Laken Mize awarded TWS Donald H. Rusch Memorial Game Bird Scholarship to study genetics of turkey restorations in eastern Texas

What happened

Laken Mize won The Wildlife Society's 2026 Donald H. Rusch Memorial Game Bird Scholarship. The award will fund her master's research at Texas Tech University examining the genetic impact of about 50 years of restocking eastern wild turkeys (Meleagris gallopavo silvestris) in portions of eastern Texas.

Why this matters

State and private restocking efforts have been used to rebuild turkey populations, but landscapes in eastern Texas have changed since the 20th century. Mize's work focuses on post-oak savannah ecosystems where habitat loss, fire suppression, and fragmentation can affect population connectivity and long-term resilience. Her study will provide genetic data tied directly to decades of restoration practice, with the goal of informing future management decisions where restocking has been used.

Who supports the work

Warren Conway, a professor in wildlife management at Texas Tech University, nominated Mize and wrote that she is "fundamentally aligned with the intersection of conservation and traditional wildlife management." Conway noted her passion for upland gamebird ecology, management and research and her intention to pursue doctoral research after completing her thesis.

What the study will address

Mize will assess how a half century of restocking has contributed to the genetics of wild turkey populations in eastern Texas. The study links historical restoration activities with present-day genetic patterns to determine whether restocking has increased genetic diversity, introduced distinct lineages, or otherwise altered population structure in fragmented landscapes.

This matters for managers because genetic diversity and connectivity affect population health, adaptability, and responses to threats such as habitat loss and altered fire regimes. Results will be published as part of her master's thesis and are intended to help researchers and managers understand the outcomes of long-term restoration in landscapes that have experienced intense ecological change.

Next steps and presentation

The award will be presented at The Wildlife Society Annual Conference in Des Moines, Iowa, beginning Nov. 1, 2026. Mize's master's work will proceed through field sampling and genetic analyses, and the findings will be shared with the conservation and wildlife management community through publication and conference presentations.

Practical takeaway