I've remarked on some threads that I joined TFT last year and haven't heard from them since.
I reached out to them and was directed to call Chase Grubbs who is their full time director. As busy as he is, we chatted for probably 15 minutes. Fellas, they are 100% in on helping stop the decline of our turkeys.
I joined up and encourage everyone to join too.
That's good to know Jim. I looked at their webpage a few weeks ago and was looking to join but I held off. I will be joining soon.
Quote from: Jim K on July 20, 2022, 12:12:51 PM
I've remarked on some threads that I joined TFT last year and haven't heard from them since.
I reached out to them and was directed to call Chase Grubbs who is their full time director. As busy as he is, we chatted for probably 15 minutes. Fellas, they are 100% in on helping stop the decline of our turkeys.
I joined up and encourage everyone to join too.
Jim,
I want to say thank you for the phone call and for supporting our mission by joining as a TFT member. I encourage others that live and breathe wild turkeys and all things turkey hunting to do the same at a membership level that fits. Turkeys For Tomorrow has the wild turkeys future as our number 1 priority and in the near future opportunities for more local grass roots activities will be created as TFT Chapters begin to take shape.
If you're reading this far here's a summary about our organization...
In June, 2020, twelve men and two women met at White Oak Plantation in Alabama to discuss what they perceived as an alarming trend and the decline of wild turkey populations in the areas they hunted across the United States. At the end of that meeting it was apparent that there were more questions about this problem than answers. Over the next several months the group dug deeper into the issue and decided turkey hunters were key to answering these questions.
In February, 2021, the group received its non-profit 501C3 status and Turkeys For Tomorrow was born. Each of the original 14 members contributed $300 each for the initial funding of the organization. Lofty goals of five research projects in five states in five years and 80% of income dedicated to wild turkey research were adopted.
Today, to the exact day, TFT is 18 months old.
We are currently funding six research projects in three states with pending project announcements in two more states. The current average of income dedicated to reversing the decline of wild turkeys is over 80% of the funds we have generated. We are very proud of that accomplishment and for all of you who know... that feat is near impossible, especially in a startup year, we owe that to our determined board members and staff who generously volunteered their time to make this organization function with the wild turkey as the number 1 priority.
The mission of Turkeys For Tomorrow has not and will not change. We are dedicated to reversing the declining wild turkey populations across the United States... Nothing more, nothing less. Research is the foundation on which we hope to build our success. Currently we are working with Auburn University, the University of Georgia, Tennessee Tech and Mississippi State University. We are working with the state agencies of Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky.
Most importantly, we are working with hunters. Hunters are the real heroes in one of the greatest conservation success stories ever told, the comeback of the wild turkey. Through the purchase of hunting licenses and dogged determination of state agencies and wildlife professionals wild turkeys were brought back from the brink of extinction. We are nowhere near that disaster today but the trend is alarming and Turkeys For Tomorrow is ringing the bell. We need your help. Join Turkeys For Tomorrow at a level meaningful to you. Follow us social media and tell your friends about us. It will take all of us to turn this around. Join Turkeys For Tomorrow and help us help wild turkeys.
https://turkeysfortomorrow.org/membership-account/membership-levels/ (https://turkeysfortomorrow.org/membership-account/membership-levels/)
If you're still on the fence about our organization give me a call 662-654-7854
- Chase Grubbs, Director of Development
Just joined.
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Very impressive start !!
I joined TFT recently as well.
Approx how many members make up TFT?
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Quote from: Upfold99 on July 22, 2022, 01:34:12 PM
Approx how many members make up TFT?
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Chase did tell me. I THINK he said they were at about 18,000 members. Maybe he will be along to confirm or correct that number.
I joined a few weeks back and received thank you letter and decal. I hoping they take a look at NYS. There have been 2 studies in the past, 1 by the DEC and 1 private with no feedback on results. Perhaps someone on the forum knows. Populations were dropping like a rock until they finally acted by reducing the fall season by 2 weeks. Not sure if that helped. The excuse was always wet cold springs for the hatch. The past season, the DEC says too much "hunting pressure"... not sure how they can calculate that since when you buy a hunting license you get turkey tags. How do they know how many hunters are actually hunting?
Quote from: Jim K on July 22, 2022, 09:42:25 PM
....THINK he said they were at about 18,000 members. Maybe he will be along to confirm or correct that number.
I hope that is correct,...but it seems like a lot for an organization with such limited exposure so far, especially in areas outside of the southeast. If that number is correct, they are well on their way to success. That means people are starting to jump on board.
Word to the wise for those in charge: Do not take your donors and volunteers for granted. Always keep the mission as stated above first and foremost! The temptation to do otherwise will be great. We will be watching...
:icon_thumright:
I just joined....
I was very skeptical of this organization at first, but after seeing a few of the projects they are taking on (Mainly the project with MSU and MDWFP) I am convinced some good will come out of this organization. Will be joining soon.
Are they doing anything in the NorthEast?
Joined yesterday!
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I've been a member for months now and am very impressed with the seriousness and transparency they are conducting their studies with. To answer Sir Diealot's question, I'm not aware of anything being done in the NE yet. That question would be best answered by Chase Grubbs, for sure.
