Wildlife Habitat Preservation: Wild Turkey Country Habitat Conservation Program

The Wild Turkey Country Habitat Conservation Program is designed to help private landowners, industry partners and wildlife agencies conserve wildlife habitat and improve hunting opportunities.

For hunters across North America, the fear of losing hunting land to development is real. Every day we read about new housing or industrial developments springing up in undeveloped areas.

There's good reason to fear! Wildlife habitat is being converted at the astounding rate of nine square miles per day.

To conserve wild turkeys and preserve our hunting heritage, there has to be land where wild turkeys and other wildlife can thrive and where sportsmen can hunt. An NWTF habitat conservation program, Wild Turkey Country, is helping protect this land.

There are three main ways Wild Turkey Country protects wildlife habitat:

Conservation Easements
A voluntary legal agreement between a landowner and a qualified conservation organization in which the landowner agrees to restrict the type and amount of development that may take place on their property. Conservation easements can provide substantial tax breaks for private landowners.

Land Donations
A gift of land or real estate from either corporations or private individuals. If the gifted land is not wildlife habitat, the NWTF will sell it and use the proceeds to protect critical wildlife habitat elsewhere. If the land does provide quality habitat, the NWTF may convey it to an appropriate wildlife agency or resell the property with a conservation easement in place.

Bargain Sales
A bargain sale is a combination of a purchase and a property donation. The NWTF pays a landowner a percentage of the value of the property and the landowner then donates the remaining value to the NWTF. The donated value may be considered a charitable contribution and is tax deductible.

The program works directly with NWTF chapters, agency partners and industry partners to protect wildlife habitat and to acquire — from willing sellers — land for public use. Wild Turkey Country also works directly with private landowners to protect property from development through conservation easements.

For these and more great tips, join the NWTF and receive six great issues of Turkey Country magazine every year.

The National Wild Turkey Federation is the leader in upland wildlife habitat conservation in North America. A nonprofit organization dedicated to conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage, the NWTF and its volunteers work closely with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies and other partners.

Through these dynamic partnerships, the NWTF and its members helped restore wild turkey populations throughout North America, spending more than $331 million to conserve nearly 16 million acres of habitat. Wild turkeys and hundreds of other species of upland wildlife, including quail, deer, grouse, pheasant and songbirds, benefit from this improved habitat.

The NWTF also brings new conservationists and hunters into the fold through outdoor education events and its Women in the Outdoors, Wheelin’ Sportsmen, JAKES and Xtreme JAKES youth outreach programs. Dedicated NWTF volunteers introduce about 100,000 people to the outdoors through these programs every year.

To become a member of the NWTF, join a committee or start a chapter, visit www.nwtf.org or call 800-THE-NWTF. The NWTF is also at www.facebook.com/theNWTF.