06/28/2010
NWTF Hires Biologist to Promote Conservation in Oklahoma and Texas
 As a regional biologist for the National Wild Turkey Federation, Gene Miller will oversee conservation and outreach projects in Oklahoma and western Texas. Click image for print quality version |
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation has hired Gene Miller of Canyon, Texas, as its new regional biologist.
Miller will oversee projects pertaining to conserving wild turkeys and other wildlife and preserving our hunting heritage in Oklahoma and western Texas.
Most recently, Miller worked with Texas Parks and Wildlife Department as a technical guidance biologist for the High Plains and Rolling Plains regions. He also has worked with the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission and served in the United States Marine Corps.
"Gene brings not only tremendous passion and skills to his new position with the NWTF, he also brings more than 30 years of experience with wildlife and project management from the mid-Atlantic region to the southern Great Plains region," said Scott Vance, NWTF assistant vice president of conservation programs. "We are proud to have him as part of the NWTF staff."
NWTF members and volunteers work year-round to improve habitat for wild turkeys and other wildlife including deer and upland species such as quail, grouse, other ground-nesting birds, rabbits and squirrels.
Miller's duties will include working cooperatively with state and federal wildlife agencies and private landowners on habitat initiatives, administering the NWTF's Hunting Heritage Super Fund, working with NWTF chapters on habitat and outreach projects, providing oversight and coordination for conservation activities, addressing riparian forest health issues and coordinating youth hunting programs and landowners workshops.
"The whole idea of conserving land and wildlife for future generations to enjoy is bigger than any single agency or organization," Miller said. "I've always subscribed to the idea of collaborating for conservation, so the notion that I can work with the NWTF to erase state boundaries and team up with various partners to promote conservation is pretty exciting."
Gene and his wife, Marie, have two daughters, Leslie Anne and Mandy, and five grandchildren.
Miller earned a bachelor's degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences from Texas A&M University in College Station, Texas.
He is a member of the Amarillo Chapter of the NWTF. His interests include hunting, fishing, camping, gardening and ministry work. He has served as a prison ministry volunteer at Randall County Jail for 15 years.
The NWTF's staff of more than 40 certified wildlife biologists are the foremost experts on wild turkeys and upland habitat. The staff can provide everything from expert information on when and what to plant, to ways to obtain cost-share funding and complete land management projects.
The Federation also offers specially designed seed mixes that provide ideal food and cover for wildlife, and discounted conservation-grade seed that is available for the price of shipping. Through the NWTF, landowners also have opportunities to attend workshops, field days and seminars focused on private land wildlife management.
The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage. The NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.
To see land management products the NWTF offers, click here or visit http://turkeyshoppe.nwtf.org.
