| For Immediate Release
For more information, contact Brent Lawrence or Matt Lindler at (803) 637-3106 Chattanooga Resident is a Rare Breed among Volunteers 
Mike Halter received the Wild Turkey Bourbon Rare Breed Award during the NWTF's Convention and Sport Show.
Click image for print quality version | NASHVILLE, Tenn. Volunteers who are as committed as Mike Halter are, indeed, rare.
Halter, a longtime, dedicated volunteer of the National Wild Turkey Federation, was presented the Wild Turkey Bourbon Rare Breed Award during the 2009 NWTF National Convention and Sport Show. "They say it's not what you get in life that counts but what you give and leave behind," said Danny Young, NWTF vice president of marketing. "The winner of this year's Wild Turkey Bourbon Rare Breed Award is a shining example of that."
Halter, of East Ridge, Tenn., founded the Cherokee Chapter of the NWTF in Chattanooga, Tenn., and served as vice president, president and secretary of the half-million-dollar chapter. He also served the NWTF's Tennessee State Board as a director, vice president and president and the NWTF's Tennessee Super Fund committee as a member and chairman.
Halter even has served as the registration chairman and Turkey Shoppe chairman for the NWTF's Grand National Convention and Sport Show, is a member of the Tennessee Turkey Hunters Hall of Fame, a winner of the NWTF's L.A. Dixon Award and has been an active Federation member for more than 30 years. This year's NWTF National Convention and Sport Show drew a record crowd to 43,000 to the Gylord Opryland Hotel and Resort.
"I'm humbled, and I feel great and very honored to have won this award," Halter said. "I love the NWTF. I've always loved the NWTF. Until somebody shows me something better, they'll have to run me off. No one's run me off yet, and I hope they never do." Wild Turkey Bourbon has partnered with the NWTF for many years as the primary sponsor of the Wild Turkey Bourbon/NWTF Grand National Turkey Calling Championship, also helping create this award to recognize dedicated NWTF volunteers. "Honestly, it's a small thing that I do," Halter said. "Others are donating significant portions of their time and money to the NWTF. All I try to do is donate a smile and my willingness to help in any way that I can." For more information about the NWTF or the Wild Turkey Bourbon Rare Breed Award, contact Brian Dowler at (800) THE-NWTF or visit www.nwtf.org. 2009 Convention Sponsors
Bank of America, Bass Pro Shops, Browning, Call Makers and Collectors Association of America, Chevrolet, Crescent Cardboard Co., LLC, Federal Premium Ammunition, Foxy Huntress, Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center, Knight Rifles, Leupold & Stevens, Longleaf Camo, Marlin Firearm/H&R 1871 LLC, Mathews Bows, Inc., MeadWestvaco, Motorola, Nashville Convention and Visitors Bureau, National Band and Tag, O.F. Mossberg & Sons, Inc., Outdoor Channel, The Outdoor Connection, Inc., Remington Arms Company, Inc., S.C. State Chapter, Sustainable Forestry Initiative, Tennessee State Chapter, The Sportsman Channel, USDA Forest Service, U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance, Weatherby, Inc., Weyerhaeuser, Wild Turkey Bourbon and Winchester Olin
About the NWTF: In 1973, Tom Rodgers founded the National Wild Turkey Federation in Fredericksburg, Va., as a national 501(c)(3) nonprofit conservation and education organization with a mission dedicated to conserving wild turkeys and preserving hunting traditions. Shortly thereafter, Rodgers relocated the NWTF to Edgefield, S.C., where it's still headquartered today.
At the time NWTF was established, there were only 1.3 million wild turkeys. Today that number stands at more than seven million birds throughout North America, thanks to the efforts of state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members and partners.
Growth and progress define the NWTF as it has expanded from 1,300 members in 1973 to nearly a half million today. With that growth has come impressive strides in wildlife management as the NWTF has forged dynamic partnerships across the country to further its conservation mission. Together, the NWTF's partners, sponsors and grassroots members have raised and spent more than $286 million upholding hunting traditions and conserving nearly 14 million acres of wildlife habitat.
While wild turkey restoration is nearing completion, the NWTF still has much work to do. Across North America, supporters are working to enhance habitat for wild turkeys and other wildlife while providing hunters with more opportunities and access to public and private land. In addition, NWTF volunteers and partners are introducing youth, women and people with disabilities to the outdoors through special educational events.
If you would like to become a member of Team NWTF, join a committee or start a chapter, please visit our Web site at www.nwtf.org or call us at 800-THE-NWTF. |
