NWTF Leadership Gathers at National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses

The National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses’ Sportsman-Legislator Summit, hosted annually by the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation, brings together sportsmen's caucus members, NGO representatives, key staff from state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, the outdoor industry and other conservation policy professionals for three days of educational programming, networking and planning. The gathering ensures the interests of sportsmen and women are protected in state capitols throughout the nation. 

“The NASC Sportsman-Legislator Summit is a great opportunity for NWTF policy leaders to network with state legislators from across the country and to share the great work we’re doing in their states,” said Matt Lindler, NWTF director of government affairs. “This week, the NWTF’s conservation leadership highlighted our new regional initiatives and participated in a panel discussion on the dangerous trend of seeding state wildlife commissions with anti-hunting animal rights activists.” 

Over the course of the three-day event, NWTF staff joined the consortium of conservation and sportsmen and women advocates for presentations and panel discussions. NWTF directors of conservation operations (DCOs) — Doug Little, Patt Dorsey and Jared McJunkin — gave a collaborative presentation on Wednesday about the NWTF’s growing landscape-scale conservation delivery, specifically through regional initiatives.  

The NWTF’s DCOs highlighted for the attendees how, in recent years, the NWTF has established its own mission-centric initiatives focused on identified priorities within their respective geographies. While all the initiatives key in on the NWTF’s mission to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage, they also have different priorities based on regional needs. The NWTF’s DCOs highlighted how engaging in policy at both state and federal levels is critical to them all.   

For instance, Little, NWTF DCO for the East, highlighted how the NWTF’s new Forests and Flocks Initiative bolsters wild turkey habitat across the Northeast, but also engages heavily in policy issues, as anti-hunting and anti-habitat-management policies are prevalent across the region.  

In addition, the DCOs also discussed the conservation and policy efforts of the NWTF’s Waterways for Wildlife Initiative, the Rocky Mountain Restoration Initiative, the Habitat for the Hatch Initiative, and they even alluded to new, emerging NWTF initiatives. Central to them all was the NWTF’s mission to conserve the wild turkey and preserve our hunting heritage, but through the mission, each initiative is able to address specific regional conservation challenges while also rallying sportsmen and women.  

On Thursday, Tom Spezze, NWTF national director of conservation operations, joined a panel discussion about the dangerous trend of anti-hunting and anti-science groups becoming involved in wildlife management decision making.  

Spezze touched on multiple instances where the NWTF engaged in, and defeated, these types of situations.   

For instance, NWTF members and Vermont’s broader sporting community recently rallied to shut down S. 258, a bill that would have dismantled the current framework of the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Board and would have allowed for the introduction of board members who are philosophically opposed to hunting, trapping and the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The NWTF collaborated with the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation and the Vermont Traditions Coalition. Together, they used various community outreach tactics to inform the public and call for action.  

Similarly, a recently proposed bill in Colorado (Proposition 127) garnered enough signatures to put wildlife management on the ballot instead of through the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission, bypassing the expertise of CPW professionals who base their recommendations on science.  

The defeat of Proposition 127 was achieved through conservationists, hunters, scientists and outdoor enthusiasts in Colorado and across the country who voiced concerns that the measure would undermine professional wildlife management practices, leading to unintended consequences on Colorado’s ecosystems and public safety.  

Spezze highlighted how dangerously close both instances were to becoming official policy. He emphasized that the work of everybody in attendance at the National Assembly of Sportsmen’s Caucuses is critical to defeating these increasingly prevalent policy measures. 

Learn more about the NWTF legislative and policy efforts.  

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.