Across the country, the NWTF and its state and local chapters help fund equipment purchases and equipment rentals to accomplish conservation projects; this could translate to purchasing a local “habitat trailer” that houses all the equipment needed to conduct prescribed burns and other conservation practices. Other times, NWTF chapters help purchase management-specific equipment, including tractors, tractor attachments, skid steers, sprayers, UTVs and more.
Without the proper equipment, many conservation objectives would be unattainable. John Burk, NWTF district biologist for Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, highlights just how impactful equipment is for getting the job done in the states he oversees.
“The volunteers in Illinois, Iowa and Missouri, just like NWTF state chapters across the country, have seen the returns on equipment purchases year after year,” he said. “Sometimes we help purchase equipment for our agency partners that is for use on public land, and we also partner with the soil and water conservation districts and prescribed burn associations to provide equipment that can be utilized by private landowners throughout a state. It can be a challenge to equitably put NWTF dollars to work on private land, and when your district is more than 90% privately owned, you aren’t very relevant if you can’t figure out how. Providing needed equipment is an effective way to accomplish this”
For instance, the Iowa NWTF State Chapter allocated $13,000 in 2024 through its Super Fund to assist with the purchase of various equipment needed for conservation practices, including a Vicon seeder for the Sedan bottoms Wildlife Management Area in Appanoose County; a bobcat mulching attachment for use across the Red Rock Wildlife Unit; and prescribed burning equipment for the Iowa Department of Natural Resources to use throughout the Maquoketa Wildlife Unit. These purchases were made in 2024 alone. The Iowa NWTF State Chapter has impacted 4,391 acres in 2024 through the equipment it helped purchase.
Likewise, in Illinois, the NWTF will impact more than 20,000 acres with the purchase of equipment to date, thanks to the state chapter volunteers. The NWTF volunteers in Illinois recently partnered with the Tracy Family Foundation to contribute $18,000 through its Super Fund for “dragon eggs” to assist with prescribed burns on the Shawnee National Forest. Dragons eggs are the specialized fire ignition devices used to conduct aerial prescribed burning from a helicopter, and they enabled over 10,000 acres of prescribed burning this past winter.
In Missouri, the NWTF’s impact through equipment purchases translates to 43,000 acres. The Missouri NWTF State Chapter contributed $240,000 for projects in 2024, with over $40,000 of that going towards equipment this year.
“It almost goes without saying that conservation work would not be possible without equipment,” Burk said. “But considering its impact, it’s worth stressing the importance. We will continue to help purchase equipment when possible; it allows our partners to deliver essential conservation practices more effectively and, with some of the equipment still functioning 20 years post purchase, it is the gift that keeps on giving.”