NASHVILLE, Tenn.—R.L. Bennett, of Nixa, Missouri, has received national recognition from the National Wild Turkey Federation as the recipient of the Roger M. Latham Sportsman Wild Turkey Service Award for his leadership as Missouri’s banquet chairman, his drive to educate hunters and nonhunters about the importance of conservation and his selfless dedication to the NWTF mission.
“It makes me extremely proud that I will be listed with the great leaders of our organization that have received the Roger Latham Award in the past,” Bennett said. “I have worked as a NWTF volunteer for more than 25 years and have always been proud to be a part of such a great organization. As an organization, we are facing the challenges of communicating and engaging our next generation, as they will be the ones to take our place. Meeting this challenge head on with help from current marketing strategies, I believe, we can be assured that our next generations will have the same great things in their tomorrows.”
Bennett received one of five Roger M. Latham Sportsman Wild Turkey Service swards at the 44th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show.
For the last 25 years, Bennet has served NWTF Missouri as a leader and a dedicated volunteer. In his leadership role, Bennett has more than doubled his chapter’s annual gross revenue. With Bennett’s nearly three decades with the NWTF, he has helped generate millions of dollars for the NWTF, and when he is not raising funds for conservation, he is helping with JAKES and WITO events or getting his hands dirty with conservation projects.
“R.L. always goes above and beyond with every aspect of the NWTF mission,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “It is because of individuals like R.L. that the NWTF is such a success on the local and the national level.”
The NWTF presents Roger M. Latham Sportsman Wild Turkey Service awards to members who are not employed as professional wildlife managers but have made significant contributions to wild turkey conservation.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.3 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit a historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to conserve enhance more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruit at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting. For more information, visit NWTF.org.
