Conservation News

Hoffman Receives NWTF Lifetime Achievement Award

NASHVILLE, Tenn.—Rick Hoffman may have retired as a researcher from the Colorado Division of Wildlife, but his lasting impact on wildlife conservation and the wild turkey in Colorado and across the country has earned him a lifetime achievement award from the National Wild Turkey Federation.

“Wayne Bailey was indeed a pioneer in wild turkey management and conservation,” Hoffman said. “I consider it a great honor and I am truly humbled to receive this prestigious award bearing his name from the NWTF, an organization I admire and respect for what they have accomplished not only for wild turkeys but many other species of wildlife.  I spent much of my career and post-retirement years working on various species of grouse.  Given the plight of many grouse species, particularly prairie grouse, it was refreshing for me when I was assigned to work on turkeys.  This allowed me the opportunity to become a small part of one of the greatest wildlife success stories in the country – namely the restoration of the wild turkey.  I can only hope I contributed a fraction of what Wayne and many biologists that came after him contributed to the management and conservation of wild turkeys.”

The NWTF announced Hoffman’s award during the 44th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show.

The Wayne Bailey Lifetime Achievement Award recognizes a wildlife biologist, trapper or wildlife manager who has devoted his or her career to the wild turkey and played a major role in the turkey’s restoration and management.

Hoffman’s decades of service to the wild turkey have provided research that has helped wildlife managers implement biologically sound turkey management practices and increased public awareness and understanding of wild turkeys in Colorado.

“Rick has made the conservation of the wild turkey his life,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “Because of his dedication and genuine desire to understand wild turkeys, he has made such a large impact on the way we manage wildlife, especially wild turkeys.”

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.

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