Chapters Awarded with National Conservation Field Day Awards
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The NWTF Nisqually River Chapter, based in Washington State, and the Missouri NWTF State Chapter were both awarded the NWTF Conservation Field Day Award. Representatives from both chapters accepted the award at the NWTF’s 50th annual Convention and Sport Show, sponsored by Mossy Oak.
The Conservation Field Day Award is given to chapters that, through hands-on projects, demonstrate exceptional contributions toward the conservation goals of the NWTF.
Nisqually River Chapter — Habitat Project Field Day
The NWTF Nisqually River Chapter, founded in January 2025, hosted it's first hands-on habitat project in early August, gathering more than 20 volunteers to restore over five acres of land at a local farm in Yelm, Washington. This event was in collaboration with the Nisqually Land Trust, Tracking Y Ranch and the Petersen family.
Volunteers endured 90-degree heat to restore the rare bunchgrass prairie and oak woodland, with much of their effort devoted to removing the noxious invasive weed, Scotch broom. Removing invasive species such as the Scotch broom allows native plants to return, creating healthier habitat for wild turkeys and a variety of other wildlife.
Once Scotch broom was removed, volunteers marked Oregon white oak seedlings with flagging tape, ensuring they could later be protected with tubes from overgrazing. Washington’s only native oak species is essential for wild turkeys in the area.
“We were very surprised when we got the news,” said Justin Grimm, Nisqually River Chapter president. “This was way more than we could have ever envisioned. The NWTF Nisqually River Chapter is both honored and humbled to win this prestigious award. It is a huge accomplishment for any chapter, let alone a new chapter in its first year. It is exciting and encouraging to see the hard work of western states being recognized in such a meaningful way.”
Winning this award is a full circle moment for Grimm. As a kid in the 90s, his dad took him to local sites where the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife and the NWTF were releasing Eastern wild turkeys as part of their Target 2000 Program, a national wild turkey restocking plan. Grimm and his father would see the birds on the farm they worked at.
“Fast forward to today, I'm the founding president of our own NWTF chapter, and the Washington NWTF State Chapter Vice President,” Grimm said. “The site where our Conservation Field Day took place is the same farm I worked on with my dad. Now, I am giving back to the descendants of the same flock of wild turkeys that captured my attention at such a pivotal age. I'm able to mentor new hunters, present seminars to educate people of all ages —things people like my dad didn't have the opportunity to benefit from.”
Missouri State Chapter — The Missouri Turkey Habitat Initiative
The Missouri Turkey Habitat Initiative was initiated by the Missouri Department of Conservation, in collaboration with the Missouri NWTF State Chapter, in the fall of 2022 with the purpose of addressing the significant turkey decline being experienced in Missouri. It aims to educate land managers about the importance of high-quality nesting and brooding cover, the attributes of such habitats and practical techniques to restore and maintain them. By improving the quality and connectivity of these habitats across Missouri, the initiative seeks to effectively address the challenges wild turkeys face in Missouri.
In the spring of 2024, the initiative created a four-part series of impactful educational videos aimed at educating the public, improving wild turkey habitat quality and inspiring a larger movement for conservation. The educational videos are designed to be valuable resources, showcasing the key habitat features necessary for wild turkey conservation and practical methods for restoring and maintaining these habitats. These videos debuted at the Missouri State Convention at the Margaritaville Resort Complex at Lake of the Ozarks on Jan. 4, 2025.
Overall, the initiative has also hosted eight landowner workshops, which were conducted on intensively managed private land to educate attendees on what good turkey habitat looks like and how to restore and maintain it. In addition, four Train-the-Trainer workshops were conducted in the classroom and on public lands in 2024 to train MDC staff. In addition, 75 guiding documents and a one-page habitat appraisal guide were completed and released in 2025.
“Between 2017 and 2021, Missouri’s turkey population was experiencing a pretty significant decline,” said John Burk, NWTF district biologist. “Turkey hunters in the state were getting restless because MDC and NWTF did not appear to be creating regulation changes. So, we cooperatively launched this three-year outreach campaign to educate land managers, turkey hunters and the public on what makes a turkey population tick and how to effectively address the decline through habitat management. A lot of factors influence turkey production, including weather. But the 2025 Missouri spring turkey harvest was the highest it's been since 2006. I'm not saying that the efforts of the Turkey Habitat Initiative are the sole reason why this happened, but I'm sure it has helped and will continue to help in the future. Those that made this happen are certainly deserving of this award.”
“It’s meaningful to make a conservation impact at a state level,” said Meagan Yates, private land conservationist for MDC. "Creating turkey brood-rearing habitat on the ground is so important and it’s been awesome educating landowners and MDC employees.”
“We are so proud to have chapters across the nation going above and beyond to advocate for the conservation side of the NWTF mission,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “These two chapters did an excellent job showing the connection between healthy habitats and the NWTF’s mission, and we are excited to see NWTF chapters getting their hands dirty, taking initiative and fostering a community of conservation.”
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 is committed to creating a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.