The Boardman River Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will hold is annual hunting heritage banquet on Friday, March 7 at the Hagerty Center in Traverse City

The doors will open at 5:30 with a social hour, and a buffet-style turkey dinner will follow at 7 p.m. The ticket order deadline is Tuesday, March 4; no tickets will be sold at the door. To qualify for the early bird drawing, tickets must be ordered by Friday, Feb. 29, by calling 276-6195.

Achievements from the local chapter in the last year include:

• Giving 100 frozen turkeys to needy families.

• Awarding a $500 scholarship to a high school senior in the three-county area.

• Providing corn vouchers for turkey survival in the winter months.

• Holding JAKES Day (juniors acquiring knowledge, education, sportsmanship).

When the National Wild Turkey Federation was founded in 1973, there were an estimated 1.3 million wild turkeys throughout North America. Since then, the number of wild turkeys has increased to more than 7 million birds.

Federation officials estimate that in the last 35 years, more than $258 million has been spent on upholding hunting traditions and conserving more than 13.1 million acres of wildlife habitat.