NWTF Missouri, Partners Set to Spend over $3 Million for Conservation Impact in 2025

“The volunteers in Missouri have nationally been at the head of the pack for our entire history when it comes to raising the dollars needed to effectively deliver upon the NWTF mission,” said John Burk, NWTF district biologist for Iowa, Illinois and Missouri. “Those they elected to lead them on the state board have always done an equally excellent job of balancing delivery on both halves of the mission. The Habitat for the Hatch initiative landscape captures the southern half of Missouri, and the majority of the conservation projects we approved are designed to put high quality brooding cover close to high quality nesting habitat. This is foundational to successfully delivering upon initiative goals as well as addressing the turkey decline.”

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. For Missouri 2025 Super Fund allocations, projects include but are not limited to:

• $32,000 to purchase the dragon eggs used by the Mark Twain National Forest to conduct aerial burning projects.
• $11,105 towards a private land cost-share initiative in the Missouri Iowa Oaks Focal Landscape.
• $22,560 to outfit three habitat strike teams with necessary equipment.
• $7,920 to support the development of a LiDAR mapping tool for nesting and brooding cover habitat assessment at a landscape scale.
• $15,000 toward general conservation program support in Missouri.
• $10,000 to support the Missouri Bird Conservation Initiative Grant Program.
• $4,000 to restore 137 acres of open land for brooding habitat at Fort Crowder Conservation Area.
• $10,000 to support the Missouri Prescribed Fire Council PBA Equipment Grant Program.
• $6,860 to purchase two specialized pendulum seeders for use on private lands in central Missouri.
• $5,000 toward the conservation seed program.
• $5,000 for shooting facility development in Franklin County.
• $5,000 for shooting facility development in Barton County.
• $7,500 to support four mentored hunts for over 50 disabled hunters.
• $1,100 to support a mentored youth turkey hunt in Pulaski County.
• $5,000 to support NASP in 30 schools.
• $1,500 to support a trap thrower for the Marion County 4H shooting program.
• $18,570 to support local scholarships, JAKES WITO, and Wheelin' programs.

The announcement of the 2025 projects in Missouri come on the heels of a laser-focused 2024 fiscal year for the NWTF in the Show Me State, including 64,409 acres conserved or enhanced through active conservation projects from August 2023 to August 2024.

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.