Bruce D. Leopold, Ph. D., of Mississippi State University, was honored with the prestigious Henry S. Mosby Award at the National Wild Turkey Federation’s 35th annual National Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tenn.

The Mosby Award is named for Henry S. Mosby, Ph. D., whose research during the mid-1900s set the standard for wild turkey management. He also helped found The Wildlife Society and won its highest honor—the Aldo Leopold Medal.

For more than 30 years, Bruce Leopold has dedicated his career to conservation. He is a professor at Mississippi State University and head of the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture and serves as co-director of the Berryman Institute, which is dedicated to improving human-wildlife relationships and resolving human-wildlife conflicts through teaching, research and extension.

Leopold’s research interests include predator-prey relationships, wildlife biometry, habitat management, population ecology and wildlife population monitoring. His work on wild turkeys includes measuring the impact of wild turkey nest predation by mammals, non-lethal control of predation and habitat selection by wild turkey hens in the Southeast. He also is a longtime member of The Wildlife Society and served a term as president of the organization in 2009.

"Bruce Leopold has shown unequaled dedication to conservation, wild turkeys and wildlife throughout his career," said James Earl Kennamer, Ph.D., NWTF’s chief conservation officer. "His impact on wildlife management goes far beyond the wild turkey as his work examines the big picture and the complex interactions found within wildlife ecosystems."

Leopold also has given back to wildlife by donating approximately 140 acres in Noxubee County as part of Mississippi State’s Bulldog Forest program, which allows landowners to create a lasting heritage by giving land to the College of Forest Resources. The Bulldog Forest properties are used as living laboratories in which forest management practices provide teaching, research and demonstration opportunities for students of all ages.

Future earnings from the property will support an endowed scholarship for wildlife and fisheries majors. Additional proceeds from timber harvests will endow the Leopold Fund for Excellence, which may support endowed positions, scholarships and fellowships, faculty development, equipment and other enhancements within the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture.

The NWTF is a nonprofit conservation organization that works daily to further its mission of conserving the wild turkey and preserving our hunting heritage. Through dynamic partnerships with state, federal and provincial wildlife agencies, the NWTF and its members have helped restore wild turkey populations across the country, spending more than $331 million to conserve 15.9 million acres of habitat for all types of wildlife.