Bland Co Chapter JAKES Fishing Day

Tuesday, April 29, 2014 3:45 pm. Kids lined the banks of Laurel Fork Creek behind Rocky Gap High School on Saturday, April 26, for the Bland County Many Beards National Wild Turkey Federation Chapter's JAKES Annual Kids Free Fishing Day.
 

Check out the entire article from SWVAToday.com.

"We had a great day" said Chapter President Randy Kiser. "The weather was perfect, the food was great and the turnout was awesome."

The Free Fishing Day was hosted in cooperation with the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. Conservation Police Officer Wes Billings and his dog Josie spent the day talking with the 105 kids who registered for the event.

"I enjoyed talking with the kids and their families today and explaining Josie's role in enforcement," Billings said.

The kids really liked hearing about how Josie helped Billings find fish the evening before that a fisherman had hidden because he had caught more than his limit.

Thanks to the generosity of more than 50 individuals and three businesses, more than 100 fishing poles were given away as door prizes.

Austin Horn of Tazewell won the Biggest Fish Contest by reeling in a 20 1/4 inch trout.

Setting Up Your Fishing Pole Clinics were held throughout the event headed up by volunteers Lawrence Scott and Dusty Kiser.

At another station, kids were invited to dig their own worms from see-through plastic bins. Volunteers Destiny Hagy and Mike DeWilde from the Bland County Senior Citizens answered questions about the worms, their composting abilities and why worms are good for the soil.

JAKES is for the youth members of the National Wild Turkey Federation. The Bland NWTF Chapter hosts two events each year so kids can experience the outdoors in a variety of ways including fishing.

Dennis Campbell

Dennis Morgan Campbell, 72, of Waynesboro passed away Tuesday, December 10, 2013 at the University of Virginia Medical Center surrounded by his family.

Born November 5, 1941 in Augusta County, he was the son of the late Manley Howard and Pearl (Taylor) Campbell. On June 7, 1963 he married the love of his life Betty (Sanger) Campbell. The two shared a blessed union of 50 years together.

Dennis was an avid outdoorsman and conservationist and had joined the Virginia Deer Hunters Association as Director of Field Operations within the last year. After serving in the U.S. Army, Dennis returned to Virginia where he held jobs as a cost accountant, purchasing agent, and then as Administrative Manager for local companies. Dennis's love for wildlife and the outdoors led him to volunteering for numerous conservation organizations, as well as the Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries. In recent years, he had been employed by the National Wild Turkey Federation as a Senior Regional Director. Nominated by his peers, he was inducted into the Virginia Conservationist's Hall of Fame. In 2001, he became Executive Director for NASCAR driver Ward Burton's Wildlife Foundation. Dennis is a former Chairman of the Board of Directors for "Return to Nature", an educational outreach program, Chairman of the Board for Sportsmen of Virginia, and served for many years on the Virginia State NWTF Executive Board. He had remained active with conservation groups for children and had the nickname "Grandfather of Youth Whitetail Day". Dennis was a member of White Hill Church of the Brethren, Stuarts Draft. He will be remembered by those who knew him as a loving husband, father, grandfather and friend to many.

In addition to his loving wife, survivors include his daughter, Jennifer Lynne (Campbell) Floyd and husband, Jerry David Floyd, Jr.; grandchildren, Amanda (Floyd) Lent and husband, Raymond, Tabitha Noel Floyd and Autumn Paige Floyd; siblings, Judy (Campbell) Adams and husband, Robert, Roger Campbell and wife, Barbara Jean, Jesse Campbell and wife, Carolyn, Benny Campbell and Randy Campbell and wife, Martha; sister-in-law, Nancy (Sanger) Ratcliffe and husband, James; brothers-in-law, Carl Daniel Sanger and wife, Vickie and Tom Sanger; as well as a number of nieces, nephews and friends.
A memorial service will be held at 11:00 A.M. on Saturday, December 28, 2013 at White Hill Church of the Brethren, Stuarts Draft, with Rev. James Chappell officiating.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a children's charity of choice.

Relatives and friends may share condolences and memories with the family online by visiting www.reynoldshamrickfuneralhomes.com 

Virginia Call Makers Contest!

