolly of Tuskegee, Lonnie Carden of Montgomery, Chris Carter of Wetumpka, and Grady Hartzog of Eufaula. Jolly is noted for putting the spotlight on turkey hunting in Alabama through her award-winning images and for encouraging women from all walks of life to become outdoor women. Carden owns Southern Trails in Montgomery and the Coosa Outdoor Center in Wetumpka, and is known for his efforts to preserve the Coosa River in Elmore County. Carter owns Coosa River Adventures and is actively involved in the Coosa River Paddling Club and trail organizations. Grady Hartzog is an outdoor conservationist and is involved in several organizations including Forever Wild, Ducks Unlimited, and the Alabama Wildlife Federation.

The Metropolitan region representatives include Doug Phillips of Tuscaloosa, Mark Whitlock of Birmingham, and Beth Maynor Young of Birmingham. Phillips has been showcasing the beauty and intrigue of Alabama outdoors to television viewers for the past 20 years through Alabama Public Televion’s award-winning show, Discovering Alabama. Mark Whitlock is owner of Mark’s Outdoor Sports in Birmingham and host of the annual Lake Open Bass Fishing Tournament; and Beth Maynor Young is an accomplished photographer who has spent much of her life chronicling the natural beauty and wild places of the South.

The ambassadors from North Alabama are Lamar Marshall of Moulton, Talmadge Butler of Guntersville, and Loretta Lynn Weninegar of Huntsville. Marshall is noted for his extensive efforts to preserve Bankhead National Forest and is founder of Wild South. Talmadge Butler is the superintendent of Lake Guntersville State Park Lodge and was previously the superintendent at DeSoto State Park where he earned national recognition for his anti-littering efforts. Loretta Lynne Weninegar is a botanist, instructor and leading expert in the area of freshwater biology, wetland botany, and the wildlife species of Alabama and the southeastern United States.

Featured from the Gulf Coast region are Dr. John J. Dindo of Mobile, David Rainer of Mobile, Bobby Morris Walker of Orange Beach, Captain Cindy Frank and Captain Carol Bramblett of Mobile. Dr. Dindo of the Dauphin Island Sea Lab is an educator, scientist, and sportsman. Rainer is outdoors editor of the Mobile Register and initiated that newspaper’s “Reel Report” on the area’s best fishing holes. Walker and her husband run Summer Breeze Charters, and she has become an advocate and spokesperson for the fishing industry in Orange Beach. Capt. Cindy Frank operates Making Waves Charters and works as first officer aboard the 72-foot schooner, the Joshua. Capt. Carol Bramblett built and owns the Joshua, the official tall ship for the city of Mobile.

The Alabama Bureau of Tourism & Travel will feature the outdoor ambassadors on the ABTT Web site at www.800alabama.com and in other brochures and publications.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: All the outdoor ambassadors are available for interviews as their schedule permits. For more information on each of them, including contact numbers, please see the Outdoor Ambassador Profiles posted here: http://www.800alabama.com/info/news/press/news.cfm

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