EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation Hunting Heritage Super Fund, established in 1985, is critically important to funding wild turkey research, wildlife habitat conservation efforts and other NWTF mission-related projects. As of Sept. 1, 2022, the Super Fund will fully reopen, with no limitation on deposits or expenditures of funds raised from local fundraising activities.
“We want to thank state and local chapters for their cooperation and patience during the past 24 months while we paused Super Fund transactions to ensure financial stability for our organization,” NWTF co-CEO Jason Burckhalter said. “The NWTF looks forward to getting this vital program back into full operation and putting funds raised to work in delivering our organization’s mission.”
To promote fiscal responsibility, the NWTF has restricted Super Fund transactions since July 2020 when the coronavirus pandemic forced a halt to most fundraising events in 2020 and into 2021.
The NWTF Super Fund pools money generated by NWTF chapters’ fundraising activities, including banquets, to benefit wild turkey management, wildlife habitat, hunting access and outreach efforts — topics central to the NWTF mission. Event revenues go into a state-specific account that makes the money available for approved projects.
The Hunting Heritage Super Fund is administered jointly by state chapters and NWTF staff. This enables chapters to generate funds that support both the NWTF’s mission and their state chapter’s strategic goals. The state chapters, with guidance from NWTF staff and the NWTF Technical Committee representative (the latter is a wild turkey biologist from the state’s natural resource agency), determine how Super Fund money will be spent within their own state.
“We are excited to have the Super Fund up and running once again,” said Mark Hatfield, national director of conservation services. “The Super Fund is foundational to our success. The Super Fund sets the stage for volunteers and partners to work in concert to ensure the NWTF funds the most impactful projects”
The NWTF Hunting Heritage Super Fund Manual provides guidance to state chapters on how Super Fund money may be spent. While each state must maintain a Super Fund, individual goals and emphasis areas vary by state. While the manual outlines minimum guidelines that must be followed, individual states can establish stricter guidelines. These guidelines help ensure that funds will be spent on quality projects at the state and national levels as efficiently as possible.
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. Today, the NWTF is focused on the future of hunting and conservation through its Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative. Since 2012, this 10-year initiative has already eclipsed goals of conserving or enhancing more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruiting or retaining more than 1.5 million hunters and opening access to more than 500,000 acres for hunting and other recreation opportunities. This critical work will continue to impact wildlife habitat and our great outdoors in the final year of the initiative.
