Cass County Longbeards hold annual benefit

Submitted by Casscounty1 on
By Bobby Horn Jr.
 
CASS COUNTY—Hunters have typically been at the forefront of wildlife conservation and Cass County is no different.
On Feb. 20 the Cass County Longbeards, a chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF), will hold their 16th Annual Hunting Heritage Banquet. The banquet will be held at the Mattie Lanier Richey Center, in Atlanta, beginning at 6 p.m.
In addition to the meal, the banquet will also feature a live and silent auction, a Women in Outdoors information table and a JAKES table. The JAKES program is a NWTF program designed for members 12 years and younger. JAKES stands for Juniors Acquiring Knowledge, Ethics and Sportsmanship. 
Funds raised through the banquet are used by the national organization to continue their mission “Save The Habitat. Save The Hunt”, a 10-year initiative designed to “conserve, enhance 4 million acres of critical upland habitat creating 1.5 million hunters and open access to 500,000 acres for hunters.”
James Hawkins was one of the founders of the Cass County chapter 16 years ago. He said the chapter started in Marietta and soon spread across the county with a mission of restoring what was once a flourishing turkey population. Through the NWTF, turkey populations have come back from near-threatened status. Currently, wild turkeys can be found in 49 U.S. states (none in Alaska).
Hawkins said that restoring the population is more than just putting out birds for hunters. “When you improve the habitat for one species you improve it for others as well,” he said. He noted that once new turkeys are brought into an area, the property owner is required to provide a minimum of five years before they allow hunting, and then only after they get the approval of Texas Parks & Wildlife. Biologists have also used the bird releases to learn more about migrations and adaptability.
Last year 22 turkeys were released in the Angelina National Forest in East Texas. Each of these turkeys was equipped with a tracking collar so that biologists could see the effects of forest fires on their movement. In a recent 10-year period on the Angelina National Forest, there was an average of 19 wildfires per year.
Placing these birds does not come cheap. Hawkins said that it costs $525 to release one turkey.  It is through local chapter fundraising, such as the Longbeard’s banquet, that the national organization is able to continue their work. These funds, added to matching funds from state and federal agencies, allowed the NWTF to spend $1.6 million in Texas alone last year.
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