Submit Nominations for Our Hunting Habitat Conservation Award

The deadline is approaching for nominations! The purpose of the award is to recognize those foxhunting clubs, individuals and organizations that have made significant and enduring contributions towards the preservation of rural countryside and its flora and fauna. Nominee data must be provided to the MFHA Conservation Committee, care of the MFHA Office, PO Box 363, Millwood, VA 22646 or office@mfha.com no later than Friday, September 28, 2018. Visit the MFHA website and click on Conservation, then Hunting Habitat Conservation Award for all the details. Direct questions to Conservation Committee Chair Daphne Wood, dfwmfh@gmail.com, or Billie-Jo Pearl at the MFHA office, office@mfha.com.

Submit Your Favorite Photos for Our 2019 Calendar

Do you have a favorite photograph you'd like us to consider for next year's calendar? Submit high resolution horizontal images of hunting, hounds, horses and landscapes to production@covertside.net. You may also email us a link for your FTP or Dropbox type of photosharing system. Images must be high resolution and at least 300 dpi jpeg files. NO CELL PHONE PHOTOS, PLEASE.

Visit Our New Website and Member Login Section

We are pleased to announce that our new website, mfha.com, and member database system is up and running. This has been months in the making and will provide a much better experience for our members. We invite you to check out the site and the "Member Login" section, where you can enter your email as your username and manage your profile, choose to opt into paperless billing, and arrange for automatic renewal of your membership. As always, we welcome your input and feedback - what do you like? What else would you like to see? Contact office@mfha.com or 540-955-5680 if you have any questions or need assistance.

Welcome the Professional Development Program Class of 2018-2019

The MFHA Foundation is pleased to announce that six individuals have been selected to participate in this year's Professional Development Program. They are Ashley Souchek, kennelman and whipper-in at Miami Valley Hunt (OH); Brian Groves, whipper-in at Deep Run Hunt (VA); Clare Marie Pinney, kennel huntsman, Cedar Knob Hounds (TN); Maraina Robrahn, whipper-in, Red Rock Hounds (NV); Mary Taylor Miller, whipper-in, Mr. Stewart's Cheshire Foxhounds (PA); Rachel Duffy, huntsman, Wentworth Hunt (NH). The goal of this program is to enhance the experience of professional hunt staff by encouraging professionalism, improving competence in the hunt field and the kennels and allowing hunt staff the opportunity to network - exposure to other hunts, other staff and their styles of hunting and kennel management. The participants will receive instruction online, in person, in attendance at hound shows and while visiting other hunts, through kennel tours, and other activities in different parts of the country. Congratulations!

Conservation Awards Highlight Annual Meeting in NYC

Two significant awards related to land conservation were given at our annual meeting in New York City last month - one presented by the MFHA, and one presented to us. The 2018 Hunting Habitat Conservation Award was given to Santa Ynez Valley Hounds (CA). Decades of strategic purchase and use of easements have allowed Santa Ynez Valley to protect several thousand contiguous acres outside Santa Barbara. Joint Masters Steve Lyons, Paul McEnroe, and Bonnie Hayden gave a presentation accompanied by spectacular images of hounds out in their country. They also explained how they communicate the value of this ongoing project to the community. For example, by inviting local children to experience a day in an historic, restored one-room schoolhouse on Lyons' ranch. The hunt received a trophy and $5,000 for earning this special recognition. Watch for a feature article about their success in the next issue of Covertside.

After giving the Hunting Habitat Conservation Award, the MFHA received the prestigious Anson W. Taylor, Jr. Award for Leadership in Land Conservation from the Equine Land Conservation Resource. The ELCR is a prominent national advocacy group for protection of open space for equestrian activities. ELCR President Ken Haddad, a foxhunter, presented the engraved silver plate and outlined how, through various initiatives, the MFHA has helped conserve over 1.5 million private acres and another 1.2 million public acres. “The Hunting Habitat Conservation Award epitomizes why ELCR is giving the Anson Taylor Award to the MFHA, a recognition that is long overdue,” he said.