Thursday, June 26, 2008
Tug of war over who will control the turkey federation
Bill Cochran
Recent columns
When George Thornton was named CEO of the National Wild Turkey Federation in early June, he told one of the first media people to interview him that reaching out to young hunters and facing off with the anti-hunters would be key challenges for the organization.
As his first month in charge nears completion, Thornton, who spent most of his career in agribusiness, has discovered that his biggest challenge isn’t new recruits or old enemies; rather, it is dealing with some of the people inside the organization.
What has erupted is a tug of war over who is going to control the 35-year-old federation that claims 500,000 members. Will it be Thornton and his backers? Or will it be a half-dozen former board members and officers led by Michael Tull? Tull recently resigned from the board in protest.
What is certain is that the once premier conservation/hunting organization of North America is in for a rough ride, and there is a good chance it will lose credibility and funding, which are traits it has excelled in for years.
Tull and his backers weren’t happy when the management team that has been at the helm of the NWTF for years was ousted. Two high-profile employees were fired and Rob Keck, the flamboyant CEO for nearly 30 years, resigned. There have been charges that membership donations have been misappropriated and that has resulted in two lawsuits against the NWTF. The suits could prove to be a significant financial drain on the federation.
Although seldom stated, at the apex of the problem is the organization’s struggle to determine what direction it should be headed. For most of its existence, its primary role has been the restoration of wild turkeys across the country, mostly through the relocation of wild birds. That worthy goal created solidarity among members.
But stocking turkeys pretty well is a task that has been completed, and the federation has struggled to define a new objective worthy of its glorious history and deserving of all the money sent by hard-working volunteers to the Edgefield, S.C., headquarters. This has opened the door to contention, and now, a split.
Tull and his group are soliciting NWTF members to an ad hock committee they have formed and named “Take Back the NWTF.” The Web site is takebackthenwtf.com.
In a letter soliciting help from state chapter leaders, Tull, who lives in Roswell, Ga., said: “We need other volunteers to join so that we, as one voice, can be heard by the national board. I believe it is time to remove them from the positions they hold, using the constitution of our organization. It may take some time but it can be done with an organized effort.”
No small number of members, including some who have contributed considerable time and money to the federation, believe that Tull and his group are more spoilers than saviors. One has renamed the movement “Take Back the NWTF for Michael Tull.”
The NWTF has failed to tell members its side of the story, and that is a mistake. The result has been rumors and uncertainty. Thornton has been surprisingly quiet; or, at least his voice isn’t being heard in the hinterlands.
In his early interview, Thornton said, “If we’re not careful and attentive, the good work done over the past 30 years can be undone.”
That prophecy appears to be in the making as the NWTF deal with a house divided.
