NWTF and Alliant Energy to hold Wild Turkey Woodlands Landowner Field Day Event
If you are tired of looking at your land and seeing few signs of life, now is your chance to find out how to attract more wildlife at the upcoming Wild Turkey Woodlands Field Day. The event will be held Saturday, Aug. 16, at the Merrimac Preserve in Merrimac, Wis. The National Wild Turkey Federation's Glacier Valley Gobblers Chapter and Alliant Energy are sponsoring the event.
"This event is designed to educate landowners about proper practices to attract wildlife," said Wisconsin Regional Biologist Dave Neu. "There are a number of interested landowners who want to know how to attract deer, wild turkeys and other wildlife. We'll give them that knowledge at this seminar."
In all, there will be six speakers on hand to present information and answer questions on topics such as prairie management, trout stream management and federal programs through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.
"The NWTF has enjoyed its partnership with Alliant Energy," Neu said. "Together, we are doing great things in the outdoors."
This past spring, Alliant Energy an energy-services provider with 1.4 million electric and natural gas customers in Wisconsin, Iowa, Minnesota and Illinois, teamed up with the Glacier Valley Gobblers Chapter to host two turkey hunts for women and children through the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources' Learn to Hunt program.
The hunts were held at the Merrimac Preserve, a 1,800-acre site that is part of Riverland Conservancy, a non-profit land trust created by Alliant Energy in 1997 to manage the water, air and wildlife resources on its undeveloped acreage.
Learn to Hunt is a program that provides women and children the opportunity to learn more about the importance of conservation and the proper ethics and safety when hunting wild game.
Before the hunts, staff members of the Wisconsin DNR taught seminars about the wild turkey. Classes included: wild turkey calling, biology and scouting. Participants also had a safety class on handling and sighting in firearms.
In all, 16 women and children became hunters and four birds were harvested during the two weekends. And though a blanket of snow covered the ground during each of the hunts, the hunters didn't seem to mind as most of them got the chance to see wild turkeys.
"I really liked the hunt. It was my first time to go turkey hunting," said 13-year-old Andrew McGuine of Fox City, Wis., who harvested his first turkey during the hunt. "Since then, it has been one of my favorite things to do. Now that I know about hunting turkeys, I'm going to teach my Dad."
Alliant Energy recently became a partner of the NWTF's Energy for Wildlife program. Energy for Wildlife is a membership-based certification program for all energy companies with the primary goal of enhancing wildlife habitat on company managed, owned or influenced lands, including power line and gas rights-of-ways, plant sites, forestlands or other properties.
"Alliant Energy takes pride in providing opportunities for education on land stewardship and environmental issues," said Kim Zuhlke, Alliant Energy vice president of engineering, sales and marketing and a member of the board of Riverland Conservancy. "We are pleased to provide an opportunity to organizations like NWTF in the spirit of education."
Energy for Wildlife was created by the NWTF in response to the utility industry's need for assistance in managing the millions of acres of rights-of-way and other land that could potentially provide ideal habitat for a number of wildlife species.
The NWTF also encourages women, children and individuals with disabilities to get involved in the outdoors through its outreach programs--Women in the Outdoors, JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge Ethics and Sportsmanship) and Wheelin' Sportsmen. The outreach programs are designed to provide fun for the entire family and educate them about the importance of conservation and hunting.
For more information about the NWTF or to learn how to get more involved in the outdoors, call 1-800-THE-NWTF or visit the website at www.nwtf.org.
