One of the nation's most tenured and highest paid outdoor conservation executives resigned Wednesday after 30 years with the National Wild Turkey Federation, based in Edgefield, S.C.

Rob Keck's resignation, accepted by the group's board of trustees Wednesday, will take effect June 1. No replacement has been named.

Mr. Keck, whose tenure with NWTF included 27 years as chief executive officer, earned $360,765 in annual compensation -- plus expenses -- in 2005, the most recent year for which a complete public accounting report was available.

The NWTF said in a news release the resignation was for "personal and family reasons" but other sources, including Southern Sporting Journal, noted in their online editions that the resignation followed the board's decision earlier this week to oust two other NWTF executives -- Chief Operating Officer Carl Brown and Dick Rosenlieb, sales and marketing vice president.

In an interview in January with The Augusta Chronicle, Mr. Keck -- asked about friction with the board involving an audit of the 550,000-member group's activities -- said there were no contentious personnel issues within NWTF and that the audit was being conducted as part of strategic planning purposes.

The NWTF, he noted in January, was turning 30 in February. "We're in the process of strategic planning to determine the direction we'll go in our next 30 years," he said.

The resignations were announced to employees Wednesday afternoon.

The NWTF, founded in Virginia in 1973 and moved to Edgefield soon thereafter, is a grassroots, nonprofit organization with members in 50 states, Canada, Mexico and 14 other foreign countries. It supports scientific wildlife management on public, private and corporate lands as well as wild turkey hunting as a traditional North American sport.

Since 1985, more than $258 million NWTF and cooperator dollars have been spent on upholding hunting traditions and conserving more than 13.1 million acres of wildlife habitat. Hunters have also benefited as the NWTF has worked tirelessly to support our hunting heritage and protect and promote laws that increase hunting opportunity and safety.

Brian Dowler, the NWTF's public relations manager, did not return phone calls Wednesday afternoon but said in an email he would not answer questions about the shakeup. "Individual employment matters of personnel nature are not discussed," he said, referring further inquiries to the organization's attorney.

Reach Rob Pavey at 706-868-1222 ext. 119 or rob.pavey@augustachronicle.com