TFT hires Jason Tarwater as director of western operations.
Born to be an outdoorsman, Jason Tarwater grew up in northeast Kansas where he fell in love with all things hunting, fishing and conservation. He earned dual B.S. degrees in wildlife biology and fisheries biology from Kansas State University. After graduating from KSU, he became a Public Lands Manager for the Kansas Dept of Wildlife & Parks before moving to Montana. Tarwater has also expressed his long commitment to conservation through service with The Wildlife Society and other nonprofit organizations.
Impressively, he’s banked more than 20 years of total nonprofit experience, both as a dedicated volunteer and a seasoned professional. He brings deep field knowledge, innovation, and steady leadership to TFT. Now, as the Director of Western Operations, he’s leading the charge for wild turkey conservation in the western U.S.
“My plan is to grow TFT westward,” Tarwater said. “That will be through TFT flock establishments, procuring corporate partnerships, facilitating major donors, managing key programs, and more. With so many years of fundraising event experience, I will assist with those as well.”
What drew Tarwater to TFT, and TFT to him? A shared laser focus on the mission to restore the wild turkey to its former glory.
Simply, Tarwater’s career has been built on one simple belief: that healthy wildlife and strong hunting traditions depend on people willing to roll up their sleeves and get the work done. TFT believes that, too.
“We’re at a point where things must start changing for the better,” he said. “For the most part, we need better habitat, turkey harvest data and predator management.”
Tarwater is from the Midwest, and he grew up during the good old days in the early 2000s. He’s seen what it can be. And he sees what it is now.
“I don’t even travel back home to turkey hunt anymore,” he noted. “The numbers are so low. But being out West, it’s kind of like the good old days all over again. Things are good out here. And I think there’s a lot that can be learned from the thriving populations in the West.”
Without a doubt, there’s a lot about the wild turkey that Tarwater loves. It’s these things, and the sights, sounds, and smells of the spring turkey woods that led him down the road of a career in conservation.
“I grew up doing it,” he said. “As I get older, and now that I’ve moved halfway across the country, my wife and I both realize the wild turkey is a really good reason to see new places. Turkeys live in a lot of cool areas — areas that I would’ve never seen if not for turkey tags in my pocket.”
Although he has significant passion for seeing, hearing, and hunting these beautiful birds, his drive to conserve and protect them is even greater.
“I’ll be 40 this summer, and our generation is probably one of the last to see what the good old days were,” Tarwater said. “Obviously, we can get back to that point, but I also fully understand that nothing is guaranteed – it’s going to take work.”
“There are a lot of people who did the work before I was even alive,” he continued. “I hate to see all that work be wasted. There are a lot of people who sacrificed and gave their entire careers for not just the wild turkey, but also conservation and hunting heritage in general.”
That’s why Tarwater is excited to work for TFT. He looks forward to continuing in making a difference for the greatest bird in the world — the wild turkey.
“I see tremendous potential for growth in TFT and for us to positively impact the wild turkey,”
Tarwater, and TFT, will surely see to that.
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Nice choice! Congratulations Tarwater!
Glad to have him on board!
Although I am glad to see someone representing the western states on board, I am a bit concerned about a repeat of what we saw happen with the NWTF in terms of the mission gradually moving from helping wild turkeys to raising dollars to support an unsustainable infrastructure. Please keep that concern…as is common with most past NWTF members…in mind as TFT moves forward.
As for western wild turkeys and their management, our western states are headed for the same problems that plague the eastern part of the country if we are not careful. The resource is starting to become strained due to a variety of factors, not the least of which is the increasing pressure being put on it by the ever-increasing interest in turkey hunting. We have reached the point where we have to address that issue with reasonable (noted as more conservative) hunting regulations in many places in the western states. If we don’t, what has happened in the east is just around the corner for our western states.
Thanks Jim for your insight! We are definitely mission focused with a high emphasis on research, sustaining and growing turkey populations, and ensuring our turkey hunters have a voice.