Thursday, May 01, 2008
Bill Cochran's Outdoors: More feathers fly at National Wild Turkey Federation
Bill Cochran is a Roanoke Times outdoors columnist.
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Dr. Carey Quarles, who grew up in Buchanan, was one of the first sportsmen to sign on as a member of the National Wild Turkey Federation when it was organized 35 years ago. Through the years, he hardly has been what you’d call a typical member. Examples:
>Life member since the late 1970s.
>Co-founder of a NWTF chapter that won three national awards.
>Chapter president.
>NWTF Volunteer of the Year.
>Wheelin’s Sportsman Volunteer of the Year (NWTF’s handicap program).
>Patron life sponsor
>Experienced hunter with 18 Grand Slams and 12 Royal Slams to his credit.
>An introducer of kids, women and others to the joys of turkey hunting.
Two years ago the Botetourt Longbeards Chapter of the NWTF honored Quarles, and his brother Carson of Roanoke, with its Lifetime Achievement Award. Carey Quarles, a retired veterinarian who lives in Colorado, annually attends the Botetourt County event and is a major sponsor. The 2008 banquet took place Saturday.
In short, he has breathed time, money and energy into the NWTF.
“I feel the NWTF has been one of the most successful service organizations in this country’s history thanks to some great leaders and wonderful hard working volunteers,” said Quarles.
But like many members, Quarles in recent weeks has become a critic. In a letter to Peggy Anne Vallery, NWTF president, he used the words “disarray” and “mess” to describe the status of the organization.
“If the board and management had not managed the NWTF as a Good Old Boy organization, the board would have been in the position to take actions long ago and avoid the apparent problems that the NWTF is now facing.”
Those problems include:
>The resignation of Rob Keck, CEO of the organization for 27 years, the face of the NWTF for most of its existence.
>The dismissal of two long-term, high-level, heavily involved executives: chief operating officer Carl Brown, with 28 years of service, and vice president of sales and marketing Dick Rosenlieb, with 19 years of service.
>The failure of NWTF to inform its members on what the heck is taking place, leaving room for rumors embracing everything from cooking the books to being in the sights of the IRS for misuse of its tax exempt status.
>The tendency for the organization’s highly paid executives and lackadaisical board to bask in past accomplishments, failing to move forward with a new mission that the NWTF must have to survive.
>The most recent development is lawsuits field by Brown and Rosenlieb alleging that their termination was the result of “a well orchestrated smear campaign” that involved lies and defamation. There is a good chance this will break the dam and get a lot of things in the open. Already it has revealed that Rosenlieb was accused of accepting an African safari perk from an outfitter that does business with the NWTF, and that Brown has been accused of fraudulent manipulation of financial and membership records. Both men deny the allegations. The NWTF has 30 days to respond.
Quarles believes that the organization’s woes can be traced to an elitist board that keeps recycling “Good Old Boys” to positions of authority, blocking new ideas and newcomers.
“At the annual meeting each year in February, board members that have terms expiring are thanked, given an award and paraded across the stage,” he said. “Five minutes later most of the same ones are introduced as the new directors. Any idiot can figure out that the slate that is put forth for the membership to vote on is a farce.”
In his letter to the NWTF president, Quarles said: “I have seen this mess coming as have many members. It is regrettable that you all did not.”
