For more information, contact Pete Muller at (803) 637-7698

EDGEFIELD, S.C. — The National Wild Turkey Federation is pleased to learn David Bernhardt, current acting secretary of the Department of the Interior, has received the nomination from President Donald Trump to serve as secretary of the interior.

“It’s a humbling privilege to be nominated to lead a department whose mission I love,” Bernhartd said in a statement on Monday. Bernhardt served within the DOI from 2001-2009 in various high-ranking positions and served as deputy secretary of the interior from July 2017 to December 2018 before stepping in as acting secretary.

As an avid sportsmen himself, Bernhardt has continuously made himself accessible to the sportsmen’s community. He has been key in advancing sportsmen’s priorities within the department and has helped carry out recommendations from the Hunting and Shooting Sports Conservation Council (HSSCC) that benefit wildlife, public partnerships, hunting and recreational shooting.

“David has many years of experience in natural resource management and is dedicated to the sportsmen’s community,” NWTF CEO Becky Humphries said. “We believe he will be effective in leading the department, and in doing so, collaborate with conservation-minded organizations. We look forward to working with him on a variety of conservation matters in the future.”

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. Today, the NWTF is focused on the future of hunting and conservation through its Save the Habitat. Save the Hunt. initiative – a charge that mobilizes science, fundraising and devoted volunteers to conserve or 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
770 Augusta Rd., Edgefield, SC, 29824