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Plan for Success
by Joe Koloski, Senior Regional Biologist NWTF
Brandon, MS
 When managing a property for wildlife, timber, recreation or a combination of these uses it is very important to plan for success. Most landowners have a clear idea of what their goals are for their property, but many do not take the additional step of developing a plan to reach those goals. Some landowners will be successful in reaching their goals without a plan, but many others will find themselves wondering what to do next or reacting to habitat management needs as they arise. Unfortunately, this often leads to hastily made decisions that do not always support the goals for the property. The end result is increased time, expense, and effort expended by the landowner in reaching his or her goals.
A lot of these pitfalls can be avoided by developing a habitat management plan for your property. This can be a relatively simple process and many state wildlife and forestry agencies and even some federal agencies such as the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) offer this service at no cost to the landowner. The advantage of having a management plan for your property lies in having clearly defined (and attainable!) goals for the property along with a roadmap of how to reach these goals over time.
In my mind, development of a plan should be the first step in the land management process. A good plan will help prioritize land management activities and will help identify those practices that will have the greatest effect on habitat quality for wildlife. In addition, it will provide a sense of purpose and direction for your land management activities and provide a means to gauge your progress and success.
If you are interested in developing a management plan for your property, contact your state wildlife or forestry management agency, the NRCS, or the NWTF Regional Biologist for your area. It will be a decision you will be glad you made.
Joe Koloski
Senior Regional Biologist
National Wild Turkey Federation
414 Brenmar St.
Brandon, MS 39042
601-454-4455
jkoloskinwtf@yahoo.com
For more information about the National Wild Turkey Federation and its conservation efforts, please visit their website at www.nwtf.org.
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