NWTF Oklahoma Pledges $144,688 to Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. in 2015

National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) chapters in Oklahoma budgeted $144,688 to support the Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative within the state in 2015.

The NWTF Oklahoma State Chapter board of directors reviewed and allocated funding. Valuable partners will provide nearly $1.3 million in matched funds.

“The Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is supported by our state boards and chapter members,” said Becky Humphries, NWTF chief conservation officer. “Hunting Heritage Super Fund money is critical to implementing the initiative, and investing in critical wildlife habitat and hunter recruitment.”

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 or enhance more than 4 million acres of essential upland wildlife habitat, create at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 new 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.

Oklahoma State chapter NWTF board of directors dedicated $40,426 to proposed Hunting Heritage Super Fund projects that focus specifically on saving habitat; $53,859 will support projects to save hunting. Directors retained the remaining $50,403 to help Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation (ODWC) with land purchase costs as needed.

These projects will save vital habitat in Oklahoma. Funding includes:

• $5,000 to support the removal of invasive woody plants and restore prime turkey roosting areas on the Black Kettle Wildlife Management Area. Partners include United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), United States Forest Service (USFS) and ODWC
• $7,500 to support fireguard enhancement and prescribed burns on 3,200 acres of Cherokee WMA. Partners include ODWC
• $4,000 to support aerial application of herbicides on 333 acres of Pushmataha WMA. Partners include ODWC
• $8,000 to support salt cedar removal on 47 acres of wild turkey roost roosting areas at Beaver Creek WMA. Partners include ODWC
• $4,000 to support fireguard enhancement on Cookson WMA. Partners include ODWC
• $4,426 to support prescribed burn efforts conducted by Oklahoma Prescribed Burn Association. Partners include the Natural Resources Ecology & Management department at Oklahoma State University, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and The Nature Conservancy
• $5,500 to support purchase of fireguard equipment for Okmulgee WMA. Partners include ODWC
• $2,000 to improve native grass establishment on 37 acres of Cross Timber WMA. Partners include ODWC

To learn more about the NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative, visit www.nwtf.org.

Contact

Pete Muller at (803) 637-7698

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.