EDGEFIELD, S.C. — In 2024, the NWTF and the University of Georgia created the first endowed professorship solely focused on the management, research and conservation of the wild turkey. Now, the endowed professorship — chaired by esteemed researcher Mike Chamberlain, Ph.D. — has surpassed $1 million. The annual returns from the $1-million-and-growing endowment will ensure funding of essential resources for wild turkey research in perpetuity. With this milestone, and per the UGA Board of Regents, Chamberlain’s title is now NWTF Endowed Chair.
“This endowment is something I’ve worked diligently on for years, and seeing it come to fruition is incredibly humbling and gratifying both personally and professionally,” Chamberlain said. “The creation and growth of this endowment ensures that there will be wild turkey research conducted at the University of Georgia in perpetuity, which is a lasting legacy that is very important to me personally. Once the endowment reaches $1.4 million, there will be sufficient revenue annually to fund a post-doctoral researcher that can tackle questions of management and conservation interest using the large datasets currently available via the extensive field studies that have been completed and are ongoing.”
The endowment was jumpstarted by a $250,000 investment by the NWTF, state chapters and private donors and a $250,000 investment from UGA in 2024. In a year’s time, NWTF volunteers, state chapters, conservationists, hunters, and the outdoors community from across the country rallied to push the endowment to the landmark achievement of eclipsing $1 million.
“We are humbled by what our volunteers, partners and staff have created in partnership with the University of Georgia,” NWTF co-CEO Kurt Dyroff said. “This is a watershed moment for the NWTF and our mission; together, we created something so meaningful for the resource we love that will endure for generations. We are working to create similar opportunities at universities nationwide that, like the UGA Endowed Chair, will inspire younger generations and ensure the study of the wild turkey remains a priority far into the future.”
With the establishment of the NWTF Endowed Chair eclipsing $1 million in just over a year, the future for the wild turkey and the next wave of biologists, researchers and conservationists is bright.
“Being able to rely on consistent annual funding to support researcher and staff positions through the endowment will ensure that young people are being trained specifically to conduct science on the wild turkey,” Chamberlain said. “This in turn will ensure a consistent pipeline of bright, energetic young scientists with a passion for the wild turkey and the science that surrounds it. I think that as students and researchers are recruited to conduct work supported by the endowment, there will be a natural and organic synergism between science and the mission of the NWTF. I believe young scientists will see how integrated the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of our hunting heritage are with the science that guides conservation and management efforts to sustain wild turkey populations.”
While the NWTF Endowed Chair will have access to endowment-generated resources, future research proposals out of the University of Georgia will still undergo a competitive, unbiased review through the NWTF’s Request for Proposals program.
The announcement of the UGA Endowed Chair’s milestone comes on the heels of the NWTF and Mississippi State University jumpstarting the NWTF Distinguished Endowed Professorship at the university’s College of Forest Resources.
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 25 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. Since 2022, the NWTF has also invested over $2.3 million in critical wild turkey research that, when leveraged with partner contributions, has resulted in more than $22 million to guide the management of the wild turkey and to ensure sustainable populations. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale to create healthy forests and wildlife habitats, clean and abundant water, resilient communities and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF is committed to creating a nation united by the life-changing power of the outdoors.
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