National Wild Turkey Federation

Transcription

1

2 Who am I?

3 National Wild Turkey Federation Our Mission Conservation of the wild turkey and preservation of our hunting heritage Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. Conserve habitat 4 Million acres Create new hunters 1.5 Million Open access to hunting land 500,000 acres 4 year totals - Habitat Acres 1,732,156 - Hunters 680,750 - Open Access 327,861

4 NWTF Nation Wide America s Crossroads America s Western Wildlands America s Colonial Forest America s Southern Piney Woods America s Great Open Spaces America s Mid-South Rebirth

5 Western Wildlands Arizona The 5,000-acre Pinaleño Ecosystem Restoration Project includes about 3,300 acres of timber harvest Timber harvest is a partnership between NWTF and Coronado National Forest Targeted species include endangered Mount Graham red squirrel, threatened Mexican spotted owls, northern goshawks, Gould s wild turkeys and other wildlife Oregon A five-year agreement between the Ochoco National Forest and NWTF. Commercial and non-commercial thinning. More than a mile of aspen stand fencing, 150 acres of native grass seeding and 10 miles of old roads are being converted into habitat in areas with high road densities. The restoration of a wet meadow will provide a water source. To accomplish this, water levels in an eroded creek are being raised to re-flood the meadow. These efforts are helping wild turkeys, mule deer, Rocky Mountain elk and redband trout to not only survive but also thrive.

6 Great Open Spaces Oklahoma, Texas Restore historical prairie grassland habitat, Increased use of prescribed fire as cost-effective land management tool, Remove native and nonnative woody species, Restore herbaceous plant communities. Benefit grassland birds, including Bell s Vireo, grasshopper sparrow, loggerhead shrike and Northern bobwhite, while improving Rio Grande wild turkey and white-tailed deer habitat Colorodo Improve riparian habitat along the South Fork of the Republican River, Removal of invasive trees, such as Russian olive and tamarisk, Upland habitat restoration, native grass restoration, tree and shrub establishment and excluding livestock from use of critical areas. Provide critical winter habitat for waterfowl, wild turkey, white-tailed deer, mule deer, neo-tropical migrating songbirds, bald eagle, northern bobwhite quail, Mississippi kite, Bell s vireo, western kingbird and Bullock s oriole

7 Crossroads Missouri and Iowa Provide nesting and brood-rearing habitat in the Missouri/Iowa Oaks of Missouri and Shawnee National Forest in Illinois Timber stand improvement, prescribed fire, and herbicide control of invasive plants on private lands to reverse and prevent forest conversion from oak/hickory to maple/beech habitats in the Shawnee Hills Prescribed fire program on the Mark Twain and Shawnee National Forests helped treat 13,000 acres beyond the normal rate Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, Illinois Regenerating older maple and basswood forests to red oak, white oak and bur oak during a three-year project on the Winona, Minnesota, Whitewater WMA and Richard Dorer State Forest. Involves pre-harvest invasive species removal and postharvest brush treatments, such as mowing, tree planting, prescribed burns and timber stand improvement.

8 Mid-South Rebirth Alabama Project to restore more than 460 acres of longleaf pine in. From prescribed burning and chemical treatments, to hand planting longleaf pine seedlings, the project helped restore a portion of the Oakmulgee Ranger District of the Talladega National Forest in Brent, Alabama. In addition, 7.42 miles of Forest Service roads for timber management access were improved. The project also included hundreds of acres of forest thinning. Wildlife benefitting from these improvements include the endangered red-cockaded woodpecker, Northern bobwhite quail, Eastern wild turkeys, white-tailed deer, neotropical migrant songbirds among others Tennessee / Kentucky Developing safe fire breaks and creating small openings in timber, planting of shortleaf pine and using controlled burns minimize the long-term effects of devastating wildfires in Kentucky s Daniel Boone National Forest and the North Cumberland Wildlife Management Area Restoration of 30,000-40,000 acres focuses on oak woodlands, oak/pine savannas and shortleaf pine. Wildlife targeted include wild turkeys, elk, ruffed grouse, white-tailed deer, golden-winged warbler and other birds

9 Southern Piney Woods Alabama and Florida In this project, prescribed burning is being used to enhance diverse native grass stands and forbs that provide brood-rearing and nesting habitat for healthy longleaf pine ecosystems. The prescribed burning, by an Ecosystems Support Team and burn crews, is supported with the Gulf Coast Plain Ecosystems Partnership and Talladega Mountain Longleaf Conservation Partnership and other grants and partnerships. Threatened and endangered species such as red-cockaded woodpeckers, indigo snakes and gopher tortoises are benefitting, and the habitat improvements are helping wild turkey, northern bobwhite quail, white-tailed deer and other wildlife. Alabama, Florida, Georgia Three-year agreement between NWTF and NRCS to thin forests, remove exotic plants through timber management, tree planting of longleaf pine, and prescribed fire. Helps landowners receive financial aid to assist with private land conservation through the Federal Farm Bill and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. Project work targets wild turkeys, quail, white-tailed deer and gopher tortoise, and is creating vastly different habitat from the current fire-suppressed shaded hardwood thickets

10 What am I working on? Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. Conserve habitat 4 Million acres The habitat in need of conservation in New York is young forest. Over 60% of New York forested land is mature forest

11 Young Forest Habitat Habitats which are dominated by young trees and shrubs often intermixed with small patches of grasses and wildflowers (WMI Young Forest Definition). Variation in structure trees saplings shrubs grasses forbs i.e. goldenrod

12 Lack of Young Forest Habitat

13 What Species Depend on Young Forest/Shrubland Habitat? 40 bird species associated with shrubland habitats 22 undergoing significant population declines 139 species of mammals, reptiles, and amphibians either prefer or use shrub and old-field habitats

14 Tying Young Forest Habitat to Turkeys Able to create quality wildlife (including turkey nesting )habitat.

15 Turkey Habitat

16 Partnership $ Cost Share Money Free or Almost Free Young Forest Habitat Management

17 The National Wild Turkey NWTF biologists will: Federation s Role Evaluate the habitat on a property. Write a wildlife management plan for creating young forest habitat on some of the property. Coordinate with NRCS to obtain cost-share money. All at no cost to the landowner!

18 Where We Are

19 What We See

20 What We Want To See

21 What We Want To See

22 Questions