Volunteer Spotlight: Forests and Flocks

For NWTF’s 2026 Conservation Week, the organization is spotlighting volunteers who are moving the needle for the Forests and Flocks Initiative.

Before joining the NWTF, Maliszewski jokes that he was a turkey chaser because when he started turkey hunting over 40 years ago, he joked that he used to chase gobblers through the woods. But, after he got the hang of turkey hunting, he harvested his first turkey and the rest was history.

Now 64, Maliszewski has been a volunteer for the NWTF for over 20 years. He stepped in to the role of the Maryland NWTF State Chapter president when the pandemic forced several chapters across the state to fold. When things opened up again, it became his mission to revive the NWTF in the Free State.

Under his leadership, Maryland has since created eight new chapters and is working to create its first collegiate chapter at the University of Maryland and a second collegiate chapter at Washington College.

Through it all, he maintains a positive attitude and is always supportive, encouraging and excited about new ideas.

Before he joined the state chapter committee, Maliszewski was heavily involved at the local level where he was trying unique ideas to bring more engagement. For example, as a way to get more young attendees involved at NWTF banquets, he created a game he called “trick-or-treat,” where kids would get up and collect money from adults that they could use to buy raffle tickets for the kid-specific auction.

Fundraising at NWTF banquets for impactful conservation, research and outreach projects at the state level and beyond is a huge driver for Maliszewski.

“You actually see something tangible happening that you did,” he said. “Hats off to the crew of 1973. They had this vision, and they made a move and a commitment to the wild turkey. It's our job to keep that commitment. We can never go backwards.”

Like many NWTF volunteers, he also loves that the organization has allowed him to meet so many passionate people. Not only has he had the opportunity to work with other dedicated volunteers and passionate turkey hunters, but he has also mentored hundreds of young hunters over the last few decades.

“I always say that it is the National Wild Turkey Family,” Maliszewski said. “Not the federation, family. And that's probably the biggest thing that I've gotten out of the NWTF is building relationships over the years.”

In the future, he hopes to be like Don Colburn, the original Free State NWTF volunteer who got him involved. Now 92, Colburn started his spring turkey season telling Maliszewski he needed a break. Three days later, he killed a tom.

“I am full throttle to the end,” Maliszewski said. “And I'll be a turkey guy for the rest of my life.”

Chapman married into the NWTF. While he grew up hunting, it wasn’t until he started helping his father-in-law, Terry, with the local Endless Mountains Chapter of the NWTF 25 years ago that he caught the wild turkey bug.

In 2011, when Chapman and Terry were at the bank depositing a check, Chapman was told he would be taking over as the chapter’s treasurer and banquet chair. Rather than question this new responsibility, he embraced the role and his passion for the organization has only grown. In 2013, he joined the Pennsylvania NWTF State Chapter Board of Directors, and last year, he became the Pennsylvania NWTF State Chapter president.

“Throughout my time being involved with the NWTF, what inspires me to volunteer has changed slightly,” he said. “When I first got involved, it was more the conservation of the wild turkey side of it. But now that I have a daughter of my own who's gotten into hunting, it's more the preservation of the hunting heritage. Conservation is still very important, but being able to take my daughter out turkey hunting and see her really start to enjoy that keeps me really driven to protect that.”

Chapters all across the Keystone State host some of the most successful education and outreach events in the nation, including JAKES Days and mentored youth hunts that continue to preserve hunting heritage for future generations. Chapman remembers one of his first mentored hunts in 2015, in collaboration with the NWTF Honey Hole Longbeards Chapter. Over 50 young hunters attended the youth pheasant hunt where they had opportunity to hunt with guides and bird dogs and practice target shooting with sporting clays.

"It was just a great event because everybody was smiling, even the volunteers," Chapman said. "That was definitely one of my high points."

The NWTF has also allowed Chapman to meet a lot of passionate people from all across the country who have the same interests and are just as dedicated to the mission of the NWTF as he is.

Moving forward, Chapman is excited to continue building momentum with the Forests and Flocks Initiative in the Northeast and collaborate with other states on projects that cross over state lines.

For anyone looking to volunteer with the NWTF in Pennsylvania, Chapman advises everyone to reach out and ask where help is needed.

