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NWTF to Help Manage Chattahoochee-Oconee National Fores |
EDGEFIELD, South Carolina - The National Wild Turkey Federation has
signed a 10-year stewardship agreement with the USDA-Forest Service to
help manage the 860,000-plus-acre Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest
in north-central Georgia.
Projects completed through this agreement are designed to protect,
improve, restore, and maintain habitat for a variety of wildlife
species including wild turkeys. Some projects will include thinning or
removing timber, prescribed fire, vegetation management and road
restoration.
"Reaching this agreement with the Forest Service is an incredible
opportunity for the NWTF," says Dr. James Earl Kennamer, NWTF's senior
vice president for conservation programs for the NWTF. "Both the NWTF
and the Forest Service share an interest in wildlife conservation, and
the NWTF brings an established network of partners and volunteers to
help further our common mission."
Projects will be completed throughout the Chattahoochee-Oconee
National Forest, which is divided into four separate Ranger Districts
(RDs): The Oconee RD, the Chattooga River RD, the Blue Ridge RD and the
Conasauga RD.
"The NWTF's volunteers and members have worked hard to fund
projects that benefit wild turkeys and other wildlife throughout
Georgia and the nation," Kennamer said. "We are committed to conserving
wildlife habitat and preserving the hunting tradition, and have
collaborated with federal and state wildlife agencies and other project
partners to improve habitat on public, private and corporate lands."
The NWTF currently has a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)
with the Forest Service stating that both parties will work to benefit
wild turkeys and their habitat on National Forest system lands. The
recent agreement on the Chattahoochee-Oconee National forest supports
the standing MOU.
"We are looking forward to continuing our partnership with the
National Wild Turkey Federation and will use the Stewardship Agreement
as a tool to accomplish a variety of habitat improvements," said
Georgia Forest Supervisor George Bain. "We also feel this agreement
will help us improve the overall forest health of the
Chattahoochee-Oconee National Forest. We expect to achieve land
management goals that will contribute to improving local and rural
community needs as well."
The NWTF plans to incorporate its Environmental Education, Energy
For Wildlife and outreach programs including Women in the Outdoors,
JAKES/Xtreme JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge Ethics and
Sportsmanship) and Wheelin' Sportsmen, into the management plan, and
also will involve the NWTF's volunteers and chapters in Georgia as the
planning continues.
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