ROANOKE, VA — Volunteers from National Wild Turkey Federation Chapters throughout Virginia converged on the Holiday Inn Valley View in Roanoke on Saturday, January 25th for the inaugural Turkey Call Makers Competition held during their annual Awards Banquet.

The Call Makers Competition was the brainchild of NWTF Regional Director Billy Hall in an effort to allow some of the best call makers from Virginia and surrounding states to showcase their abilities.  Hall commented, “Virginia is fortunate to have some very talented call makers and we wanted to provide them with a platform to display their craftsmanship to the largest group of turkey hunting enthusiasts in the state.  For a first-time event, we had a great response from the call makers, receiving 29 calls, and we hope to expand the competition at our future Awards Banquets.”

The competition includes two prestigious awards; The People’s Choice Award, and the Top Grossing Call Award.  All calls are displayed on a silent auction for the banquet attendees, and the winners are decided based on the highest bid of all calls and the total number of individual votes for the most popular call.

The winner of both awards this year was Cliff Presley of Front Royal, VA.  This long-box box call was made of butternut and cherry, and sported a custom cedar lid.  Presley is an active member of the Skyline Strutters NWTF Chapter, an avid turkey hunter, and has two sons who are well known on the turkey calling circuit.  Presley’s call making expertise has won him awards at past NWTF National Conventions and we were honored to reward him with these esteemed awards.  When notified of the awards, Presley stated, “I’m honored and humbled to receive this recognition.  To be recognized by my turkey hunting peers is gratifying, and I truly thank them for this honor.”  Cliff Presley can be reached at:  (540)635-2769 or email:   gobblerhuntinfool@gmail.com.  

The NWTF is a national nonprofit conservation organization that was founded in 1973 and has worked with wildlife agencies to restore wild turkey populations from 1.3 million wild turkeys to nearly 7 million today.  Now, NWTF’s volunteers raise funds and work daily to improve critical wildlife habitat, increase access to public hunting land and introduce new people to the outdoors and hunting.  Together, the NWTF's partners, sponsors and grassroots members have raised and spent more than $372 million preserving hunting heritage and conserving nearly 17 million acres of essential wildlife habitat.

For more information about this event, contact Linda Layser at 540-490-0353 or visit:  www.vanwtf.com or https://www.facebook.com/VirginiaNWTF

Wheelin' Sportsmen Spring Event applications!

Our 2014 Spring Gobbler Hunt and our Spring Fishing Applications are out and we're ready to get you outdoors with us this spring. We have six spring gobbler hunts planned and three great opportunities to catch some big rainbow and brown trout. If you have a mobility impairment disability and would like to participate in our events, please return the applications to us by the noted deadlines. You can download the applications here:

Spring Gobbler Hunt Application in WORD Document, and in PDF Format. Hunt application deadline - March 22nd 

Fishing Application in WORD Document, and in PDF Format. Fish application deadline - April 15th

Virginia Wild Turkey Management Plan

The Virginia Department of Game and Inland Fisheries (VDGIF) and Virginia Tech's Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation have initiated a process to develop a statewide Wild Turkey Management Plan.

This plan, which will incorporate all wild turkey stakeholders' values, will be similar in scope and purpose to the Virginia Black Bear (under revision) and White-tailed Deer Management Plans. The Virginia Wild Turkey Management Plan will be designed to provide guidance on how to address the complex management challenges and issues related to desirable population levels, recreation (including hunting), human-turkey conflicts, and habitat conservation.

Update as of January 2013

Since the last update, 13 individuals were extended an invitation, and subsequently all have accepted, to participate on the Wild Turkey Management Plan Stakeholder Advisory Committee (SAC). These individuals represent the spectrum of users and stakes in turkey management, including turkey hunters, other nature enthusiasts, agricultural and/or commodity producers, and representatives of organizations and agencies deemed important to turkey management. This group will work together to develop policy-level draft goals for inclusion in a new statewide management plan for wild turkeys in Virginia. Issues raised during a series of focus group meetings held in April and May 2012 will provide a starting point for discussion. The draft management plan will be available for general public review and comment later this year. Below a link is provided where a summary of issues raised during the focus groups can be viewed. Preparation of an educational document that reviews the history, biology, and management of the wild turkey in Virginia currently is nearing completion and will be used to enhance knowledge and understanding of turkeys and turkey management among the public; when completed, this document will be available via the VDGIF website. In the coming months, the SAC and the VDGIF Wild Turkey Technical Committee will be very busy working to develop a draft plan. Please monitor the VDGIF web site for future updates.

