Staff Spotlight: Forests and Flocks Initiative

Mitchell Blake – District Biologist and Forests and Flocks Point of Contact  

Blake, a district biologist for Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey and Maryland, was drawn to a career in conservation thanks to his love for the outdoors taking root at an early age.  

With support from his dad and his grandpap, he fell in love with hunting and shooting. Being a Pennsylvania native, he hunts deer, wild turkey, bear and grouse, the latter of which he loves to chase with his three English Setters.  

Passionate to protect our natural resources for successful and plentiful hunts for future generations translates into the work he’s doing as a district biologist for the NWTF. 

“I focus on putting quality habitat management on the ground, and I help with wild turkey research where possible,” said Blake. “I try and focus my position on managing as much habitat as I can for wild turkeys.” 

When it comes to Forests and Flocks, Blake facilitates conservation delivery towards accomplishing the initiative's goals: establishing a wild turkey focused endowed professorship, improving 100,000 acres of habitat for wild turkeys and other wildlife, increasing NWTF’s education and outreach impacts and engaging in policy issues that impact wildlife or the ability to manage for them and their habitat.  

As the Forests and Flocks Initiative prepares to celebrate its first year of implementation, Blake is still thinking about ways to further wild turkey research for the future of the bird.   

“I'd like to be part of a regional, cooperative scientific effort that successfully identifies and spatially indexes wild turkey needs at a scale — for example township — that can be addressed by public habitat and wildlife managers as well as private landowners,” said Blake. “I'm not sure that will ever happen, but I think it would be very insightful.” 

Kaylee Szymanski – District Biologist 

Like many NWTF staff, Szymanzki’s love for conservation and the outdoors started when she was young, thanks to her family who spent a lot of time outdoors.  

“We were always camping, hiking, kayaking or fishing,” said Szymanski. “I remember my parents quizzing me on the wildflowers we would pass on hiking trails and fishing nearly every good weather day during the summer. I’m lucky that being outside and enjoying the forest was a lifestyle I was born into.”   

She grew up with a rod in her hand and fishing has always brought her joy. But she didn’t start hunting until she started college.  

“In high school I wanted to turkey hunt so badly that I convinced my parents to buy me a diaphragm call that I would practice with in the horse barn while mucking stalls,” she said. “I finally got to hunt in college when I attended a Conservation Leaders For Tomorrow (CLFT) weekend. It was a wonderful entrance into the hunting world. I continued my pursuit of becoming a hunter with the assistance of college friends.” 

While she has worked for the NWTF for years, Szymanski recently moved to the position of district biologist for all six New England states, covering the suburbs of Connecticut to the remote forests of northern Maine. Through partnerships with state wildlife agencies, she works with researchers to help conserve habitat. She also works with federal partners to get habitat work done on federal lands and is always looking for new partnerships or grant opportunities to improve wild turkey habitat. She also keeps her eye on state legislatures and policies that might arise and impact the NWTF and its members.  

When it comes to the Forests and Flocks Initiative, Szymanski’s focus is on establishing critical nesting habitats in spring, brood-rearing areas in summer and promoting the growth of hard and soft mast-bearing trees and shrubs to support turkeys through the winter months. She also supports R3 efforts and increases access for hunters while working toward positive legislature and policy in each state. 

“NWTF truly has the best interest of the wild turkey and the public in mind,” said Szymanski. “It’s an honor to work for an organization and with volunteers that put habitat and science first. We have such amazing volunteers and without them I wouldn’t be able to forward the mission and improve habitat for wild turkeys.” 

She is looking forward to making a regional impact on wild turkey habitat, building our current partnership and finding new partners to forward NWTF’s mission and continue to conserve the wild turkey for generations to come. 

For anyone interested in a career in environmental biology, Szymanski advises young people to start being active in their student chapters of NWTF or other wildlife societies.  

“Take internships if possible and volunteer with wildlife NGO’s, agencies and land trusts,” she said. “Field work is important, because while you can learn a lot from a book, it's not until you experience activities in person that you have a complete understanding. If you are just starting college, don’t wait until your senior year to gain this experience. Start getting field experience from the beginning.” 

Jesse Warner – Northeast Hunting and Shooting R3 Coordinator  

Warner has always been drawn to birds and not just through hunting. He loves spending his time sharing the outdoors through his camera lens.  

“I enjoy hunting photography and telling our hunting story through the lens,” he said. “Through my professional and hunting career, I've seen nature as a hunter. I love taking those beautiful moments and sharing them with others and inspiring others to be outdoors.” 

But before he was taking pictures, he was outside with his family, learning to hunt with his dad and learning how to cook wild game with his mom. Growing up in Upstate New York, the full-circle connection to the land he learned through harvesting his own food has always been a core part of who he is. But it wasn’t until his senior year of high school that he realized he could make a career out of it.  

