NWTF and USDA Forest Service sign $50 million agreement

The National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF) signed a 20 year, $50 million agreement with the Biden-Harris Administration Forest Service.

The goal of this master stewardship agreement is to address the wildlife crisis in the West and to promote healthy forests and wildlife habitat. 

Prescribed fires and other forms of vegetation management will be done by the NWTF to improve wildlife habitats. On the other side the NWTF will be benefiting the Forest Service by promoting the use of forest products. 

A USDA press release stated that this agreement is one-of-a-kind, partnership promoting stewardship of the land. It is also the largest agreement in the history of NWTF.

“Our partnership with the Forest Service is central to our mission,” said Kurt Dyroff, co-chief executive officer of the National Wild Turkey Federation, in a USDA press release. “Wild turkeys, as well as other wildlife, rely on healthy habitats and healthy forests for their long-term sustainability. Likewise, hunters rely on the same for a quality and successful hunting experience. Our work focuses on the shared values of water, forests/wildlife habitat, recreation, and resilient communities. This partnership enables us to make greater investments at a greater scale to keep forests healthy, water clean and stop critical habitat loss.” 

This agreement follows the new Forest Service wildlife crisis strategy that was released by Tom Vilsack, USDA secretary in January. 

The $50 million will be a part of President Biden’s Bipartisan Infrastructure Law and other sources, including agency contributions. 

This agreement is one of the first between the Forest Service and outside conservation based agencies. 

“This agreement reflects our strong, long-standing relationship with the National Wild Turkey Federation and its four decades of forest restoration work on national forests and grasslands,” USDA Forest Service Chief Randy Moore stated in a USDA press release. “Larger wildfires, more frequent natural disasters, and other disturbances that continue to threaten the health of the nation’s forests and grasslands, and the wildlife habitat they provide, means the work we do together is even more vital.”  

The NWTF, has been working with wildlife habitat on over 22 million acres and providing over half a billion to these habitat areas. 

“This long-term master stewardship agreement builds on a 40-year history of successful regional conservation partnerships between the NWTF and the Forest Service that have delivered on our organization’s mission of conserving habitat for wild turkey and preserving our nation’s hunting heritage,” said co-CEO Becky Humphries of the National Wild Turkey Federation in a USDA press release. “NWTF is proud to work with the Forest Service to enhance habitat and make America’s forests healthier and safer, and to accelerate the pace and scope of this vital work.”