• Developing Wild Turkey Management Plan » (PDF)

• Focus Group Executive Summary » (PDF)

Cully McCurdy, our NWTF Regional Biologist,· our State Chapter representatives on the Stakeholder Advisory Committee.· If you have any issues or concerns that you would like him to carry forward, you can contact·Cully and Richard at:

Patrick "Cully" McCurdy

Regional Biologist -·VA/WV

National Wild Turkey Federation

HC 82 Box 217B

Marlinton WV· 24954

Office: 304-799-4792   Cell: 304-642-4762  

cmccurdy@nwtf.net

Or:

Richard Pauley   540-992-6193   

pauleyr@nationwide.com

Golden-Winged Warbler/Longleaf Pine Initiative

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The NWTF, the leading conservation organization dedicated to improving upland wildlife habitat, and the USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service are partnering on two initiatives to enhance critical ecosystems on private land across 16 states, including Virginia. 

The golden-winged warbler and longleaf pine initiatives will improve habitat on private land for targeted species and countless other wildlife and plant species that flourish in the same habitat.

"These are landscape scale habitat initiatives that will have far reaching impacts," said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., the NWTF's chief conservation officer. "The NWTF and our expert wildlife biologists are uniquely positioned to be the driving force behind these critical, on-the-ground habitat improvements. These initiatives will make significant impacts on golden-winged warblers, longleaf pines and the countless other species that depend on these shared habitats."

Daily, 6,000 acres of prime upland habitat are lost to development. Improving existing habitat will make a significant, long-term impact on upland wildlife and help counter these ongoing losses.

The golden-winged warbler songbird is listed as a Federal Species of Special Concern and has experienced dramatic declines, particularly throughout the greater Appalachian region, due to the loss of critical breeding habitat. Golden-winged warblers require patchy shrubland and forest edges, which also is critical for a wide range of species, including wild turkey, ruffed grouse and migratory birds.

Longleaf pine forests once covered an estimated 90 million acres across the Southeast; today only 3 percent remains. Longleaf forests are home to hundreds of wildlife species, including 29 species that are listed as threatened or endangered, and are important to the continuation of these species. This habitat is extremely important for wild turkeys.

Through these free public-private initiatives, the NWTF will work with 725 private landowners to help them improve habitat on their land by providing technical assistance and preparing habitat management plans. These efforts will provide expert guidance and help landowners participate in existing federal cost share programs to help fund these critical improvements. The NWTF also will conduct 38 wildlife habitat management field days to provide landowners with the tools to help wildlife on their lands.

"NRCS is proud to work with the NWTF to further the management of longleaf pine forests and habitat for the golden-winged warbler," said NRCS Chief Dave White. "This partnership provides another opportunity for farmers, ranchers and forestland owners to voluntarily protect this critical wildlife habitat."

The NWTF and its partners will be contributing $1.75 million to these initiatives to compliment NRCS's investment.

The golden-winged warbler initiative will include Georgia, Kentucky, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. The initiative supporting longleaf pine will include the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

On January 22nd, Brian Chandler will begin work as the Regional Biologist in charge of this initiative in Virginia and West Virginia. Brian is a graduate of the Univ. of Tennessee Knoxville, and received his Masters at Texas Tech. For information on participating in either initiative, contact Brian at bchandler@nwtf.net or 865-414-8524. Please join us in welcoming Brian to our VaNWTF family.

VaDOF Donates Seedling Packages

Our partners at the Virginia Department of Forestry are graciously donating a seedling package to each Virginia NWTF Chapter Banquet between now and May 1st.  This seedling package is specifically targeted to the enhancement of wild turkey habitat. The package will be auctioned off at our local banquets so look for them in your banquet programs. This seedling package includes 5 Chickasaw plum, 10 Chinese chestnut, 25 common apple, 25 bi-color lespedeza, 25 sawtooth oak and 10 persimmon. These species are excellent for wild turkey, as well as numerous other wildlife species.

To learn more about Virginia Department of Forestry and to view our seedling catalog, please visit www.buyvirginiatrees.com.