Brian Bird, NX0X, of Duluth, Minnesota, has been named the new Custodian for CQ magazine’s USA Counties Award (USA-CA). The appointment was effective on June 1. Bird succeeds Ted Melinosky, K1BV, who served as USA-CA Custodian and CQ Awards Editor for 21 years. CQ said several updates to the USA-CA Award rules also will take effect on June 1. A county hunter since the 1990s, Bird earned the USA-CA All Counties Award in 2004. The complete updated rules appear in CQ’s June 2019 “Awards” column and will be posted on the CQ website. Contact Bird via email.