Morgan Receives National Recognition for Hunter Recruitment

“My passion is to get new people into the outdoors,” Morgan said. “The best thing about mentoring to me is to see the look in their eyes and on their faces when they hear the animals waking up in the morning, sounds they have never heard, and say ‘what was that?’ From teaching them scouting, to the first gobble, to the harvest [and watching] their faces glow, that's why I do it!”

Morgan accepted the Mentor of the Year Award during the NWTF’s 48^th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show, sponsored by Mossy Oak.

Since joining the NWTF in 2002, Morgan has worked tirelessly for the NWTF’s mission. Morgan and his wife, Julie, are Patron Life Sponsors of the NWTF, and he is chapter president of the Long Spurs of Sunrise River NWTF Chapter, which is one of the top 10 fundraising chapters in the state, raising over $454,000 net since its inception.

Morgan’s leadership in NWTF’s education and outreach programs has been nothing short of extraordinary. Since the Mentored Hunt Program began in Minnesota over 20 years ago, Morgan’s chapter has been a leader in recruiting new mentors annually. He works hard to get members of his chapter and committee involved in the program because of his deep-rooted belief that we need to recruitment, retention and reactivation of new and lapsed hunters.

Morgan has also encouraged his chapter to annually host a JAKES event for kids to get outdoors, with approximately 50-75 kids participating each year. Morgan is a certified firearms safety instructor for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources, teaching hundreds of youths firearm safety throughout his many years of service to the MNDNR. In 2017, Morgan was honored by the MNDNR as the Firearms Safety Instructor of the Year.

He has led youth mentor hunts for his area since 2007. In addition to coordinating smaller youth days, Morgan, with the help of committee members, is in the middle of a monumental undertaking of building a JAKES event at an outdoor gun range where he plans to have an event that could host nearly 750 kids.

“Lance is one of those exceptional people that never stops thinking about how to engage people in the outdoors,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “From his work with the Mentored Hunt Program, JAKES and with the MNDNR, Lance is truly a stalwart volunteer of the NWTF, and we are incredibly proud to have him in our ranks. It is only fitting that he is honored with our Mentor of the Year Award.”

About the National Wild Turkey Federation

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 23 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $9 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities, and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats. and Healthy Harvests. for future generations.