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TRCP’s Escape to the Wild Returns for Season Three on VERSUS Country on Sunday, January 4

For Immediate Release                                      December 17, 2008

WASHINGTON —TRCP’s Escape to the Wild returns to VERSUS Country for an all-new season of making ordinary sportsmen’s extraordinary dreams come true, beginning with Chicago pipefitter Wes Blankenship as he scales Idaho's rugged Clearwater Mountains in search of spring black bear.  New episodes air every Sunday at 9:30 a.m. Eastern, beginning January 4, 2009.

In this groundbreaking original series, the Theodore Roosevelt Conservation Partnership (TRCP), VERSUS Country, and sponsoring unions and contractor associations honor hardworking union members with expenses-paid trips to world-class hunting and fishing destinations.  Each week, viewers will join host Tom Ackerman in an elaborate scheme to surprise the winner in the most unexpected way.

 “Escape to the Wild is about teaming up with deserving winners and taking them around the world to fulfill their dream hunting and fishing adventures.  Special people – special places,” Ackerman said.  “Beautiful production by Orion Multimedia compliments the beautiful locales that provide the backdrops for these trips, tying the whole package together.”

This season, viewers will join the 10 winners as they venture to Argentina to hunt majestic red stag, join professional bass angler Byron Velvick for world-class Texas bass fishing, trek Canada’s expansive tundra to hunt caribou, and run and gun for upland bird at a top-notch lodge.  And those are just a few of the adrenaline pumping adventures lined up for the best season yet.

“VERSUS is excited to continue its partnership with TRCP to produce a third season of Escape to the Wild and demonstrate the network’s commitment to hunters and anglers, the true founders of the green movement,” said Jamie Davis, President of VERSUS. “We’re proud to offer viewers another exceptional installment of this groundbreaking show, which not only has a central theme of conservation, but also pays tribute to the hard-working American.”

“In a pack of field sports shows, Escape to the Wild is a unique breed,” says TRCP President and CEO George Cooper. “Not only does it deliver on the dreams of everyday American workers, it often highlights their commitment to species conservation, a particularly strong commitment in the community of union sportsmen.

Complete Schedule (subject to change):

Idaho Black Bear              January 4 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Argentina Stag                 January 11 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Colorado Elk                    January 18 and March 15 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Quebec Caribou               January 25 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Panama Big-Game Fish    February 1 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Newfoundland Moose        February 8 and March 22 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Texas Bass                     February 15 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Alberta Waterfowl             February 22 at 9:30 a.m. EST
South Dakota Whitetail     March 1 and March 29 at 9:30 a.m. EST
Oregon Upland Birds         March 8 at 9:30 a.m. EST

(For complete schedule with additional airings, visit www.VERSUScountry.com)

TRCP’s Escape to the Wild is made possible by the generous support of many of America’s leading trade unions and contractor associations, including the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, National Electrical Contractors Association, Sheet Metal Workers International Association, International Association of Fire Fighters, International Union of Painters and Allied Trades, United Association of Journeymen and Apprentices of the Plumbing and Pipe Fitting Industry, Mechanical Contractors Association of America and the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers.

Inspired by the legacy of Theodore Roosevelt, the TRCP is a coalition of organizations and grassroots partners working together to preserve the traditions of hunting and fishing.

Contact: Kate Cywinski, 615-831-6793, kcywinski@trcp.org

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