NWTF Alabama, Partners Set to Spend Over $1.5 Million on Research, Habitat, Heritage and More for 2025
EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The NWTF Alabama State Chapter recently met in Tyler, Alabama, to review Hunting Heritage Super Fund project proposals for the 2025 fiscal year. After the reviewing and ranking process, proposals were approved by the Alabama NWTF State Chapter Board of Directors. The board budgeted $153,500 for conservation projects in Alabama, $60,000 for the NWTF’s Habitat for the Hatch Initiative, $100,240 for wild turkey research and $92,556 for hunting heritage-related projects in Alabama, such as Education and Outreach events, chapter scholarships, shooting sports support and more. NWTF funding will be matched with $1,154,686 in partner or grant funds for the approved projects.
"We are proud to put our hard-earned dollars back on the landscape for the wild turkey and our hunting heritage,” said Alabama NWTF State Chapter President Scott Brandon. “It is through our many dedicated volunteers, partners and NWTF staff that we are able to accomplish so much for the wild turkey and our natural resources here in Alabama. It takes us all working together to move the conservation needle forward, and that’s exactly what we are doing.”
The $153,500 allocation for habitat enhancement projects will facilitate the purchase of seed, equipment, prescribed fire teams and provide necessary project support to conservation operations across the state. The state chapter is projected to impact about 150,000 acres across Alabama within the next year.
The Alabama NWTF State Chapter also earmarked $60,000 to be used for conservation operations across the 17-state region of the NWTF’s Habitat for the Hatch Initiative. Habitat for the Hatch is a laser-focused initiative to create essential nesting habitat in close proximity to quality brood range. This initiative seeks to create 1 million acres that fit these specific criteria by 2033.
The Alabama NWTF State Chapter has taken its support for the wild turkey across state lines, too, supporting research projects that have applications for all wild turkey managers. The Alabama NWTF State Chapter allocated $60k toward the NWTF’s National RFP Program, $3,000 to a Pennsylvania State University Study and $34,240 to an Auburn University study.
Moreover, the Alabama NWTF State Chapter has set aside $92,556 toward hunter safety education programs, trapping workshops for private landowners and NWTF Education and Outreach programs, such as JAKES Days, WITO events and Wheelin’ Sportsmen events.
"NWTF staff and our conservation partners are thankful for the talented volunteers who generate these funds year after year at the local level in support of the NWTF mission in Alabama," said Derek Alkire, NWTF district biologist for Alabama, Kentucky and Tennessee. “Thanks to our grassroots efforts, Alabama continues to set the bar with their support of mission-critical activities. The projects that are funded for the 2025 fiscal year will greatly impact the wild turkey and our natural resources, both throughout the state and across the country, as the chapter contributes to the NWTF’s National RFP Program and the Habitat for the Hatch Initiative."
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 $10 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.