Lex Thompson Receives Youth Hunting Program’s Landowner of the Year Award
At its meeting in Crystal River, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) presented Lex Thompson of Tallahassee with the 2011 Landowner of the Year award for its Youth Hunting Program – a program aimed at providing quality hunting experiences for 12- to 17-year-olds to increase the number of youths involved in the tradition of hunting.
Thompson and members of the Gator Hammock Hunt Club in Wakulla County on the St. Marks River have provided the opportunity for FWC youth hunts for deer, wild hog and turkey on the property for the past four years, providing 10 hunts to 50 youth, and he already has three hunts scheduled for next season.
Thompson and members of his hunt club really enjoy giving opportunities to youth on their 3,000-acre Gator Hammock Hunt Club for the pure pleasure of seeing the kids’ smiling faces after their first hunt and harvest.
“Thank you for getting the next generation in the woods,” said Chairman Kathy Barco. “Landowners like you, who give time and resources to create these opportunities for our youth, are appreciated.”
“The property is really first-class and known for holding large populations of quality game, and it offers such amenities as lodging, a gun range, cleaning shed and comfortable shooting stands,” Youth Hunting Program Coordinator Kenny Barker said.
“Mr. Thompson and his hunt club members work extremely hard, acting as guides, cooks and, more importantly, mentors, to ensure the kids and their parents enjoy an experience they’ll not soon forget,” Barker said. “These guys are just really passionate about Florida’s great hunting heritage and do their very best to make sure that it’s passed down to the next generation.”
To find out how you can become a volunteer landowner or to learn more about Florida’s Youth Hunting Program, go to MyFWC.com/YHPF.
The Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission came into existence on July 1, 1999 - the result of a constitutional amendment approved in the 1998 General Election as part of the package proposed by the Constitution Revision Commission.
In the implementation of the Constitutional Amendment, the Florida Legislature combined all of the staff and Commissioners of the former Marine Fisheries Commission, elements of the Divisions of Marine Resources and Law Enforcement of the Florida Department of Environmental Protection, and all of the employees and Commissioners of the former Game and Fresh Water Fish Commission.
Five years later, after consulting stakeholders, employees and other interested parties, the FWC adopted a new internal structure to address complex conservation issues of the new century. The new structure focuses on programs, such as habitat management, that affect numerous species. It will focus on moving the decision-making process closer to the public and did not require any additional funding or additional positions.
