Fenelton native’s book wins two outdoor awards
Former Fenelton resident Sue Tidwell, née Coyle, never expected to take part in a 24-day safari in Tanzania, let alone write a book about it.
And she really never expected for her book, “Cries of the Savanna,” to win two awards from outdoor organizations.
Along with the Professional Outdoor Media Association’s (POMA) 2022 Pinnacle Award, Tidwell’s book also has been named recipient of The Wildlife Society’s 2022 Conservation Education Award.
Tidwell said, “As a first-time self-published, self-funded author, I am thrilled and honored to be recognized by professionals in the industry.”
Tidwell received the POMA award June 15 in Kalispell, Mont., during the group’s annual business conference.
The Pinnacle Awards honor journalists for remarkable achievement in traditional outdoor sports-focused communications, including writing, photography/illustration/art, and broadcasting as well as content focused on wildlife conservation.
"Cries of the Savanna“ won the book category.
"The outdoor media and content creators of our industry are paramount to communicating our message to the public,“ said POMA Executive Director Thomas MacAulay. ”The Pinnacle Awards are designed to highlight the best of the best within the outdoor media, and we are proud to present these awards to those individuals who are a credit to our industry,"
And Tidwell recently was informed her book had won The Wildlife Society’s 2022 Conservation Education Award, which will be presented during the group’s annual conference Nov. 6 through Nov. 10 in Spokane, Wash.
“For the POMA, someone had read my book and thought I should enter it,” Tidwell said. “I joined POMA, submitted my book and won an award.”
With the TWS award, she said she submitted a letter to the society and got nominated.
She said she plans to travel to Spokane from the Idaho ranch on which she lives with her husband, Rick, although she said “even awards cost you money.”
“Winning an award doesn’t get you in the conference for free,” she said, but the contacts you make at these meetings are invaluable.
Tidwell has called “Cries of the Savanna," her journey to understanding African wildlife conservation.
She said she grew up in Fenelton, the daughter of Nancy and the late Jim Coyle, and her father and brothers hunted.
"I understood hunting. I'm not against hunting per se," said Tidwell.
But before she and her husband left for the safari in Tanzania, Tidwell had no desire to go on a hunting safari and didn’t understand the concept of hunting exotic animals.
But the Tidwells’ safari took them deep into rural Tanzania, a far cry form a tourist-friendly game park.
Her experiences led her to decide big-game hunting was important to protecting both the environment and ecology of Tanzania.
Tidwell said it took her two years to write the book and another year to edit it, find a cover and have beta readers — Africans and other hunters — read it and give suggestions.
The self-published book's cover was created by an African artist. The book is available online.
