EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The Kentucky NWTF State Chapter recently met in Elizabethtown to review NWTF Hunting Heritage Super Fund project proposals for the 2025 fiscal year funding awards. After the reviewing and ranking process, proposals were approved by the Kentucky NWTF State Chapter Board of Directors. The board budgeted $58,700 for conservation projects and $24,500 for hunting heritage projects, including outreach-education events, chapter scholarships and shooting sports support.
“NWTF staff and our conservation partners are thankful for the talented and dedicated volunteers who generate these funds at the local level to help drive our mission in Kentucky,” said Derek Alkire, NWTF district biologist. “The projects that are funded for 2025 will greatly impact the wild turkey, our hunting heritage and outdoorsmen and women throughout the state.”
Numerous projects throughout Kentucky will impact thousands of acres of vital habitat for wild turkeys, while improving overall ecosystem health. In addition, the Kentucky NWTF State Chapter is continuing its support of an ongoing wild turkey research project conducted by the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources.
Projects for the 2025 fiscal year include prescribed fire support at Taylorsville Lake WMA, invasive species removal on the Higginson-Henry WMA, early successional management on the Veterans memorial WMA, aerially treating invasive plant species on the Peabody and Yellowbank WMAs and wildlife law enforcement support. Combined, projects will impact over 18,000 acres in Kentucky in 2025.
Moreover, the Kentucky NWTF State Chapter is continuing to provide operational support for an ongoing collaborative wild turkey research project between the KDFWR and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency to study survival and harvest rates of wild turkeys, giving both agencies comprehensive science to guide management and ultimately help conserve turkeys in both states.
Each year, the Kentucky NWTF State Chapter allocates funds for a variety of conservation work and education and outreach events, as well as other mission-related activities. Funding for these projects is provided through the NWTF Super Fund, 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 the state board of directors approves.
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.
