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Mississippi Landowner Wins National Award
NASHVILLE, Tenn. The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) honored Thomas Rhoden of Flowood, Miss., with the Wild Turkey Woodlands National Award for implementing quality land management practices, supporting his community and his outstanding NWTF chapter involvement.
The award was presented at the NWTF 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show, which is sponsored by MidwayUSA, and takes place Feb. 18 to Feb. 21 in Nashville, Tenn.
The Wild Turkey Woodlands National Award recognizes committed landowners who meet the needs of wildlife on their land, help promote the NWTF's mission and are involved in their community, while publicly encouraging conservation.
Rhoden manages his farm to provide quality habitat for wild turkeys and other wildlife. He is restoring native longleaf pine to a 75-acre parcel through the Mississippi Department of Wildlife and Parks' landowner incentive program and plans to restore longleaf pine on all remaining suitable areas of his property in the next few years. Longleaf pine supports a wide variety of wildlife and is better adapted than other pine species planted previously. He also maintains more than 30 wildlife openings to produce supplemental forage for wildlife year round, and has utilized the NWTF's Operation Oak program to improve hardwood stands with new seedling plantings to further enhance food and habitat for wildlife in the future.
In addition to his dedication to wildlife, Rhoden is a sponsor member of the Greater Jackson Chapter of the NWTF and is very involved with their annual Mississippi Wheelin' Sportsmen Youth Deer Hunt. He serves on the committee, provides financial contributions and hosts four to six youth hunters from the Magnolia Speech School on his property.
"Tom goes out of his way to accommodate the children and their families during the hunt," Joe Wood, NWTF Mississippi regional director, said. "He provides them a comfortable place to rest and relax and even serves homemade barbecue and smoked turkey meals for his special guests.
Rhoden has hosted two Wild Turkey Woodlands Field Days on his property to educate area landowners about the benefits of the Wild Turkey Woodlands program. Rhoden is also a tireless advocate for NWTF conservation and outreach programs. The Mississippi Chapter of NWTF has recognized Rhoden as an Outstanding Land Steward at their annual awards banquet in Feb. 2008.
"Tom's habitat work and support of his local community is a perfect example of what the NWTF and Wild Turkey Woodlands program promote," said Joe Koloski, USDA Forest Service natural resource specialist. "The Wild Turkey Woodlands award highlights people around the country who practice sound land management and preserve places for wildlife and future generations to enjoy."
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Mississippi NWTF Hunting Heritage State Super Fund Projects
Administered jointly by the NWTF, its state chapters and state wildlife agencies, the Hunting Heritage Super Fund is used for projects that support the conservation of the wild turkey and preservation of the hunting tradition. Nationally, NWTF chapters and cooperating partners have raised and spent more than $306 million for wild turkey conservation. Since 1985 over $1,518,555 has been raised and spent by Mississippi chapters on projects within the state. A sampling of these projects is provided below.
Habitat Enhancement
Spent $496,106 on habitat improvement projects.
maintenance and development of brood habitat
wildlife openings
prescribed fire
tree planting
riparian restoration
water development projects
control of invasive plant species
support for seed subsidy and conservation seed programs
Habitat enhancement projects have impacted more than 9,439 acres within the state.
5,252 acres of wildlife openings
194 acres of prescribed burning
Purchased equipment for habitat management including:
1 seeder
1 spreader
1 mower
3 drills
2 disks/harrows
2 sprayers
Prescribed burn equipment
Projects were completed on:
Anderson-Tully WMA
Chickasaw WMA
Calhoun WMA
Choctaw WMA
Copiah County WMA
Dahomey NWR
Delta National Forest
Desoto National Forest
Homochitto National Forest
Holly Springs NF
Leaf River WMA
Leroy Percy WMA
Little Biloxi WMA
Lower Pascagoula WMA
Malmaison WMA
Marion County WMA
OKeefe WMA
Pascagoula National Forest
Red Creek WMA
Shipland WMA
Sunflower WMA
Tombigbee National Forest
Upper Sardis WMA
Wolf River WMA
Yockanookany WMA
Education
Spent $297,155 on educational programs and literature including scholarships, education boxes, 4-H and teacher workshops.
Awarded 223 scholarships
Donated more than 1,156 education boxes to area schools
Spent $88,134 on educational projects for volunteers and professionals including:
Volunteer leadership workshops
Wild Turkey Woodlands field days
State web sites and newsletters
Purchased 70 educational CD-ROMs
JAKES
Spent $123,429 to introduce youth to outdoor activities, conservation and hunting. Sponsored 114 JAKES Conservation Field Days throughout the state.
Hunting Heritage
Spent $26,500 to protect and promote the hunting tradition including contributions to the U.S. Sportsmens Alliance and the National Shooting Sports Foundation.
Hunter Safety
Spent $348 to support hunter safety classes and initiatives within the state. Purchased hunter safety materials and equipment, including interactive shooting systems.
