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Active Member shall be one who is duly paid to produce, disseminate or edit outdoor information regularly to the public by means of newspapers, electronic media, magazines, books, journals, lectures, photography (film/video/still), art or other suitable media.

In determining eligibility for Active membership, the Membership Screening Committee and Board of Directors shall be broadly guided, but not inflexibly bound, by the following criteria pertaining to the prescribed regularity of dissemination.

• Newspapers: 40 columns or articles during the previous 12 months. A syndicated writer must have more than one publication carrying the same article; material appearing every two weeks.
• Radio/Television: 13 programs of 30-minute format or 40 programs of 2-5 minute format during the previous 12 months.
• Magazines: Six articles in general circulation magazines during the previous 12 months.
• Books: One published book during the previous 24 months.
• Book Editor: Full-time or freelance Submit letter from immediate supervisor.
• Digital Media Specialist: Communicators engaged in producing blog/vlog or other online-only media content will qualify for Active Membership if he or she provide documentation of the following: 500 average unique views per month over a 12-month period and meet three of four of the following qualifications: 1) Maintained a digital media site on outdoor-related activities in any format that allows response feedback for a minimum of one year; 2) Proof of income from communicating about outdoor-related subjects; 3) Average at least two editorial postings per month over a 12-month period (redistribution of press releases does not qualify, all material must be generated by the applicant); 4) Must reveal source for all outside support contributing to content of postings.
• Still Photography: 36 published outdoor-related photos during the previous 12 months.
• Videography: Produce, photograph or write script for one complete production of at least 30 minutes during the previous 24 months. Shorter features may be combined for total.
• Video: Produce one every 12 months of at least 50 minutes or a number of shorter videos equaling 50 minutes in total length. All must be produced in quantities of 500 or more for commercial sale.
• Lectures: 18 during the previous 12 months.
• Cartoonist/Artist/Illustrator: 12 published works during the previous 12 months.
• Public Relations: Must devote at least 50 percent of time to servicing accounts of clients engaged in outdoor activities or subjects, and whose activities involve outdoor information other than product publicity.
• Website Content Director, Writer, Editor, Photographer, Artist or Designer : A website content director, writer, editor, photographer, artist or designer will qualify for Active Membership if he or she provide documentation of the following:  24 URLs of website content or design work published and compensated in the past 12 months.  This may include web features or actual web pages developed in which they personally generated the content.  Applicants should submit supporting pages demonstrating regular content updates. The same piece appearing on multiple websites counts as one submission.
  mbination of the above that satisfies the Membership Screening Committee and Board of Directors.

Freelance outdoor writing must account for at least 60 percent of writing income. Full-time employees of state, federal or nonprofit agency whose chief concern is communicating about the outdoors.

Associate Member shall be one who satisfies at least 50 percent of the requirements for Active status is eligible if they have a strong, direct professional or commercial interest in outdoors communications and has the potential for becoming an Active member within three (3) years. This does not apply to Associate members who joined prior to Sept. 27, 1989.

Student Member shall be one who is a full-time student who has an active interest in outdoors communications.

Corporate Member shall be one that is engaged in commercial or public relations efforts directly related to the outdoors, including manufacturers of outdoor goods or providers of outdoor services, their representatives, distributors, advertising or public relations agents, etc.