"Don't be afraid to speak up if you have new ideas, and don’t be afraid to speak your mind because those ideas are our future," he said.

In 1997, Ladeau was in the New England woods calling in turkeys. He missed two toms in a row, but he didn’t give up. He continued the hunt until a third one came in. He aimed and took his shot — his first successful wild turkey harvest and the moment that got him hooked on turkey hunting, which has since become a significant part of who he is today, almost 30 years later.

The qualities that made Ladeau’s very first turkey hunt successful are the same ones that make him a strong NWTF volunteer. He's dedicated to the mission of the NWTF and driven to make an impact in any way that he can.

In 2000, Ladeau attended his first NWTF banquet, and by 2005, he was one of the founding members of the NWTF Upper Valley Longbeards Chapter, where he remains as chapter president. He also currently holds the title of Vermont NWTF State Chapter president, a position that suits him.

He is a leader who enjoys being a mentor and having the opportunity to maintain relationships with the people he has met along the way. Whether it’s at a WITO event, a JAKES Day, a banquet or a calling contest, Ladeau helps build strong outreach events that drive the NWTF mission.

Aside from helping put events together, Ladeau is often a hunting mentor or teaching an introduction class on turkey calling. He started competitively calling in 2013, which eventually led him to the Grand National Calling Championship.

“I don't usually like getting up in front of people,” he said. “But I tried it, and I had some early success in the friction division, which is where I concentrate my efforts now. It's opened doors for me, as far as friendships and being involved with call teams, and it’s been great.”

Ladeau recalls that one of the best days of his life as an NWTF volunteer was in 2018 when he finished in the top three at the Grand National Calling Championship in the Friction Division, and then later that same night, was awarded the national Roger M. Latham Sportsman Wild Turkey Service Award for his extraordinary dedication to the organization’s mission.

"Being recognized as a good caller and a good volunteer was validating,” he said.

For Ladeau, the conservation work that the NWTF funds in Vermont makes all his efforts worth it. For anyone who is thinking about volunteering, Ladeau advises everyone to try it.

“You'll get more out of it than you put into it," he said. "I've gotten friends through the NWTF that I never would have met. If you're contemplating joining, I would suggest getting involved and seeing how it goes. But it's not about what's in it for you, it's about giving back and being involved in something bigger than what you're able to do by yourself.”

Joyner got involved with the NWTF before he was a turkey hunter. Since his father had been attending NWTF banquets in central Virginia, Joyner was "roped” in to tagging along when he moved into the area.

A couple of years after attending banquets, Joyner decided to head into the turkey woods in 1992 to see what everyone was talking about. He retells the story of his first turkey hunt with his dad and their friend, Sterling Durham, with laughter.

"A huge flock of mosquitoes kept getting in between me and this big, huge gobbler they were trying to call in for me,” he said. “I did just about everything I could to chase that turkey away because I kept swatting away mosquitoes.
But the gobbler kept coming in until he was just outside of gun range. I wasn't able to seal the deal that day, but I was hooked from that moment forward. It’s been all fun and games since then.”

Joyner has been involved with his local chapter — which just celebrated its 25th annual banquet — since the beginning, and he has been the Virginia NWTF State Chapter president for the last six years.

Joyner has loved every part of volunteering with the NWTF, but his passion is rooted in the extensive education and outreach events that the NWTF hosts, specifically the state’s Wheelin’ Sportsmen programs.

Joyner and his chapter hosted their first Wheelin’ Sportsmen spring gobbler hunt after the pandemic. While recruiting participants was difficult during that time, Joyner was able to connect with his mentee through an organization called Freedom Hunters.

“Kevin and his wife get into the blind with me that morning, and everything lined up perfectly,” he said. “He told me that he had a traumatic brain injury and spent 18 months in the hospital learning how to be a human again. After he shared that story with me, a gobbler flew down right in front of us, and he shot it.”

Moments like that morning in the blind with a retired Navy SEAL are what make it all worth it for Joyner. The NWTF continues to create memories and connections for him that he never could have asked for.

Moving forward, he hopes that the NWTF continues telling its story and communicating all of the excellent work NWTF volunteers are capable of doing.

“Once people find out what we’re capable of, hopefully they’ll want to get involved too,” he said.

