CEO Notes – January/February 2024

As co-CEOs, we view this as the perfect opportunity to share in the successes of our proud and storied 50-year history of success in conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage, as well the accomplishments of the past 12 months marked by our record-breaking Convention and Sport Show, phenomenal fundraising season, largest single-year investment in research and launching our Habitat for the Hatch initiative.

But, we also want to stay focused on the future and plan to build on the momentum of this past year to meet future challenges. Our focus has and will continue to be the wild turkey, but the expertise, experience and resources the NWTF brings to mission delivery benefits other wildlife, promotes healthy forests, safeguards water quality, creates recreational opportunities and adds to the resiliency of rural communities.

To continue to successfully deliver on NWTF’s mission in the next 50 years means the organization must continually look for new and improved ways to create meaningful, positive impact to conserve wild turkey populations across the country, and to promote education, fellowship and respect of hunters and hunting traditions.

It is for this reason, we have created a 10-year plan that will help our membership grow to north of 400,000, banquets increase to nearly 2,500 events and enhance revenue generating opportunities across the organization. All of this will allow us to continue investing in our organization, delivering greater mission impact and further cementing our position as the leading conservation nonprofit in the land.

By achieving these goals, we can continue working with state and federal agencies, private landowners, other nonprofits and academia at an increased rate to sustain robust populations of wild turkeys across the country — the NWTF’s core reason for being. The decline of wild turkey populations in certain parts of the country is a growing concern. The loss of wildlife habitat and the impact of catastrophic wildfires in other areas of the country are also major issues. The NWTF is addressing these challenges in several ways.

We will continue to defend our hunting rights to preserve our passions in the outdoors, both by recruiting and retaining the next generation of outdoorsmen and women and by educating the general public on the benefits of hunting.

We will positively impact the habitats in which our game and nongame species reside, resulting in healthier wildlife populations and increased opportunities in the wild for both hunters and outdoor enthusiasts. Our habitat work also will benefit water quality for the wildlife and our local communities. And, we will continue to work for a solution to catastrophic wildfire, something that impacts more than just the communities on the front lines of fire. The success of this plan will ensure the longevity of our great organization and leave a legacy on conservation that outlives us all!

We hope you will consider joining us for the NWTF’s 2024 annual Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tennessee, Feb. 14-18, as we celebrate our successes of the past year and launch into the next 50 years of this cherished organization.