Retired Ironworkers Local 361 member John Sferazo, a longtime member of Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA), was honored for his contributions to conservation at the Field & Stream Heroes of Conservation gala on Oct. 4 in Washington, D.C.

After suffering physical and emotional trauma as a Ground Zero volunteer on Sept. 11, Sferazo has worked to provide free hunting opportunities for first responders and veterans with disabilities. With the support of 30 organizations, his nonprofit group American Greenlands Restoration Inc. has turned a former 1,000-acre asphalt plant site in Maine back into a thriving forest habitat. “Being outside gave me an outlet, and I wanted to give others the same,” he said. “It’s the right fight, at the right time, for the right reason.”

Sferazo was nominated by the USA. Currently in its seventh year, the program honors individuals involved in grassroots projects to preserve the land, water and wildlife vital to sportsmen’s pursuits.

Laura Bliss-Morris of the Union Sportsmen's Alliance sends us this report.

Nearly 150 union members, shooting enthusiasts and other guests—including United Union of Roofers and Waterproofers President Kinsey Robinson, Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton and state Attorney General Lori Swanson—teamed up to support conservation at the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance’s (USA's) second annual Roofers International Twin Cities Sporting Clays Shoot and Get Youth Outdoors Day on Sept. 15 and 16 at Wild Marsh Sporting Clays in Clear Lake. 

Laura Bliss-Morris of the Union Sportsmen's Alliance sends us this report.

As part of a Union Sportsmen’s Alliance (USA) Boots on the Ground project, volunteers from Painters and Allied Trades (IUPAT) District Council 30 helped put the finishing touches on a new facility that will host youth educational programs at the Torstenson Family Youth Conservation Education Center.

Laura Bliss Morris from the Union Sportsmen's Alliance (USA) sends us this report.

John Sferazo, a retired Ironworkers Local 361 member and longtime member of the Union Sportsmen’s Alliance will be profiled for his extraordinary contributions to conservation in the June 2012 issue of Field & Stream—the world’s leading outdoor magazine.

Since suffering physical and emotional trauma as a Ground Zero volunteer on 9/11, Sferazo has worked to provide free hunting opportunities for first responders and veterans. With the support of 30 organizations, his nonprofit group American Greenlands Restoration Inc. has turned a former 1,000-acre asphalt plant site in Maine back into a thriving forest habitat.