As I write this report, many exciting events are occurring: club elections, the historical passage Peregrine take, the federal certification of our State falconry regulations and the complete overhaul of our state regulations to allow many of the liberties afforded falconers in the new federal regulations. And let’s not forget the big one for THA, the upcoming Annual Field Meet this January, which will mark the 40th Anniversary of THA’s formation.

In this issue of On The Wing, you will find the last Director’s reports from Jimmy Walker and Jim Guy. Both of these gentlemen have done a wonderful job and it’s been a pleasure to work with them. I hope all of you will join me in thanking these men for their unfaltering dedication to the association and for volunteering many, many hours of their valuable time. Thanks guys, I appreciate all your efforts.

The Officers want to thank the five individuals that stepped up to the plate to accept nomination to fill the positions of Northern and Southern Directors; Jack Brady, Robert Carter and Chris Davis for Northern Director along with Manny Carrasco and Chuck Redding for Southern Director. It was obvious that no matter the election results, the membership and THA was the winner. Any of these fine gentlemen would do a fantastic job.

According Jim Coody, our Secretary/Treasurer, the Northern Directorate cast the most votes for Chris Davis. For the second time ever, there was a tie in voting. After double checking the Bylaws and remembering there wasn't a procedure to settle a tie, I asked Chuck Redding and Manny Carrasco to try and work it out between them. They did. I'm pleased to announce Chuck will be the new Southern Director. I, along with the rest of the Officers, look forward to working with these fine men and look forward to their contribution to the association. These gentlemen will hit the floor running with all the different projects still on the burner.

It gives me great pleasure to report that THA Director at Large, Robert Benson, THA members Danny Pickens, Scott Coleman, Chris Godfrey and Corey Howard, along with four out-of-state falconers, Hubert Quaid (Idaho), Ralph Rogers (Montana), Gary Weddle (Nevada) and Bill Heinrich (Idaho) were all successful in trapping a passage Peregrine on the Texas coast. In all, 10 permits were issued and all 10 were filled. What an historical event for these falconers! All falconers should be proud of this true success story. It has been nearly 40 years since the last passage Peregrine was taken from the beaches of Texas for use in falconry. Congratulations to those of you who were fortunate enough to draw those permits. We hope that there will be lots of pictures and articles to come from each of you so all of us can join you in your exciting experiences.

In late August, the Texas Parks and Wildlife Commission approved a request by the department to send our current state falconry regulations to the USFWS with the recent addendum stating if our regulations are less restrictive than the federal regulations, Texas will defer to the federal regulations. If the additional wording and current regulations are approved, Texas will be one of the first states certified under the new Federal falconry regulations for January 1, 2010 doing away with the dual permit currently required to practice falconry in Texas. For those of us with permit expiring next year (the summer of 2010) or applying for their first falconry permit, you will be saving the additional $100 in federal permits fees currently required. Please keep in mind that this is only the first of a two-step approach that is currently underway. Part two is the complete rewriting of our state regulations to allow for the new and improved Federal falconry standards.

Throughout this latest process of working with Texas Parks and Wildlife on our new regulations, I can honestly say they have been very helpful and eager with a willingness to accommodate most if not all that we have asked for thus far. The good working relationship between the FRC, THA, and TPW has paid dividends and I hope that it continues long into the future.

In my last Club News Report, I informed you that Texas Parks and Wildlife recently reviewed our current falconry examination and found it to be outdated—to say the least. During our last Regulations Committee meeting, TPW asked me if THA would be willing to help create a new test for prospective apprentices. This is an excellent opportunity for our association to demonstrate to the department our commitment to the sport and our willingness to put forth some effort to help with the process and items that directly impact our sport. In that same report, I asked each of you to help by submitting five questions to me or Sheldon. To date, there has not been one single reply to that request. Folks, these are your falconry regulations and your test that we are working on together with TPW. We need your help. If we, as a club, don’t provide input when we have the opportunity, TPW will do as they see fit. Which option do you feel more comfortable with or which do you think would be more beneficial to our sport? Please take a few moments and help better our sport.

As for the second step in the process concerning the falconry regulations, Don, Steve, and I are currently waiting to hear back from Robert MacDonald, TPW Regulations Coordinator, to see a copy of their first stab at the complete rewrite using TPW verbiage. Once we receive that, and after addressing any irregularities, we go back to the Commission and seek permission to publish the changes for public comment. Those comments are then presented to the Commission and they make a decision to proceed with the changes. When the period of public comment is opened, please do your part to read, comprehend, and offer suggestions or agree with what is being proposed. Please be ready and participate. Your future falconry regulations depend on it!

By the time you receive this issue of On The Wing, Sheldon Nicolle and Krys Langevin will have been working feverishly on the upcoming THA Annual Field Meet. Behind the scenes, Manny Carrasco will have been providing his talents in the form of artwork for our meet t-shirts, hoodies, and a meet print. This Meet celebrates the 40th Anniversary of the formation of THA. It is our hope that as many of you come as is possible. This is a special Meet, as it should be.
As always, we are still looking for a few of those special folks out there that have the gift of gab and can easily earn the trust of landowners in acquiring permission to access places to hunt our birds in advance of our annual field meet. At this time, no one has volunteered to help, making this the second year in a row no one has taken the time to assist in this very important aspect of the field meet. In the recent THA survey, many members voiced their desire to see greater access to place to hunt their birds along with detailed maps at the annual field meet. It takes volunteers to do this work. Otherwise each of us must plan ahead or be ready to look for your own places to hunt during the meet.

The first mini-meet of the season will have been held in Amarillo the last weekend of October. Jimmy Walker and his wife Karen have volunteered, for the second year in a row, to host the Panhandle Trapping Mini-meet. Amarillo is an excellent place to go trapping and hawking. The last I heard, Jimmy already had a full house expected with a few others expressing a desire to campout on his property. I look forward to heading up to the panhandle. Last year’s trapping mini-meet was a lot of fun. And let’s not forget to make mention of the Carroll’s plans—a Saturday night dinner at their incredible house. This was one of the highlights of last year mini-meet. The Carroll’s were great hosts and the food that Don cooked was absolutely incredible and then, if you had room, the desserts his wife made, Mmmmmm.

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