Smith: Traveling turkeys spread legacy of Green, conservation

GRAFTON - A robust series of gobbles filled the morning air Saturday in eastern Ozaukee County.

The rattling vocalizations were followed by some hen yelps, then a fly-down cackle.

The sounds were enough to make the hair stand up on my neck.

If you think late July is a little past the normal time to hear such turkey talk in Wisconsin, you're right.

But this show was unlike any ever seen in Wisconsin, or the world.

The Traveling Turkeys had arrived.

The whole gang was here: Eastern, Rio Grande, Merriam's, Gould's, Osceola and Ocellated.

Housed in a jaw-dropping trailer, along with a video screen, audio recordings and printed maps and information, the turkeys presented a one-of-a-kind mobile educational experience.

"We're excited to get this rolling for the public," said Howard Wohlgefardt of Union Grove, co-creator of the exhibit. "It's a bittersweet mission."

The traveling exhibit is presented by the Gary Green Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit formed in 2016.

The organization is named for Gary Green, a retired Racine firefighter and avid hunter who died in March 2016 from lung cancer; Green, who never smoked, was just 61.

If you are a regular reader of this newspaper, you may remember a May 20, 2016 column that detailed my friendship with Green, his modesty, his many accomplishments and his untimely death.

Green and I forged a relationship in 1991 through turkey hunting, a mutual passion. He served as chairman of the Root River Longbeards, the local National Wild Turkey Federation chapter to which I belonged.

I got to know Green well by working with him on the annual fundraising banquet, as well as writing articles about JAKES (Juniors Acquiring Knowledge Ethics and Sportsmanship) and other events he helped run.

As I explained last year, Green had an "optimism bias." Everything, he was prone to say, would be all right.

Green often expressed his keys to life as: Be humble, do what is right no matter what and plant seeds of kindness.

He was still performing acts of kindness for others when he was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer in January 2016.

Just two months later, Linda Green and her four children were forced to say goodbye to their beloved husband and father.

In keeping with Gary's principles, Linda summoned courage to help others even as she dealt with terrible grief. Money donated to the family after Green's death was used to buy half-mask respirators and distributed to fire departments in southeastern Wisconsin.

And the couple's only son, Kevin, and Wohgefardt, Green's close friend, had other plans.

Among Gary Green's many talents was taxidermy. He amassed a sizable collection of mounts, including at least one full-body specimen of the six types of wild turkeys found in North America.

Green was part of an exclusive club of turkey hunters to take all six.

Kevin Green and Wohlgefardt decided the mounts shouldn't be relegated to a storage closet. Instead, they should be shared with others for an educational purpose.

Kevin Green laid out the goal for the project in June 2016.

"The vision is simple: teach all who want to learn about conservation, the outdoors, hunting, wild turkeys and sportsmanship through mobile outreach," said Kevin, 30, of Plymouth, Minn. "Do this in memory of my dad."

Linda, Kevin and Wolhgefardt worked together to create a world-class exhibit.

Over the last 12 months, they purchased a 14- by 7- by 7-foot trailer, equipped it with cabinets, video and sound systems, worked with a firm to create the exterior color design, set up a Facebook page, established the foundation as a non-profit and worked to attract sponsors.

If you know anything about clubs and fund-raising and tax exempt rules, you know how difficult and time-consuming it is to establish the 501(c)3 status.

The Traveling Turkeys had their inaugural show Saturday at Get Outdoors Day in Grafton run by the North Shore chapter of the NWTF.

Wohlgefardt and his wife Gwen were there to unveil the exhibit to the more than 200 attendees. 

In a word, the trailer and its contents are stunning. 

Visitors can push a button to hear more than 20 turkey sounds. A large video screen shows images of turkeys and turkey hunts, including scenes of Gary Green.

A wall case includes box calls used by Green, and printed maps and materials describe the ranges and features of the six types of turkeys.

Eight people can comfortably go through the trailer at once.

"I only wanted to do this trailer one way, and that is to have everyone who passes through to be in awe," Wohlgefardt said. 

That was the case Saturday. And I expect it will be true for many years to come.

"It is so much better than I could have imagined and I know that dad would be so happy that his turkeys are going to be out there educating people about the great outdoors," said Carolyn Wodele, 30, of La Crosse, the youngest daughter of Gary and Linda.

"Dad would be so very proud, and honored and humbled and just wow!" said Kristen Dall-Winther, 38, of Holmen, Gary and Linda's eldest daughter.

Funding for the trailer initially came from the Green family and Wohlgefardt and a few donors. 

Now the list of financial supporters has expanded and includes Cabela's and several Wisconsin chapters of the National Wild Turkey Federation.

The more people who see it, the better. And here's the thing that Gary Green would be proudest of: the trailer is offered free to groups.

Linda Green hopes it will be well used by schools and conservation organizations.

To get access to the trailer, all a group has to do is contact Wohlgefardt at (262) 770-9136 or garygreenfoundation@gmail.com to discuss the details. It is available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Donations to help pay for trailer maintenance, insurance and other items are still needed. They may be made through: a PayPal account established for the Gary Green Foundation; or by check sent to the Gary Green Foundation, 18006 Old Yorkville Road, Union Grove, Wi 53182; or at any Associated Bank. 

The next public showing of The Traveling Turkeys will be Saturday at Ojibwa Bowhunters Youth Day in New Berlin. The free event runs from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the club's grounds, 3045 S. Johnson Road. 

If you have a youth interested in the outdoors, the Ojibwa event would be an excellent opportunity to expose them to a variety of skills and experiences and see a one-of-a-kind turkey exhibit.

It's one thing to have an idea to honor the legacy of a deceased friend and loved one. It's another entirely to execute it.

Nurtured by his friends and family, the seeds Gary Green helped plant are growing by leaps and bounds.