The National Wild Turkey Federation 1973-2013: 40 Years of Conservation

In 1973 Tom Rodgers divested himself of his life savings as a small-time outdoor writer and insurance salesman to create an organization dedicated to the conservation and research of the North American wild turkey. He founded the National Wild Turkey Federation on March 28, 1973 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, with a dream that his long-shot gamble would change the face of conservation. After a tumultuous start (the organization recorded a gross income of just $10,000 in its first year), Rodgers enlisted the services of dozens of biologists and turkey hunters. Together they built a body of science that became the foundation for the largest wildlife trap-and-transfer program in the history of mankind, restoring a species that neared extinction in the early 20th century to a thriving existence. By the turn of the 21st century, there were more than 7 million wild turkeys throughout North America. The passion and perseverance of those pioneer supporters elevated the NWTF into one of the most successful upland conservation habitat and hunting rights organizations in the world. Today its biological reach continues to expand with a holistic landscape approach that assists local, state, and federal wildlife agencies and other cooperators with projects that benefit hundreds of upland species.