NWTF Minnesota, Partners Invest Over $3.9 Million in Conservation and Education and Outreach for 2026
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The Minnesota State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation recently met in St. Cloud to review Hunting Heritage Super Fund project proposals for 2026 funding awards. Proposals were approved by the Minnesota NWTF Board of Directors. The board budgeted $95,741 for conservation projects and $81,000 for education and outreach projects. NWTF conservation project award funding will be matched with $3.9 million in partner or grant funds for the approved projects.
"We had a lot of great applications come in with a high demand on acquisitions and oak woodland management,” said Clayton Lenk, NWTF district biologist for Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota and Wisconsin. "Some of the projects that are receiving funding for 2026 increase public access, conserve public land habitat and also align with the goals and objectives of the new Roots to Roost Initiative by providing funding for things like landowner workshops, field days and conservation implementation on private lands.”
The NWTF’s Super Fund is a funding model through which NWTF volunteers raise money at banquets and other fundraisers, allocating a significant portion of those funds back into meaningful conservation and outreach projects in their respective states and beyond.
Minnesota’s 2026 Super Fund investments will advance vital habitat conservation and strengthen the state’s outdoor heritage through a diverse slate of projects. Funding will support the purchase of a no-till drill for the Crow Wing and Morrison Soil and Water Conservation Districts, invasive species removal across 41 acres at the John Peter Hoffman Wildlife Management Area and the acquisition of 1,095 acres in Cass County. Additional conservation efforts include work through the NWTF’s Roots to Roost Initiative, expanded private forest management in the Driftless region and U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service–led oak savanna restoration on private lands.
The state chapter’s 2026 funding will also enhance education and outreach and hunter access in Minnesota by supporting the Minnesota Deer Hunters Association’s Forkhorn Program and printing and distributing the Minnesota Forest Resources Council’s newly revised Forest Management Guidelines to landowners and resource professionals statewide.
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 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats and Healthy Harvests for future generations.