NWTF North Carolina Pledges $128,448 to Healthy Habitats. Healthy Harvests. in 2023

After the reviewing and ranking process, proposals were presented to and approved by the North Carolina Board of Directors, totaling $128,448.00. The Board of Directors budgeted $65,571.98 for conservation projects and $50,000.00 in partner support for a land purchase that will be transferred to the state of North Carolina to be managed as public game lands. An additional $12,876 was approved to support resource protection and public safety via the purchase of FLIR enabled drones by the North Carolina Wildlife Resource Commission Law Enforcement.

“To be able to expand and support the efforts of the state game agency and other NWTF conservation partners in North Carolina is invaluable,” said Cully McCurdy, NWTF district biologist for Virginia, North Carolina and West Virginia. “Our volunteers not only support conservation through purchases tagged with an 11% excise tax to support Pitman-Robertson funds, but they carry it a step forward and donate their time and money to raise additional funds to benefit wild turkey and other wildlife in North Carolina.  Their generosity and selflessness seem to have no boundaries.”

NWTF conservation project award funding will be matched with $462,825.35 in partner or grant funds for the approved projects, representing a 6:1 match rate for NWTF project funding in North Carolina.  The land purchase support will be matched nearly 50:1 with partner funds totaling $2,478,150.

These projects will conserve vital habitat in North Carolina and will be directed to the NCWRC to support their management objectives on public lands. Funding includes:

• $2,812.50 for contract mowing 15 miles of linear openings in the Catpen Road/Skiffley Creek Road Project area in the Southern Mountain Region.  These funds will be matched 4:1 by the NCWRC.
• $10,000.00 to expand the capacity of The Nature Conservancy to support prescribed fire burning on multiple public game lands in the Mountain Region, impacting 600 acres. The NCWRC will match the funding 4:1.
• $55,571.98 to support enabling two burn crews from The Nature Conservancy to assist with prescribed fire burning on public game lands in Southern Piedmont, Central Coast and Southern Coast Regions, impacting 30,000 acres. The Nature Conservancy will match the funding 1:1 and the NCWRC will match the funding 7:1.

The following funding will increase public game lands and support resource protection and public safety:

• $50,000.00 to support a land purchase in Pamlico County that will be transferred to the State of North Carolina to be managed as public game lands.  Multiple partner contributions total $2,478150.00 and will match NWTF funds 50:1.
• $12,876.00 to purchase FLIR enabled drones for the NCWRC Law Enforcement for resource protection activities, public safety support and preservation of human life in search and rescue scenarios. 

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 conserved or enhanced over 22 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The organization continues to drive wildlife conservation, forest resiliency and robust recreational opportunities throughout the U.S. by working across boundaries on a landscape scale. Today, the NWTF is investing heavily in wild turkey research to ensure the future of wild turkey populations and is working to secure Healthy Habitats and Healthy Harvests.