Latest news with #NationalWildTurkeyFederation
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trees to be cut down, roads retired in Michaux State Forest project
The National Wild Turkey Federation, American Bird Conservancy, and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry are collaborating on a project to enhance the habitat within Michaux State Forest, according to an announcement. The project aims to create a mosaic of habitats benefiting wild turkeys and other wildlife species, many of which are classified as species of great conservation concern. More than 1,000 acres of the southern Pennsylvania state forest are being monitored for management work set to begin this summer. Foresters plan to use various techniques, including non-commercial tree felling, forestry mulching, planting ecologically valuable trees, shrubs and forbs, and cut-and-leave treatment of trees that have died due to disease or insect infestation. These managed acres will contribute to the 100,000 acres of land conserved under the NWTF's Forests and Flocks Initiative. Foresters plan to cut down more than 1,000 trees across the 205-acre project footprint. Strategically placing woody material directly into or near streams will improve habitat, enhance water quality, support diverse ecosystems and enhance forest composition and structural diversity at all vegetation layers. Trees will be strategically removed to create stream canopy gaps and increase downed woody materials along three miles of streams and adjacent forests. This increased structure in and around the stream will help reconnect the water table with the floodplain, slow down water velocity during high flow events, reduce erosive potential and improve water filtration and recharge through increased retention time within the watershed. Managers also plan to retire about three miles of poorly placed redundant road segments, which negatively impact streams and stream-side forests. The roads will be repurposed as shared-use trails and firebreaks, designed to prevent or slow the spread of wildfires and control prescribed burns. This project will increase the efficiency, predictability and safety of implementing prescribed fire and other managed disturbance regimes to sustain dynamic habitats at the upper tributary system level. The American Bird Conservancy, the project's grantee, is working in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program and South Mountain Partnership Conservation Network to advance all five of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) program pillars. The Pennsylvania NWTF State Chapter committed significant funds to the project via the state chapter's Super Fund. Created in the NWTF's formative years, the Super Fund is a volunteer-driven program. NWTF volunteers in every state raise money at banquets and other types of fundraisers and then allocate a significant portion of those funds back into meaningful conservation and outreach projects in their respective states. The project will directly benefit wild turkeys by creating early successional habitat. Indirectly, the project will improve ecosystem conditions for all species by increasing species and structural diversity on a landscape level, resulting in a healthier forest and a greater quantity and quality of nesting and brood-rearing habitat for wild turkeys. The Public Opinion, The Record Herald, Echo-Pilot are growing their local news 'The NFWF project on the Michaux is a continuation of the great restoration work that has occurred on the South Mountain ridge-tops,' said Mitch Blake, NWTF district biologist. 'A fire-adapted landscape, long excluded from fire, is now being restored acre by acre through landscape-scale disturbance. It's great to see the habitats for species of the greatest conservation concern being addressed as well as upper tributary water quality concerns. This project is really the epitome of a landscape scale forest health collaborative.' Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested more than half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted more than 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested more than $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: NWTF, partners to enhance habitat in Michaux State Forest
Yahoo
05-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Trees to be cut down, roads retired in Michaux State Forest project
The National Wild Turkey Federation, American Bird Conservancy, and Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Bureau of Forestry are collaborating on a project to enhance the habitat within Michaux State Forest, according to an announcement. The project aims to create a mosaic of habitats benefiting wild turkeys and other wildlife species, many of which are classified as species of great conservation concern. More than 1,000 acres of the southern Pennsylvania state forest are being monitored for management work set to begin this summer. Foresters plan to use various techniques, including non-commercial tree felling, forestry mulching, planting ecologically valuable trees, shrubs and forbs, and cut-and-leave treatment of trees that have died due to disease or insect infestation. These managed acres will contribute to the 100,000 acres of land conserved under the NWTF's Forests and Flocks Initiative. Foresters plan to cut down more than 1,000 trees across the 205-acre project footprint. Strategically