FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Feb. 26, 2003

For Information Contact:

Don O’Brien, President, PANWTF

570-995-5016

dwopsc@hotmail.com

 

 

STATE CONSERVATION GROUP INVESTS BIG IN HABITAT IMPROVEMENT

 

STATE COLLEGE, PA-- At their February 11 meeting, the Habitat Committee of the Pennsylvania Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (PANWTF) authorized the expenditure of nearly a quarter of a million dollars for habitat improvement projects throughout the Commonwealth over the next six months.  “We are pleased to be able to dedicate these funds to wild turkey habitat projects all over Pennsylvania to enhance and create nesting cover, improve summer brood habitat, create fall mast crops, and provide for wintering foraging habitat and thermal cover,” said PANWTF Executive Officer Don Heckman.

 

Just over half of the $220,000 total will go to the Pennsylvania Game Commission (PGC), which will in turn put the money directly into 44 “on the ground” projects on state game lands in 31 counties.  “The Game Commission values its partnership with the PANWTF,” said Vern Ross, the PGC’s executive director.  “The financial support they provide enables the Game Commission to continue to stretch its habitat improvement budget to benefit wild turkeys and other wildlife across the state.  We always know we can count on PANWTF members to roll up their sleeves and join us in the trenches as we work toward the same goal of conserving Pennsylvania's wildlife and preserving our hunting heritage.”

 

Most of the rest of the money will also go straight into habitat work on state forest lands, the Allegheny National Forest and the Delaware Water Gap National Recreation Area.  The remainder will be allocated for projects on lands open to public hunting that are owned by counties, municipalities and private landholders.

 

The money earmarked for the habitat improvement projects, which range from everything from seed plantings and land reclamation to the purchase of cultivation equipment, will come from the PANWTF’s Super Fund.  The Super Fund consists of money raised at the grassroots level by the organization’s 67 local chapters at annual fundraising banquets.

 

“Our local chapter volunteers are the heartbeat of our organization, and they spend countless hours working to aid the effort to enhance habitat diversity for all wildlife here in Pennsylvania,” added Heckman.  Since 1985, the PANWTF has granted nearly one million dollars from its Super Fund for habitat programs in the Keystone State.  This is just part of the two million dollars the group has invested in endeavors that benefit both turkeys and sportsmen such as land acquisition, public outreach programs and field research.  

 

The PANWTF is dedicated to the conservation of the wild turkey and the preservation of the turkey hunting tradition.  Though its focus is the wild turkey, the organization’s efforts benefit a wide variety of Pennsylvania’s natural resources.  Presently, the chapter has over 18,000 adult members, and another 7,000 youth members in its Juniors Acquiring Knowledge and Sportsmanship (JAKES) program.  For more information on the PANWTF, which is a branch of the 300,000-member National Wild Turkey Federation, visit the organization’s web site at www.go2pa.com/panwtf.