Georgia Youth Visit Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center to Learn Hunting and Fishing

Saturday May 10, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m., the Charlie Elliot Wildlife Center (CEWT) will be alive with excitement as an expected crowd of 1,500 youth and their guests attend the 18th annual JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship) Day, a project of the Georgia State Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) and the Georgia Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Visitors are invited to participate in a variety of entertaining and education activities hosted by volunteers and staff from the NWTF, the wildlife center and other conservation organizations. The first 500 youth receive a shirt and hot dog lunch provided by the NWTF. Meals for adults and additional youth are provided for a nominal fee.

“The kids really enjoy fishing the stocked pond, rope and harness-assisted tree-climbing, as well as the BB gun and archery shooting stations,” said Amber Mooney, event coordinator and DNR wildlife interpretive specialist. “JAKES Day is a great opportunity for kids and their families to share experiences in the outdoors.”

JAKES Day also marks the unveiling of the Brooke Ager Discovery Center, which covers the five ecological regions of Georgia, providing youth a unique hands-on experience.

“It is impressive to see so many organizations like the NWTF, Georgia DNR, Let’s Get Wild, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Georgia Falconry Association, Trout Unlimited, Hunters Helping Kids and Wildlife Action of Georgia among others, come together for the shared goal of creating our future conservationists,” said Dave Wamer, NWTF Georgia Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. coordinator. “Grab some folks and the kids and come join the fun!”

The 6,400-acre CEWT, managed by the Georgia DNR, offers a variety of activities and programs. This beautiful area is centrally located in the state in a wooded setting near Mansfield, Georgia, making it easily accessible from Atlanta, Athens and Macon. For event information, visit www.georgiawildlife.com/CharlieElliott/JAKES or call the CEWT office at (770) 784-3059.

The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to give the NWTF more energy and purpose than ever. Through this national initiative, NWTF has committed to raising $1.2 billion to conserve and enhance more than 4 million acres of essential upland wildlife habitat, create at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting, shooting and outdoor enjoyment. Without hunters, there will be no wildlife or habitat. The NWTF is determined to Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt.

National Wild Turkey Federation

The National Wild Turkey Federation is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. The NWTF is a nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage.

Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America, spending more than $331 million to conserve nearly 16 million acres of habitat. Wild turkeys and hundreds of other species of upland wildlife, including quail, deer, grouse, pheasant and songbirds, benefit from this improved habitat.

The NWTF also brings new conservationists and hunters into the fold through outdoor education events and its Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES youth outreach programs. Our dedicated NWTF volunteers introduce about 100,000 people to the outdoors through these programs every year.

Founded in 1973, the NWTF is headquartered in Edgefield, S.C., and has local chapters in every state and Canada. According to many state and federal agencies, the restoration of the wild turkey is arguably the greatest conservation success story in North America's wildlife history.