placing woody material directly into or near streams will improve habitat, enhance water quality, support diverse ecosystems and enhance forest composition and structural diversity at all vegetation layers. Trees will be strategically removed to create stream canopy gaps and increase downed woody materials along three miles of streams and adjacent forests. This increased structure in and around the stream will help reconnect the water table with the floodplain, slow down water velocity during high flow events, reduce erosive potential and improve water filtration and recharge through increased retention time within the watershed. Managers also plan to retire about three miles of poorly placed redundant road segments, which negatively impact streams and stream-side forests. The roads will be repurposed as shared-use trails and firebreaks, designed to prevent or slow the spread of wildfires and control prescribed burns. This project will increase the efficiency, predictability and safety of implementing prescribed fire and other managed disturbance regimes to sustain dynamic habitats at the upper tributary system level. The American Bird Conservancy, the project's grantee, is working in partnership with the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Bureau of Forestry, Pennsylvania Natural Heritage Program and South Mountain Partnership Conservation Network to advance all five of the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation Chesapeake Watershed Investments for Landscape Defense (WILD) program pillars. The Pennsylvania NWTF State Chapter committed significant funds to the project via the state chapter's Super Fund. Created in the NWTF's formative years, the Super Fund is a volunteer-driven program. NWTF volunteers in every state raise money at banquets and other types of fundraisers and then allocate a significant portion of those funds back into meaningful conservation and outreach projects in their respective states. The project will directly benefit wild turkeys by creating early successional habitat. Indirectly, the project will improve ecosystem conditions for all species by increasing species and structural diversity on a landscape level, resulting in a healthier forest and a greater quantity and quality of nesting and brood-rearing habitat for wild turkeys. The Public Opinion, The Record Herald, Echo-Pilot are growing their local news 'The NFWF project on the Michaux is a continuation of the great restoration work that has occurred on the South Mountain ridge-tops,' said Mitch Blake, NWTF district biologist. 'A fire-adapted landscape, long excluded from fire, is now being restored acre by acre through landscape-scale disturbance. It's great to see the habitats for species of the greatest conservation concern being addressed as well as upper tributary water quality concerns. This project is really the epitome of a landscape scale forest health collaborative.' Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested more than half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted more than 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested more than $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. This story was created by Janis Reeser, jreeser@ with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI). Journalists were involved in every step of the information gathering, review, editing and publishing process. Learn more at or share your thoughts at with our News Automation and AI team. This article originally appeared on Waynesboro Record Herald: NWTF, partners to enhance habitat in Michaux State Forest
Yahoo
28-04-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Local wild turkey caller gobbles up national recognition
YOUNGSTOWN, N.Y. (WIVB) — Niagara County resident Ernie Calandrelli is getting attention for sounding like a turkey. He has been turkey calling since the '70s and now his hunting skills are gaining him national recognition. 'It makes me feel good and it makes me feel like I did what I was supposed to do,' he said. Calandrelli was recently inducted in the National Wild Turkey Federation's Grand Calling Championship Hall of Fame. 'It just set me over the top right there,' Calandrelli said. 'Just blew my mind they would consider me for that and that was pretty incredible.' Calandrelli knows a dozen different ways to call wild turkeys. He teaches his skills at the Three F Conservation Society in Youngstown and all across the country. 'Educating kids and new hunters safety-wise and also the different aspects of turkey hunting — what's good, what's bad, what you should do, what you shouldn't do,' he said. Calandrelli and other wild turkey hunters are getting ready for the start of the wild turkey hunting season on Thursday. Sarah Minkewicz is an Emmy-nominated reporter and Buffalo native who has been a part of the News 4 team since 2019. Follow Sarah on Twitter @SarahMinkewicz and click here to see more of her work. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Al Bawaba
17-02-2025
- General
- Al Bawaba
Bad omen? Video captures turkeys circling Harris gravestone