Turkey Restoration
Spent $3,652 to trap and transfer turkeys within the state. Expenses include the purchase of trapping equipment such as nets, rockets and rocket charges.
Womens Programs
Spent $12,820 on programs, materials and equipment to introduce women to the outdoors, hunting and conservation. Conducted 42 Women in the Outdoors events throughout the state.
Rewards
Spent $29,486 to protect wild turkeys and other wildlife through support of state sponsored reward programs, the printing of reward signs and reward payments.
Management
Spent $48,246 on wild turkey management.
operation of wild turkey check stations
hunter success and satisfaction surveys
completion of wild turkey management plans
support of law enforcement activities
Purchased equipment to support law enforcement and management activities including:
ATVs
weight scales for check stations
survey/surveillance cameras
gates to limit vehicular access
Research
Spent $207,269 on wild turkey research. Purchased equipment related to research such as radio telemetry equipment.
Wheelin Sportsmen
Spent $18,000 to provide opportunities for the disabled to participate in outdoor activities and learn about wildlife conservation. Conducted 4 Wheelin' Sportsmen events.
Other
Spent $106,104 on other projects including organizational dues, travel expenses to professional meetings, special NWTF projects, and chapter rebates.
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Mississippi's State Chapter Wins Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF National Award
Bob Spell and Irby Stewart, volunteers with the National Wild Turkey Federation's Mississippi State Chapter, accepted the Best State Chapter Event Award at the Federation's 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show.
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NASHVILLE, Tenn. The National Wild Turkey Federation's Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF outreach program is full of selfless volunteers who spend their time ensuring that outdoor activities like hunting, fishing and shooting are available to people with disabilities.
For going the extra mile to provide access to the great outdoors for anyone, the NWTF's Mississippi State Chapter was honored today with the Best State Chapter Event Award at the Federation's 34th annual National Convention and Sport Show. The convention, sponsored by MidwayUSA, is taking place until Feb. 21 in Nashville.
"Volunteers with our chapter helped 84 young people with disabilities go deer hunting, and 59 of those hunters harvested a deer," said Bob Spell, president of the NWTF's Mississippi State Chapter. "Coordinating this event took a lot of dedication and hard work. The volunteers will be so honored to receive this award, and will be inspired to host an even bigger and better event in the future."
Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF ensures that people with disabilities are afforded the opportunity to spend time outdoors and form valuable friendships along the way. In 2009, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF hosted 378 events nationwide that helped more than 8,000 participants enjoy a day of fun in the outdoors.
"Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF emphasizes all the abilities that our members possess, not their disabilities," said Illana Burkhart, Wheelin' Sportsmen NWTF program coordinator. "The Mississippi State Chapter has taken the lead in their state for helping outdoor enthusiasts with disabilities enjoy being outside."
Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $306 million to conserve 14 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.
The Federation works to increase interest in the outdoors by bringing new hunters and conservationists into the fold through outdoor education events and its outreach programs - Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin' Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES.
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Attend a Mississippi Banquet
A JAKES member gets in on the bidding at the 2009 Calhoun County Chapter Banquet. Photo courtesy stevegulledgephotography.com
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It's banquet time in Mississippi! All across the state local NWTF chapters are hosting Hunting Heritage Membership Banquets & Auctions.
These fun events are the bread & butter for helping the Miss. Chapter put money on the ground for wild turkey related projects in the state.
To find a banquet near you, follow the link.
http://www.nwtf.org/in_your_state/banquet.php
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Mississippi Call Makers Donate Once Again
Not only is Mississippi blessed with lots of wild turkeys and plenty of wild turkey hunters to hunt them but also with some of the best turkey call makers in the nation. Many of the call makers are just as generous as they are talented when it comes to supporting the NWTF.
This year eighteen of the Magnolia state's best call makers donated a selection of their best work to the "Mississippi Call Makers' Collection" which will be sold at auction at the NWTF's National Convention in Nashville.
Call makers contributing to this year's collection are; Dale Cockrell-Wesson, Chris Smith-Bay Springs, Tommy "Slick" Gilmer-Silver City, Dave Godwin-Starkville, Neil Hall-Lena, Steve Heflin-Perkinston, Bill Hunt-Waynesboro, Daniel Jones-Forest, Bob Martin-Goodman, Paul Meek-Raleigh, Mike Mitchell-Kilmichael, Albert Paul-Collinsville, Preston Pittman-Pickens, David Ross-Carrolton, Marty Sanford-Collins, Chris Stroud-Lake, Will Primos-Flora & Pat Winston-Starkville.
Thanks to all of the call makers for their generous support and also to NWTF Regional Director Joe Wood who has coordinated this effort each year.
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MDWFP Turkey Program Website
Be sure to check out the new Wild Turkey Program Website hosted by the MDWFP.
It is chocked full of useful information including the 2008 Wild Turkey Report.
http://mdwfp.com/Level2/Wildlife/Game/Turkey/Default.asp
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