“I didn’t know I could have a job in the outdoor space until high school, when I read an article in Field and Stream. I went to see my high school counselor and we talked about what education I could get to work towards this career. I ended up at Paul Smith’s college, studying wildlife science.” 

After graduating, Warner came to the realization that he was going to have to move to where the jobs were. His first job was in Maine, then he moved around to New York, Idaho and Arizona.  

While he was in Arizona, he experienced losing hunting spots to urbanization for the first time. Seeing the places where he used to be able to shoot turned into condos made him fear what opportunities could be gone for his nephew. This is one of the many reasons Warner is also a passionate mentor for new hunters.  

“I want to make sure these spots are still there for the next generations, so they can have the same opportunities,” said Warner. “I also love seeing people getting their first ‘first,’ whether it's their first gobble, first sunrise, the first time seeing the fan coming through the woods, the first harvest — I get to relive my first excitement through them.” 

This motivation makes him perfect for his role as the NWTF’s Northeast R3 hunting and shooting coordinator. Warner helps volunteers and chapters connect with partners and agencies to improve and expand upon their R3 events.  

“I am essentially a hunting wedding planner,” he said. “I make sure all of the components come together for a successful outcome.”  

This position is the first of its kind, in that he’s overseeing 15 states. In the Northeast, there has been a decrease in hunters and the acceptance of hunting. Warner now plays a crucial role in recruiting more hunters and advocates for our hunting heritage.  

The Forest and Flocks Initiative is bringing more of a focus on the issues at hand for R3 in the Northeast, and the team if focusing on three specific goals: increasing public access opportunities, increasing social awareness and acceptance of hunting and, engaging with policy efforts to reduce barriers for new hunters. 

“All three factors are important to the success of our mission at the NWTF,” he said. “Through the Forests and Flocks Initiative, along with other NWTF efforts like the Hunt for Good campaign, our goal is to provide awareness and connection to the life changing power of the outdoors.” 

Warner hopes that in the future, the silos of state boundary lines will be amended, and for the NWTF, he hopes to see more collaboration amongst our chapters and volunteers, which we’re already starting to see in New England.  

“Regulations change when we cross state borders, but hunting and fishing does not,” he said. “It would be awesome to someday host a regional NWTF volunteer summit in the Northeast, getting everyone in the same room.” 

For anyone considering a career in the outdoors, Warner's advice is to be willing.  

“Be willing to experience new things and maybe uncomfortable things,” he said. “Do your best to never be the smartest person in the room. Be willing to learn. Be willing to be a person that shares the outdoors. Help others learn how to identify a plant, bird or insect, and be the person they can come to with a question. You don’t have to be a mentor or an educator, just as a friend and a support.” 

Sean Langevin - Director of Annual Giving for the Northeast 

Like so many of NWTF’s devoted staff, Langevin’s love for the outdoors started when he was very young. Growing up in a rural part of New York, he and his cousin would always be play in the woods or go fishing whenever they could.  

When he got older, his grandfather taught him how to hunt, and it became the thing that brought his family together. He remembers hanging out with his brother and his cousins, and they would all tell each other stories from their day in the woods.  

When it became time to graduate high school and apply to college, Langevin wasn't sure what he wanted to do but, he did know he loved hunting and wanted to keep doing that.  

“I went to school at SUNY Cobleskill and got a degree in wildlife management,” Langevin said. “After graduating, there was a position with the NWTF to be New York’s regional director. After applying I was offered the job and was able to build a career within the NWTF.”  

Now, continuing to be an advocate for conservation and preserving our hunting heritage, Langevin is the director of annual giving for the Northeast.  

“Working in the development department, my job is to discover, cultivate and steward donors of the NWTF,” he said. “Through those donations, we raise money to help fund the NWTF’s mission.”  

As a part of the Forest and Flocks Initiative’s conservation and R3 efforts, Langevin’s role is to work with donors to help build support and funding to make tangible impacts on the landscape.  

As he works toward the future, Langevin hopes to continue to see future generations succeed in a way that works for them.  

“Each generation does things a little differently, and it's fun to see success and growth within the organization with different generations,” he said. “My advice for anyone wanting to get into conservation or a career in the outdoor industry would be to give back to it. Whether you're a volunteer, donor or employee, we all have something to give to the NWTF mission.” 

About the National Wild Turkey Federation 
Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has invested over half a billion dollars into wildlife conservation and has positively impacted over 24 million acres of critical wildlife habitat. The NWTF has also invested over $10 million into wild turkey research to guide the management of the wild turkey population and to ensure sustainable populations into perpetuity. The organization continues to deliver its mission by working across boundaries on a landscape scale through its Four Shared Values: clean and abundant water, healthy forests and wildlife habitat, resilient communities, and robust recreational opportunities. With the help of its dedicated members, partners and staff, the NWTF continues its work to provide Healthy Habitats. and Healthy Harvests. for future generations.