National Volunteer Week: Celebrating the Grassroots Force Behind the NWTF Mission
Since its earliest days, the National Wild Turkey Federation has been driven by volunteers.
Long before the organization became a national leader in wildlife conservation and hunting heritage, it was a small group of passionate people united by a shared commitment to wild turkeys, wildlife habitat and the outdoors. Just one year after the NWTF was founded in 1973, volunteers established the organization’s first chapter, marking the beginning of a grassroots network that still powers the mission today.
During National Volunteer Week — and all year — the NWTF recognizes the dedicated volunteers who make the organization’s work possible in communities across the country.
From organizing local banquets and mentoring first-time hunters to planting trees, advocating for conservation policy and raising funds for habitat projects, volunteers play a role in nearly every aspect of the NWTF’s success.
Together with partners and supporters, NWTF volunteers have helped conserve or enhance more than 25 million acres of wildlife habitat across North America, recruit millions of new hunters, open public access to hundreds of thousands of acres, support hundreds of pro-conservation and pro-sportsmen policies and invest millions of dollars in wild turkey research.
The NWTF’s mission has always depended on people willing to give their time, energy and talents.
That can look like a chapter volunteer planning a banquet, a JAKES coordinator introducing children to the outdoors, a mentor taking a new hunter into the field for the first time or a conservation volunteer helping improve habitat on public land. Each effort may seem small on its own, but together they create a lasting impact.
Volunteers help generate the essential funding that drives vital habitat work, outreach programs and research. They build relationships in their communities, connect with partners and create opportunities for others to get involved.
For many people, a volunteer is their first introduction to the NWTF and often the reason they remain connected for years to come.
Across the country, NWTF volunteers have become trusted leaders and champions for conservation. They are the people spending evenings planning events, weekends working habitat projects and early mornings mentoring youth and new hunters, and for many, volunteering is personal.
It is a way to give back to the landscapes and traditions that shaped them and to ensure the next generation has the same opportunities to hear a gobble on a spring morning, cast a line into a healthy stream or gather around a campfire with family and friends.
The NWTF’s impact would not be possible without the people who give so generously of their time.
This National Volunteer Week, the NWTF encourages members, supporters and partners to thank the volunteers in their communities and recognize the countless hours they dedicate to conservation and hunting heritage.
Because behind every acre restored, every individual introduced to the outdoors and every chapter banquet held, there is a volunteer making it happen.
And thanks to those volunteers, the NWTF mission continues to grow stronger with every passing year.
A Word from NWTF co-CEOs:
“NWTF volunteers are the lifeblood behind everything we do. Their dedication at the local and state levels transforms our mission from words into action and strengthens our reach as a nationwide federation committed to conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.
“Because of our volunteers’ leadership and commitment, the NWTF continues to build on decades of success — advancing meaningful habitat conservation, introducing new participants to the outdoors, expanding hunting access and bringing people together through shared experiences in the field. In doing so, they help bring to life our vision of a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors. Their impact is felt far beyond individual projects, shaping the future of conservation and hunting for generations to come.
“During Volunteer Week, we proudly celebrate the NWTF volunteers whose passion, generosity and tireless efforts make our mission possible every day.” — NWTF co-CEOs Jason Burckhalter and Kurt Dyroff.