The Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) was founded on Feb. 12, 1946 as the Tennessee Conservation League during a meeting at Chattanooga's historic Read House Hotel, where 53 outdoor writers and conservationists from around the state gathered to build a new organization dedicated to the preservation of wildlife and habitat.
Our mission is to champion the conservation, sound management and enjoyment of Tennessee's wildlife and natural resources for current and future generations through stewardship, advocacy and education.
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47th Annual Conservation Achievement Awards Celebrate the Protection of Wildlife and Habitat
NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Each year since 1965, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation (TWF) has honored a select group of leaders in the conservation and stewardship of wildlife and their habitat in Tennessee.
"These awards recognize those individuals and organizations that have made truly meaningful contributions to conservation in Tennessee and to TWF," says Michael Butler, the Federation's chief executive officer. "The current generation is building upon the great work of our past winners, and we are proud to honor their contributions."
The 47th Annual TWF Conservation Achievement Awards were held Wednesday, April 18, at the War Memorial Auditorium in downtown Nashville.
Colonel Patricia Jones, Director of the Tennessee National Guard’s J9 Military and Family Readiness Operations, and Sergeant Major Darrell Allen with the Tennessee Army National Guard
Recruiting and Retention Battalion accepted a TWF Davis P. Rice Scholarship on behalf of Jarvis Kinnie-Shaw, son of the late Sergeant First Class David James Shaw of Jackson.Kinnie-Shaw, who attends the Tennessee Technological Center in Jackson, was unable to attend because of finals. The scholarship program was created to honor the life of Davis P. Rice, son of former TWF Chairman Tom Rice and a passionate outdoorsman who lost his life in an automobile accident while in college. The Tennessee Army National Guard is the presenting sponsor of TWF’s Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program.
The Rocky Fork Partnership was named Conservation Organization of the Year for leading an effort to raise $40 million to protect the iconic Rocky Fork tract of land in the Cherokee National Forest.
UPDATE - Representative Frank Niceley has filed a NEW deer farming bill HB3164 which is written more broadly than last year's bill. HB3164 as written will not only allow for the importation and privatization of white-tailed deer, but it will also allow for the capture of wild Tennessee white-tails and the sale of venison; all to be regulated by the Department of Agriculture. Thus, this bill single-handedly will set back wildlife management in Tennessee nearly a hundred years and reinstate a form of market shooting and sale of Tennessee's wild and public white-tailed deer resource.
The bill is listed below, as well as new information that Chronic Wasting Disease, originally in farmed deer in Missouri, has now been found in WILD white-tailed deer harvest within 2 miles of the farmed-deer facility.
More than Half a Million Meals Provided to Hungry Tennesseans by Local Hunters
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation's Hunters for the Hungry (HFTH) program is reporting another record year, with total venison donations up 13 percent over last season's record. Tennessee deer hunters donated nearly 63 tons of lean, high-protein venison that provided more than half a million meals to their hungry neighbors through local food pantries.
Program support was also up significantly, with grants from the Wal-Mart Foundation and the Plough Foundation funding additional processing quotas and placing new chest freezers at key distribution points.
"The white-tailed deer is a healthy, renewable resource that has to be managed, and this program gives hunters a way to donate venison to be prepared by professional butchers and distributed to food banks and soup kitchens across the state," says Matt Simcox, the Federation's statewide Hunters for the Hungry coordinator. "Tennessee hunting and fishing licenses expire at the end of February, and we hope people will take advantage of the opportunity to give a dollar to Hunters for the Hungry when renewing those licenses. One dollar can provide four meals to hungry Tennesseans."
Based upon available funding, participating processors are allotted a quota for the number of deer that HFTH will subsidize. Grants and local fund-raisers raise funds that pay for processing; beyond the established quotas, hunters pay a reduced processing fee to donate a deer. A $25,000 grant from the Wal-Mart Foundation supported the program statewide, and a $20,000 grant from the Memphis-based Plough Foundation focused on supplying the Mid-South Food Bank with much-needed protein.
Certified Environmental Educator to Oversee Program That Gets Inner-City Kids Outdoors
The Tennessee Wildlife Federation has named Sonya Wood Mahler manager of the Great Outdoors University (GOU) program that provides life-changing outdoor experiences to inner-city children who otherwise may not have the opportunity.
TENNESSEE BRINGS HOME SEVEN NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FROM SCHOLASTIC SHOOTING EVENT TN Scholastic Clay Target Program’s Teams Outshine 36 Other States with 23 Top Five Finishes
SPARTA, Ill. – Twenty one teams from the Tennessee Scholastic Clay Target Program competed in the sport’s national championship event, held July 12-16 in Sparta, Ill. The result was seven national championships, 23 top-five finishes across all divisions, and the high overall shooter of the tournament.
The new TWF Hummingbird license plate is now available at your local county clerk's office! Thanks to a generous gift to the Capital Campaign by TWF board member Dan Hammond, TWF pre-sold the required 1,000 plates to place our new hummingbird plate into production. The artwork was generously provided by renowned wildlife artist Phillip Crowe of Franklin, TN. The featured ruby-throated hummingbird is one of the most beautiful and commonly found varieties of the species found in Tennessee.
For more information on getting a specialty plate, click here. Thanks to all of you that helped support wildlife by pre-purhasing this plate!
CRITICAL UPDATE - If you love hunting, fishing, boating, birdwatching or simply recognize the value of Tennessee's fish and wildlife, please help us by supporting HB2776 as it will be amended. House government operations committee has refused to hear the bill that would reauthorize the TWRA and the commission that sets seasons, bag limits and other regulations.
TWF Supports National Effort to Increase Youth Outdoor Participation
The North Face has awarded a $2,500 grant to TWF's Great Outdoors University (GOU) program, which will help low-wealth children and families explore the outdoors. Since 2006, GOU has provided meaningful outdoor experiences to more than 8,000 inner-city children in Memphis and Nashville through day and weekend camping, fishing and nature trips.
TWF Provides Professionally Processed Venison Donations to Hungry Families
Hunger relief agencies statewide are seeing record numbers of individuals and families seeking food assistance, and the demand is stretching limited resources. The Tennessee Wildlife Federation is helping to meet this need with a renewable resource in plentiful supply – venison, donated by hunters.
The TWF license plate has been manufactured and is now available to everyone! You can purchase the plate through your local County Clerk's office. For more information on how to purchase this plate click here.