CEO Notes – September/October 2024

The official beginning of fall is just weeks away as the September-October issue of Turkey Call magazine hits our members’ mailboxes, meaning the days are continuing to get shorter and cooler, and hunting seasons for various game species are opening up across the country. We hope you and your loved ones experience the immense power of the outdoors this fall and all that the autumn represents, whether chasing fall turkeys, enjoying a delicious venison harvest or hiking through the woods as trees put on their annual fireworks show. The outdoors has a unique ability to bring people together and provide profound insight into just how special our natural resources are. We encourage you to embrace this power.

The NWTF continues to drive critical wild turkey research across the country through our National Request for Proposal program. 2024 marks the third year in a row the NWTF has made a monumental investment in practical wild turkey research, shaping the future management and sustainability of our beloved bird. The continued stream of proposals coming in from across the country is a testament to the crucial need for research to solve the issues wild turkeys are facing. This is a collective effort, and we are proud of our extraordinary partners, volunteers and staff that make it all possible.

In June, we announced the NWTF Distinguished Professor position at the University of Georgia’s Warnell School of Forestry and Natural Resources. The new position exemplifies the NWTF’s long-term approach to wild turkey ecology and management, and we are proud to say that renowned wild turkey researcher Mike Chamberlain, Ph.D., distinguished professor of wildlife ecology and management at the University of Georgia, has been formally appointed to the position.

Chamberlain has conducted research on wild turkeys for the past 30 years and is a passionate turkey hunter. He is also an excellent communicator and has effectively shared the often-nuanced aspects of wild turkey ecology and research to engage the broader turkey-hunting public. He brings a wealth of knowledge, credibility and passion to the NWTF Distinguished Professor position.

And while the wild turkey is our focus, it is also a bridge to many other conservation challenges. Wild turkeys are often a sign of a healthy ecosystem, be it thriving pollinators, flourishing native grasses and forbs, robust riparian systems or well-maintained forests that provide a mosaic of habitat for wildlife. The NWTF’s potential to impact our nation’s vital natural resources through the wild turkey is almost limitless. This is why we are continuing to create NWTF-led landscape-scale initiatives that focus on specific regional priorities while retaining the fabric of who we are as an organization. By addressing broader conservation challenges through the wild turkey, we are able to bring in new partners and audiences, make a generational impact on our country’s natural resources and ultimately unite our nation through the life-changing power of the outdoors. Keep an eye out for the official launch of our next NWTF landscape-scale initiative focused in the Northeast.

In the meantime, we invite you to join us in celebrating the spirit of conservation and improving our country’s natural resources during our 4th Annual Conservation Week, Sept. 22-27, as we bring awareness and emphasis to our national conservation mission and the critical role hunter-conservationists play in creating Healthy Habitats and Health Harvests.