(OBA®) – Orange Beach, AL – The association made the announcement at its virtual annual meeting on Thursday, May 20, 2021. The award is the highest award from IHEA-USA. According to the association, the individual or organization nominated for this award should have made a significant or innovative contribution (s) to the field of hunter education that demonstrates excellence in the education of hunters and people. involved in its programs.

“I was honored to have even been considered for the award,” says Litton. “We certainly couldn’t have accomplished the things we have accomplished without all the support from the volunteers and staff at the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources who have been so quick to support everything we do. “

For over a decade, Litton has worked with the city to implement gun safety and training for Orange Beach youth. The City of Orange Beach Youth Shooting Sports Program features rifle shooting, clay court sports shooting and a dove hunt for young people with the sponsorship of Wes Moore of Alligator Alley. The kids are having fun, but Litton says the main focus is on gun and hunter safety as well as hunter ethics. With so many kids immersed in video games, Litton says educating hunters gives them practical, real-life experiences.

“It’s not a game,” he said. “These things are real and need to be handled properly. My number one goal is to change the way children think about safe hunting. If we can change their thinking, their actions will follow. ”

Litton has been involved in hunter education since 2006 and certified since 2008. Over the years he has coordinated hunting trips for children with special needs as well as for others who would not otherwise have the opportunity to hunt. He works closely and coordinates programs with Marisa Futral, Hunter Education Coordinator with the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, and Daniel Musselwhite, Regional Hunter Education Coordinator with ADCNR.

Litton is now assisting the new Orange Beach Middle / High School clay shooting team.

The International Hunter Education Association – USA is the professional hunter education association affiliated with the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies and the 50 National Fish and Hunter Education Programs. The programs employ 55,000 instructors, many of whom are volunteers, who teach hunting and shooting safety and responsibilities across the United States.

Hunter Education courses train and certify over 650,000 students each year. Since 1949, nearly 40 million students have taken hunter education courses that cover gun safety, bow hunting, wildlife management, field game maintenance, responsible hunting, landowner relations, wildlife identification and more.

For more information on IHEA-USA, see https://www.ihea-usa.org/.