EDGEFIELD, SC — The NWTF, the Missouri Department of Conservation and the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks are accelerating the 13th National Wild Turkey Symposium by co-hosting the event in Kansas City in 2025.
Usually held every five years, the symposium brings together wild turkey experts from all fields, including state, federal, and private wild turkey researchers; land managers; and wild turkey enthusiasts, to exchange ideas to ensure the sustainability of wild turkeys and their habitats.
“Accelerating the 13th symposium is part of the NWTF’s larger effort to address the population declines experienced across the country,” said Mark Hatfield, director of conservation services for the NWTF. “Our recent funding of critical wild turkey research projects, coupled with the momentum generated by the 12th National Wild Turkey Symposium, has created strong synergy between NWTF, academia and state agencies to address emerging challenges and questions. that we face today. We have to keep our foot on the accelerator.”
The announcement comes on the heels of the 12th symposium, which the NWTF and the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission co-hosted in June of this year. During the event, the NWTF unveiled a new commitment of $360,000 for wild turkey research. The funding provides critical support to seven research projects across the country.
At the conclusion of the 12th Symposium, the NWTF also committed to holding the 13th Symposium in 2025 to keep wild turkey research front and center. MDC and KDWP answered the call and ratified the next meeting.
“We are honored to co-host the 13th National Wild Turkey Symposium with the NWTF and KDWP,” said MDC Director Sara Parker Pauley. “The Symposium is an opportunity for all of us who treasure this iconic species to share information and collaborate. We are pleased to see that the meeting was expedited, so that we can continue to conserve this resource and make sure it is available for future generations.”
“Turkey biologists continue to face uncertainties around key aspects of turkey harvest ecology and management, and the 2025 Symposium will help inform our understanding of these issues,” said Kent Fricke, KDWP Small Game Coordinator. . “We look forward to co-hosting this important event and discussing the excellent habitat management we have completed in eastern Kansas.”
Since the NWTF’s inception, wild turkey research has been a critical element in the organization’s conservation delivery, and continues to be a driving force in addressing new questions posed by wildlife managers, academia and hunters. of turkeys.
NWTF’s financial support for wild turkey research is made possible by generous donations to the organization, the hard work of its volunteers, and the support of determined partners, such as Mossy Oak’s recent pledge of $375,000 for wild turkey research during five years.
You can contribute directly to the NWTF’s next batch of wild turkey research funding here.
About the National Wild Turkey Federation
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested more than half a billion dollars in wildlife conservation and has conserved or enhanced more than 22 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The organization continues to advance wildlife conservation, forest resiliency, and robust recreational opportunities in the US by working across borders at the landscape scale. Today, the NWTF is investing heavily in wild turkey research to ensure the future of wild turkey populations and is working to ensure Healthy Habitats and Healthy Crops.