NWTF Florida, Partners Invest over $2 Million for 2025 Wild Turkey Cost-Share Program

“The Florida Wild Turkey Cost-Share Program has grown to be a powerhouse for the wild turkey and ecosystems throughout Florida, and 2025 is no exception,” said Ricky Lackey, NWTF district biologist for Florida, Georgia and South Carolina. “These 27 projects for 2025 are made possible thanks to our tremendous partners and the hardworking NWTF volunteers who help generate critical funds to accomplish our mission in Florida. 2025 is going to be a great year for the wild turkey.”

The Wild Turkey Cost Share Program is a decades-long collaborative effort between the Florida NWTF State Chapter, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Florida Forest Service and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

The Florida NWTF State Chapter’s $105,328 Super Fund contribution to the program for 2025 will be matched with $1,944,538 in partner funds for the approved 27 projects, bringing the total for on-the-ground-conservation for the wild turkey to over $2 million in 2025.

The Super Fund is a funding model where NWTF volunteers raise money at banquets and other types of fundraisers and then allocate a significant portion of those funds back into meaningful conservation and outreach projects in their respective states and beyond. For Florida's 2025 Super Fund allocations, projects include prescribed fire, roller chopping, applying herbicides, mulching and wildlife plantings; these are forest management practices that create needed habitat for the wild turkey, while also creating healthier ecosystems.

Specific 2025 projects include (view map):

1. The Nature Conservancy Central Florida Burn Team prescribed burning.
2. Gulf Coast Plain Ecosystem Partnership Burn Team prescribed burning.
3. Blackwater River State Forests (H. DeVaughn) mid-story hardwood control.
4. Blackwater River State Forest (Rock Creek) herbicide application.
5. KICCO WMA invasive exotic plant control.
6. Seminole State Forest longleaf pine restoration.
7. Big Bend WMA (Tide Swamp Unit) sandhill restoration.
8. Etoniah Creek State Forest sand pine removal.
9. Myakka State Forest roller chopping.
10. Blanket Bay roller chopping.
11. Pine Log State Forest sandhill restoration.
12. Camp Blanding WMA prescribed burning.
13. Cary State Forest mowing/mulching.
14. Ocala National Forest (Lake Charles) mid-story hardwood reduction.
15. Blackwater River State Forest (Red Morris) herbicide pine release treatment.
16. Econfina Creek sand pine removal.
17. Lake Panasoffkee WMA mid-story hardwood control.
18. Raiford WMA prescribed burning.
19. Blackwater River State Forest (UERP) prescribed burning.
20. Blackwater River State Forest Field Trial Area prescribed burning.
21.  Belmore State Forest mowing/mulching.
22. Choctawhatchee River (Harris Chapel) prescribed burning.
23. Choctawhatchee River WMA (Westville) prescribed burning.
24. Blackwater River State Forest (West Boundary) herbicide.
25. Point Washington State Forest hardwood control.
26. Four Creeks State Forest mowing.
27. Goethe State Forest herbicide/prescribed fire

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.