LA GRANDE — The Union/Wallowa chapter of the Oregon Hunters Association will have its annual fundraising banquet March 15 at the Blue Mountain Conference Center in La Grande.

Guests will be served dinner and have a chance to bid on auction items and win a variety of raffle prizes while supporting hunting and wildlife conservation.

Raffles include the popular Coastal Farm & Ranch raffle, featuring a Weatherby Vanguard .300 Winchester Magnum rifle with a Cerakote camo stock and a threaded muzzle brake as the grand prize.

Ticket packages, which start at $150 including an OHA membership and raffle tickets, must be ordered in advance. Banquet tickets for youths age 17 and under are $50 if accompanied by an adult.

Call Morgan Olson at 541-786-1283 for ticket information.

OHA member benefits include a subscription to Oregon Hunter magazine and the annual Oregon Hunter’s calendar.

All funds raised at the event stay in Oregon for OHA projects benefitting wildlife, habitat and hunters, and 70% of the proceeds stay with the local chapter for local projects and programs, while the other 30% benefits statewide OHA efforts.

Typical OHA projects funded by banquets include planting forage and creating new water sources for wildlife, building nesting structures for waterfowl, protecting springs and riparian areas, and sponsoring youth hunter and outdoor education programs and events.

The Oregon Hunters Association is the state’s largest Oregon-based pro-hunting organization, with 12,000 members and 26 chapters statewide. Its mission is “protecting Oregon’s wildlife, habitat and heritage.”