Building Trades to Sponsor New Television Series

Ken Barrett, pictured above, is the host of a new hunting and fishing series, Life In the Open, which will be sponsored by the national Building Trades. The program will air this fall on the Outdoor Life Network.

This coming fall, just as hunting seasons across the nation kicks into high gear, the Outdoor Life Network will premier a new hunting and fishing series called Life in the Open. The Building and Construction Trades Department of the AFL-CIO (BCTD) will be the show’s lead sponsor. This decision –
a first for the BCTD and its affiliate unions, including BAC – reflects
the support of many members for America’s great sporting traditions and conservation heritage, and BCTD’s alliance with the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP).

The initial ten-part series will be produced by Orion MultiMedia, whose World of Beretta and Benelli’s American Safari helped set the standard for outdoor programming. Previews of the program, aired at a recent meeting of Building Trades leaders, were well received. “I know our members will enjoy this show,” said BCTD President Ed Sullivan, adding, “We must protect our lands for our children and grandchildren.”

Viewers of Life in the Open will journey to many of the United States’ great hunting and fishing destinations. The action will focus on big game like whitetail and mule deer, antelope and elk, and game birds such as pheasant, grouse, and quail. It will also feature waterfowl and popular game fish including trout, bass, pike and redfish. Several episodes will spotlight building trades’ members and their pursuit of trophy elk and quail.

The series’ host is Ken Barrett, a lifelong hunter and angler with strong union ties. His father, grandfather and uncles were union locomotive engineers and firefighters. When his father died while Barrett was in his teens, he remembers, “it was because of the work and sacrifice of union members and the union movement that my mother, three younger sisters and I were able to keep our house and live a decent life, something I’ve never forgotten.”

Life in the Open will also explore conservation concerns, especially the issue of hunting and fishing access. The show will take its lead from TRCP and its mission to “Guarantee Us All Places to Hunt & Fish.” As viewers will see, ‘access’ has many variations, from public lands set aside by Teddy Roosevelt where all hunters and anglers are welcome, to privately-owned land where access is obtained from family or friends or state sponsored “walk-in” programs, or through leases and club memberships.