CONSERVATION

Turkeys for Tomorrow (TFT), founded by Ron Jolly, Jason Lupardus, and Kevin Matthews, addresses the wild turkey population decline through research partnerships with universities and state wildlife agencies. The organization tackles predation, habitat loss, and disease while promoting private land cooperatives and citizen science initiatives to restore wild turkey populations nationwide.

Utah's Conservation Permit Program raised $6.5 million for 87 wildlife and habitat restoration projects during an April 1 funding meeting. Twelve conservation groups, including the Mule Deer Foundation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and Safari Club International, funded projects that will improve 132,000 acres of wildlife habitat across Utah's national forests and watersheds.

Michigan DNR completed significant land acquisitions in Q1 2026, including a 73,063-acre conservation easement in the Michigamme Highlands funded by the U.S. Forest Service, Michigan Natural Resources Trust Fund, and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, plus 15 miles of recreational trail easements in the Upper Peninsula secured through the Michigan Permanent Snowmobile Easement Fund.

The Mule Deer Foundation and Wyoming Community Foundation announce a $109,000 grant from an anonymous donor for the third consecutive year to support mule deer habitat restoration in Wyoming's Snowy Range. Funding will support forest health and wildfire mitigation efforts in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, Wyoming Game and Fish Department, and the Saratoga-Encampment-Rawlins Conservation District.

Over 150 seventh-grade students from Clarksville Middle School participated in a field day at Lake Ludwig organized by music teacher Misty Hardgrave and Kendra Ingle from the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center. Students engaged in fishing, archery, aquatic invertebrate study, and nature hikes led by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission staff including Emily Roberts and Destin Smith.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission converted a 20-foot trailer into a mobile cave experience called Eagle Antler Cave, designed by Deer/Mount Judea School District students. The simulator travels to schools across Arkansas to educate visitors about cave conservation and the importance of protecting the state's underground ecosystems.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department released the 2026 Mule Deer Conservation Strategy to address declining populations through habitat management and restoration. The strategy, developed with partners including the Muley Fanatics Foundation, employs a three-tiered approach focusing on habitat conservation, improvement, and partnership support.

The Nebraska Alliance for Conservation & Environmental Education (NACEE) is promoting the Outside for 5 campaign throughout April to highlight outdoor learning benefits for students. NACEE will share resources via social media and host a free virtual webinar on April 28 featuring research on how outdoor learning improves student physical and mental health.

Delta Waterfowl has started its Predator Management Program at 51 sites across Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, North Dakota, and South Dakota to increase nest success for the 2026 duck nesting season. The program targets raccoons and skunks to help more ducks hatch in the prairie pothole region, which produces up to 70% of North America's ducks.

The Wyoming Game and Fish Department is launching a statewide tour of the documentary "Carrying Capacity: The Hunt for Resilience," featuring screenings and community forums across five Wyoming locations. The film explores management of the Jackson and Ferris-Seminoe bighorn sheep herds, with discussions on hunting's role in maintaining healthy, disease-resistant populations.

(402) Creamery and Nebraska Game and Parks launched Fox Tracks, a limited-edition ice cream benefiting conservation education. Beginning March 23, $2 from each pint sold supports the Wildlife Education Fund, with eight lucky customers winning outdoor prizes.

The Mule Deer Foundation and Sportsmen for Fish and Wildlife celebrated the 20th anniversary Western Hunting and Conservation Expo in Salt Lake City, generating over $8 million in auction proceeds and $2.6 million from permit sales for wildlife conservation. MDF launched its new national campaign "The Vanishing Icon of the West" to address declining mule deer populations across Western habitats.

The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission is recruiting schools for its Schools of Conservation Leadership program, which offers conservation education, professional development for teachers, and equipment grants. The program has expanded to include mentor schools, Generation Conservation Summit competitions, and a new conservation career pathway for high school students.

Georgia's new Black Bass Conservation specialty license plate is now available to drivers. Designed by a Georgia native angler and refined with WRD Fisheries staff, the $45 annual plate funds black bass conservation, habitat enhancement, fisheries research, hatchery production, and education efforts.

The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources and Utah Trout Unlimited selected five conservation projects funded by the Utah Cutthroat Slam fishing challenge to support native cutthroat trout restoration. Projects include eDNA sampling, beaver relocations, aquatic monitoring, fish trap operations, and educational signage, each receiving approximately $5,000 in funding.

The Montana Land Board approved four Habitat Conservation Leases protecting over 27,000 acres of rangeland in eastern Montana. The leases, including the Dunbar HCL, IOU Ranch HCL, Lone Tree Land & Livestock Ranch HCL, and Rock Barn Ranch HCL, provide public access for recreation and hunting while supporting wildlife habitat conservation.

NSSF celebrates the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's announcement that nearly $1.3 billion is being delivered to state conservation and wildlife programs, with $804.8 million sourced from firearm and ammunition excise taxes paid by manufacturers under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act.

Secretary of the Interior Burgum announced a Request for Proposals in partnership with the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation to expand the Western Big Game Seasonal Habitat and Migration Corridors grant program, with funding from the Department of the Interior, U.S. Forest Service, and non-governmental partners. The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation supports this effort to address habitat loss and fragmentation affecting wildlife migration.

The Pennsylvania Department of Agriculture, Pennsylvania Game Commission, Pennsylvania Farm Bureau, and Hunters Sharing the Harvest held their third town hall meeting at the Great American Outdoor Show to address wildlife crop damage. The panel discussed expanded hunting opportunities, the Certified Hunter Program, and the Agricultural Deer Control Program, with Hunters Sharing the Harvest reporting record venison donations of 283,789 pounds during the 2024-25 season.

Agricultural producers and private landowners can sign up for the Continuous Conservation Reserve Program from February 12-March 20, 2026, or General CRP from March 9-April 17, 2026, administered by the USDA Farm Service Agency. The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission highlights CRP's importance for wildlife habitat and hunting opportunities, with additional incentives available through the Berggren Pheasant Plan and Open Fields and Waters Program.