I'm attending a meeting with them this coming weekend (Aug 5th-7th) and look forward to the discussions we'll have. If I am permitted, I will try to share some of the topics and round-table discussions that come out of it.
I will have a column or article in each one of my Turkey Hunter magazines regarding the latest news that they have to offer.
The board of this organization is not a "good ol' boy" network. It is comprised of many individuals who have been involved with the turkey hunting industry or other organizations that focus on conservation, habitat, and various species. I know a few of them personally, and they are die-hard turkey enthusiasts with a deep concern for the precious bird we all love.
I suggest placing your hard-earned dollars into their collection plate. They are the real deal.
For those on the fence, look at the research TFT did regarding Hens with GPS monitoring and poult survival. Alarming for sure.
https://turkeysfortomorrow.org/tft-alabama-research-update-year-1/
Whether the research is in your "area" shouldn't be a deciding factor. Understanding the decline or survival in any area helps all us turkey hunters out and can be applied to other areas as well. For being around for 18 months, they've done a lot. These guys and the scientists/ research projects they have are the real deal.
Been a member for over year and feel money is being spent on important projects. Would like to see a monthly email for those of us who steer clear of Facebook and other modern medias.
Quote from: GobbleNut on July 23, 2022, 09:04:25 AM
Quote from: Jim K on July 22, 2022, 09:42:25 PM
....THINK he said they were at about 18,000 members. Maybe he will be along to confirm or correct that number.
I hope that is correct,...but it seems like a lot for an organization with such limited exposure so far, especially in areas outside of the southeast. If that number is correct, they are well on their way to success. That means people are starting to jump on board.
Word to the wise for those in charge: Do not take your donors and volunteers for granted. Always keep the mission as stated above first and foremost! The temptation to do otherwise will be great. We will be watching...
:icon_thumright:
:z-winnersmiley: Once again I wholeheartedly agree with Gobblenut. I have this deep dread and vision of The NWTF and the money hounding corporate lion it became, with the wild turkey left in the dust. Many good charities have started with noble intentions and became salary generators. Sure they all produce some good fruit, but get way off base when it comes to their initial mission. I speak from a strong position on this as I am Chairman of non-profit and fiscal officer. We are small, but we stay on course and actually signed an agreement with another group to provide oversight and auditing. I have sat in the Chairman's seat for over 10 years and the group is 27 years old. We take no salaries and return 94% to our mission. I hope that TFT does stay on course and has established third party oversight.
I have not joined and I am still watching. I agree, that work done in the south may provide some strong data, but some money needs to come North where winter climates are a whole other factor. People want to see their money spent in their area. They also need to scrutinize University grant request and reasearch. I now how Universities work, they produce paper and degrees first and sometimes good research comes with that, but they can burn through a ton of money with no product. Professors are looking for tenure and grad students degrees and jobs. The money is best used as a pass through to them via a state agency, with defined goals.
For now I am just watching, the burn from The NWTF has not healed yet. I am not paying someones huge salary ony to be ignored
I understand everyone's hesitation to join. For what little money it is I say why not. I will never regret spending money on efforts to save wild Turkey. Even if some of those efforts fail.
I personally set aside a specific dollar amount for hunting and conservation organizations each year. How I split that money up depends on what I'm seeing from the different organizations I donate to. TFT is currently getting more of my money than the NWTF and will probably do so for at least a couple more years. NWTF isn't getting much more than membership dues from me as of now.
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I thought of something else I wanted to share. My home state of Ohio has a donation box available when you buy your tags. You donate directly to the wildlife fund and choose where your money goes(like habitat). I have bought tags from several others states and most do the same thing. I donate directly to my home Wildlife agency.
Same thing happened to me. They messaged me , twice on here actually and asked me to give them a call. Took me a while to get around to it. Same thing though , 15 minute conversation , they explained what had happened , and the first year it was just a donation not a technical membership . Memberships started later which is why I couldn't technically renew. We had a nice chat. And it was nice to see them actually reach out .
I joined the first year. Seems like they are off to a good start. But now I'm a bit confused by their direction. I haven't paid for another membership yet. I'd like to speak with them to ask a few questions about some of the things I've saw recently.
I joined recently and received a letter and a decal within a few weeks. I know a few of the people that are spear heading this effort and they are good people. They were at NWTF convention constantly meeting with people and making contacts to help them branch out. Any organization, that is expanding, is going to develop growing pains and have some ebbs and flows in momentum. I think their intent is good and and believe in their mission. I, for one, will keep supporting them and keep the faith.
The drawing for their guided hunt raffle will be Feb 8th 7pm CST and shown live on Facebook. Be watching to see if I'm a big winner. LOL.
Just watched the drawings live. Didn't win. Seems like a good group
Very good point! This is my second year as a member. I am from Michigan and are bird numbers are good. To me it was so concerning that the traditional areas that have always had great numbers were on the decline. When I looked into the research TFT was doing I wanted to support it because bird numbers declining anywhere is a bad thing and no one else is doing what is necessary to figure out what is happening. You need data to make changes and turn things around. I encourage everyone who is able to support this critical research.
I joined last May and never heard a peep from anyone. Not worth my time to find out why but it doesn't show me much bang for a buck.