Saturday, August 26, Diane Bedard won two awards for Excellence in Craft from the Florida Outdoor Writers Association (FOWA) at their annual conference in Ocala, Florida.

“I am so thrilled to receive these awards from my fellow outdoor writers. FOWA is a wonderful organization that has embraced electronic publishing and welcomed me as a valued member of one of the nation’s oldest and largest outdoor communicators’ organizations,” Diane said.

Diane is the founder of NatureCoaster.com and a member of FOWA. She was awarded first place for writing the NatureCoaster promotional video, which can be seen here:

Second place was awarded for her writing on the Ozello episode of Gems of the Nature Coast, which aired on WYKE TV in Citrus County and is available online here:

FOWA’s mission is stated as “Through ever-improving our communication skills . . . to heighten the education of all outdoor participants in the areas of conservation, safety, participation and environmental issues’ is as important today as it was over 50 years ago.”

NatureCoaster.com was started in 2014 to unite Florida’s Nature Coast residents, visitors, and relocators with the best of the area through an online magazine that includes feature stories, useful information, an extensive calendar of events throughout Citrus, Hernando and Pasco Counties, and a directory of local businesses and organizations. It has grown to over 12,000 unique visitors monthly and over 1,800 weekly e-zine subscribers.

Diane produces feature articles for NatureCoaster.com and guides the publication as it grows. Anyone can sign up for the weekly e-zine at http://eepurl.com/31VbX.

She also writes for Ocala Style’s Healthy Living magazine, the Citrus County Visitor’s Guide, newspapers, radio, and television. She can be contacted for individual writing projects through email by clicking here.