EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation thanks Secretary of the Interior, David Bernhardt, for the opportunity to participate in Friday's Sportsmen Roundtable in Washington DC.

“We appreciate Secretary Bernhardt continuing the Sportsmen Roundtable effort,” said Joel Pedersen, NWTF director of government affairs, who attended the roundtable on behalf of the NWTF. “There is no question this administration values sportsmen as the original conservationists and values the opinions and ideas that we bring to the table. We look forward to continued progress on these issues that will improve wildlife populations and habitats as well as recreational opportunities.”

Initial topics of discussion from the roundtable included updates on implementation of the provisions in S. 47 – John D. Dingell, Jr. Conservation, Management and Recreation Act that passed earlier this year, The Hunt-Fish Rule, which has opened or expanded hunting and fishing opportunities on over 1.4 million acres of National Wildlife Refuge lands, Chronic Wasting Disease and the protection of migration corridors on western public lands for big game.

During open discussions, attendees touched on a number of additional topics, including gaining the administration’s support for Recovering America’s Wildlife Act. The NWTF has backed this legislation since the beginning as it allows the country’s most imperiled species to be more proactively managed.

The Sportsmen Roundtable was convened by the Secretary of the Interior along with Boone and Crockett Club member Simon Roosevelt to provide a forum for discussion of topics between the Department of Interior and its agencies and executives of many wildlife and environmental conservation organizations across the U.S.

About the National Wild Turkey Federation
When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were about 1.3 million wild turkeys in North America. After decades of work, that number hit a historic high of almost 7 million turkeys. To succeed, the NWTF stood behind science-based conservation and hunters’ rights. The NWTF Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative is a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to conserve enhance more than 4 million acres of essential wildlife habitat, recruit at least 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunting. For more information, visit NWTF.org.

National Wild Turkey Federation
PO Box 530
Edgefield South Carolina 29824
United States