Published February 17th, 2025 - 11:39 GMT ALBAWABA - A group of turkeys recently went viral after a clip showcased them circling a Harris gravestone. Social media users flocked to comment sections linking the incident to an eerie bad omen for Former Vice President of the US Kamala Harris. The footage in question was captured at the Riverside Cemetery in Fargo, North Dakota. The man who captured the video added, "It was quite bizarre." By the time of reporting, with just "Harris" written on it, it's still unclear who the gravestone belongs to. A group of turkeys spotted circling a 'Harris' gravestone in North Dakota. The footage was captured by a cemetery worker at the Riverside Cemetery in Fargo, North Dakota. "It was quite bizarre," the man, Paul Eickhof, said. The reasoning behind the 'turkey circle' may be due… — Collin Rugg (@CollinRugg) February 16, 2025 Several others pointed out that turkeys tend to circle around dead things but the reason they do it remains unknown. On the contrary, a video that was widely shared across social media in 2017 also displayed turkeys circling the body of a deceased cat. National Wild Turkey Federation's Mark Hatfield said in a 2017 blog post, "Turkeys are very basic." He added that they were simply scared of approaching the dead cat due to it being a possible threat, but ended up in a circle slumber. California Department of Fish and Wildlife's Scott Gardner told The Verge in 2017 that Turkeys can also forget why they circle things and end up just following the leading bird. A user on Musk's X (formerly known as Twitter) wrote, "Just turkeys being turkeys—or a warning from nature? Either way, the timing is uncanny." Another added, "Kamala's political career hasn't blinked in a while." © 2000 - 2025 Al Bawaba (
Yahoo
09-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Award winners
Feb. 8—Local chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation wins several awards Members of the South Hills Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation were at the Lawrence County Commissioners' meeting on Tuesday to talk about the awards they were recently awarded including one to Commissioner Deanna Holliday and one for former commissioner Les Boggs. Chapter president Buddy Fry said there was a state chapter ceremony on Jan. 11 at Deerassicc Park in Guernsey County to recognize the 65 local chapters in Ohio. "We, as a chapter, received several awards for what we did in 2024," he said, adding that considering the number of chapters in Ohio, the awards are really pretty competitive. "And, not to brag on our chapter, but I'm going to brag on our chapter, each year we win several of these awards on the state level." Their awards this year included second in the state in the recruitment of Wheelin' Sportsmen members, third in the state in the recruitment of Women in the Outdoors members, the Golden Gobbler Award for having a 50% net profit after one of their banquets and the Full Fan Award, which is given to the chapter with the overall most outstanding and active chapter in the state. Holliday was presented with a plaque for the state's Sponsor of the Year for her support of the chapter's Women in the Outdoors program and Boggs received the state's Outstanding Sponsor of the Year for his continued support of the chapter's Wheelin' Sportsmen events. The South Hills Chapter is very active in Lawrence County, having an annual banquet, hosting a number of Wheelin' Sportsmen events for people with disabilities, having a toy drive to give kids toys at Christmas, providing food boxes at Christmas and providing around 1,100 turkeys around Thanksgiving and Christmas. "We are, by far, the most active chapter in the state of Ohio," Fry said. The commissioners praised the chapter for all they do. "We appreciate everything that the National Wild Turkey Federation does in our community and our county," commissioner Colton Copley said and then congratulated Holliday on her award. "We appreciate the state chapter for recognizing all the hard work you do." Commissioner Mike Finley said he has worked with the chapter for years and there are a lot of needy people in the county. "They have a turkey for Christmas and Thanksgiving because of them," he said. "And it's just phenomenal the work you do." Chapter president Bill Mullins said they were going to a national event at Opryland this week and they will be presented with L.A. Dixon Jr. Memorial Outstanding Chapter Award for their fundraising efforts, recruitment efforts and further the mission of the National Wild Turkey Federation. "It's a pretty big award for our chapter," he said. Fry said that will be the chapter's third national award. In items on the agenda, the commissioners took the following actions: —Approved the following floodplain permits submitted by the Soil and Water Conservation District, new: Columbia Gas of Ohio Inc., pipeline replacement project on Township Road 1208 (Conners Street). Renewals: Eddie Gentry Jr., filling and grading and personal dirt bike tract projects located at 65 Private Drive 398; Donald Rigney, filling and grading and culvert project located at 1090 County Road 21; and Mark A. Wilson, filling and grading and stream maintenance projects located across from 14552 State Route 775. —Approved the consulting services agreement between the Lawrence County Auditor's Office and Pickaway County. —Received and filed the correspondence from Rome Hometown Love Board. —Approved the Title IV-D contract for legal services with McCown and Fisher LPA contract term Jan 1 — Dec. 31. —Authorized Summer Riley, administrative assistant, to advertise a public viewing and public hearing to establish Private Road 3467 State Route 243 as a public roadway.
