Casalena Presented National Lifetime Achievement Award

The Wayne Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a wildlife biologist, trapper or wildlife manager who has devoted his or her career to the wild turkey and played a major role in the turkey’s restoration and management.

“Finding out that I earned the Wayne Bailey Award was a huge surprise and the ‘icing on the cake’ to the end of my career,” Casalena said. “I am so honored and humbled to receive this national recognition. The many turkey research projects I accomplished with the PGC were possible thanks to the NWTF’s support and partnership. I’d like to give a huge thanks to the NWTF biologists and members of the Wild Turkey Technical Committee for mentoring me throughout my early years and the many cooperative projects we collaborated on to advance wild turkey management.”

Casalena retired from the PGC in October 2025 after a distinguished career with the agency. She started out as the commission’s pheasant and waterfowl biologist after graduating from Penn State University with a master’s degree in wildlife management. She stepped into the role of wild turkey biologist in 1999.

While in her role, Casalena celebrated several accomplishments. From August 1999 through March 2002, Casalena lead a hen telemetry research project on the Michaux State Forest, which found that wild turkey population limiting factors were low poult recruitment and poor nest success due to poor nesting and brood-rearing habitat. This led to the closure of the fall hunting season, and the creation of the Michaux Wildlife Management Unit 5A Turkey Task Force, which worked closely with staff from the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, PGC wildlife management staff, PGC conservation officers, NWTF volunteers and landowners.

Over her tenure, she coordinated trapping opportunities for NWTF volunteers to get involved and always updated NWTF local chapters about the research going on in their area. Her main focus was regulating season lengths and bag limits through research to maintain robust turkey populations in the state.

Casalena was an active member of the NWTF’s National Wild Turkey Technical Committee and always made it a priority to attend committee meetings to ensure she was up to date on the most recent wild turkey research. Moreover, she has been a staunch mentor and has impacted the careers of many aspiring wild turkey biologists for the better.

Casalena has left an indelible mark on the wild turkey and conservation efforts in Pennsylvania and beyond.

Kurt quote updated… “PA (the Keystone State) is my home state. Mary Jo was the PGC turkey biologist. Tie it in.”

“Mary Jo is one of the most accomplished wild turkey managers of our time,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “She has worked tirelessly to manage wild turkey populations and habitat in my home state by devoting her career as the PGC wild turkey biologist to wild turkey research. Mary Jo’s accomplished career has furthered our understanding and has greatly impacted wild turkey populations in Pennsylvania, the Mid-Atlantic and beyond. We are proud to honor her extraordinary legacy with the prestigious Wayne Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award.”

About the National Wild Turkey Federation

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.3 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $22 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to deliver healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues to unite a nation through the life-changing power of the outdoors.