Cambareri grew up in the city of Syracuse, which meant that he didn’t really have the opportunity to get involved with hunting until he went to college, where his two roommates were hunters that invited Cambareri grouse hunting with them.

In the spring of 1994, a coworker took him on his first turkey hunt, where they heard a tom gobbling away. Although they couldn’t harvest the bird, Cambareri caught the wild turkey hunting bug.

As the current New York NWTF State Chapter president, he says it’s just been a natural progression for him.

“The more time you’re in this, the more you want to do, the farther you can go,” he said. “The mission of the NWTF resonates with me, and it always has.”

Not long after he helped start the NWTF Salmon River Strutters Chapter over 20 years ago, Cambareri volunteered to be a mentor during a Wheelin’ Sportsmen hunt. The chapter gave small thank-you gifts to all of the veterans for their service, and a Vietnam War veteran started tearing up because he had never been thanked for his service before. In Cambareri’s eyes, that moment exemplified how the NWTF has helped so many people because so many NWTF members and volunteers are willing to give back.

As Cambareri moves into his second year as the New York NWTF State Chapter President, he hopes to grow the amount of conservation work the NWTF is a part of in the Empire State.

“For the first time ever, the state board went from $65,000 to $100,000, thanks to the hard work from all the chapters across the state,” he said. “I'm extremely proud of all our chapters and all our volunteers putting in the effort and getting us here.”

Cambareri is also proud to have been a part of the New York State Mentorship Program that was launched this past spring. Over 60 mentors signed up to take youth hunters out into the woods all across the state for both the turkey and deer seasons.

On a national scale, Cambareri is excited to be a part of the NWTF regional initiatives because it allows him to work with volunteers from other states for the NWTF mission. He has made so many friendships with NWTF volunteers all across the nation, all just working to create a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.

“It doesn't matter where you come from,” he said. “We’re all turkey hunters.”

Guthridge was invited to join the NWTF in 2005 by a friend of his who was hosting a banquet. Not only did Guthridge attend to show his support, but he won a gun from one of the raffles and has been volunteering with the NWTF River Valley Longbeards ever since.

He has served on the Ohio State Chapter Board of Directors for the last few years, and as of March 2026, he stepped into the role of Ohio NWTF State Chapter president, one of his proudest accomplishments.

While he’s been deer hunting since he was 13 years old, it wasn’t until he joined the NWTF that he went on his first turkey hunt with a friend. They didn't harvest a bird, but they called in gobblers that were responding and coming across the field toward their blind, until they saw a herd of cows and got hung up.

“I was just in awe,” Guthridge said. “Even though I didn't harvest a bird, I was just in awe that we got a response from the birds, and how they came across that field. It got me hooked. Once you do it once, you’re addicted to it.”

The hunting heritage side of the NWTF’s mission has always resonated with him because when he first started hunting turkeys, both of his kids were young, and he loved the idea of hosting JAKES events to get young kids involved with the outdoors.

Guthridge has also had the opportunity to mentor disabled veterans at Wheelin’ Sportsmen events. He remembers hunting with one veteran who hadn’t been out in over 25 years.

“He shot a dove, and I spent 45 minutes looking for the bird,” he said. “I brought it over to him, and you would’ve thought I just gave him a brand-new car. His face lit up.”

Now that he’s been able to work with the conservation side of the NWTF’s mission, he is excited to see the NWTF Ohio State Chapter partner with the Ohio Department of Natural Resources on different habitat projects including a recent land purchase.

The NWTF Ohio State Chapter and the Ohio DNR also partnered with Ohio State University to conduct a broad-scale study of hen survival. Guthridge was able to attend a turkey trapping with the Ohio DNR, which was a special experience for him.

Now, the NWTF Ohio State Chapter is celebrating the launch of their new three-bottle set of whiskeys, each with the Ohio NWTF State Chapter accomplishments advertised on the back label.

“The whiskey bottles will hopefully generate more Super Fund dollars so that we can do more of these projects with ODNR,” he said.

For anyone in the State of Ohio looking to get involved with the NWTF, Guthridge encourages everyone to join and be a part of the amazing work volunteers do all across the nation.

"The NWTF isn't just a nonprofit; it's a family,” he said. “I'm proud to be a member, and it is truly a family. We hunt together, we fish together, we break bread together, and it's just awesome.”