EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation recently entered into a $820,000 multiyear agreement with the West Virginia Division of Natural Resources, accelerating habitat and access projects across the Mountain State. The NWTF will administer funding to complete projects designated by the agency on wildlife management areas and other public lands. The funds will be made available to the NWTF by the WVDNR over the next three years. The West Virginia NWTF State Chapter provided critical match funding through its Super Fund to bring this partnership to fruition.
“This is a great opportunity for the NWTF to assist the WVDNR with their management objectives,” said Cully McCurdy, NWTF district biologist. “The wildlife specialists responsible for the management of our public hunting areas are a talented and hard-working group of professionals. Through this agreement, the NWTF will assist with administering contracts to provide them with the resources they need to provide access and management on additional acres.”
Collaboration began immediately after the agreement was signed to address management needs within the Sleepy Creek WMA in Berkeley and Morgan counties. A contractor has already begun working to improve access to Sleepy Creek via Whites Gap Road.
Specific forthcoming management activities in the agreement may include maintaining or creating of wildlife openings, controlling invasive species, creating cutback borders, implementing timber stand improvement, developing hunter access, forestry mulching and more.
The announcement comes after the West Virginia NWTF State Chapter and partners in West Virginia have begun implementing numerous other projects statewide, with the state chapter providing more than $130,000 from its Super Fund for conservation activities across the state.
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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