Environment DEC
From the October 2004 issue
DEC Releases Draft Plan for Wild Turkey Management
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) Commissioner Erin M. Crotty announced that a draft "Wild Turkey Management Plan" has been completed and is available for public review and comment. This management plan will provide a blueprint to guide wild turkey management in the state for the foreseeable future.
"The wild turkey is an important part of New York State's wildlife diversity, and DEC is committed to properly managing this grand game bird for the enjoyment of current and future generations of New Yorkers," Commissioner Crotty said. "The draft turkey management plan details the social and biological conditions found in New York and uses research on wild turkey population dynamics and management techniques that will help us effectively manage the state's wild turkey population."
Turkey Populations Then and Now
For the last half century, DEC's wild turkey management plan has focused on restoring the wild turkey. Due to extensive clearing of habitat and unregulated hunting in the 19th century, the wild turkey disappeared from the state. After the Civil War, agriculture shifted to the Midwest. Abandoned farm fields gradually were replaced by young forests, and the turkey population began to spread back into the new habitat from northwestern Pennsylvania. The return of the wild turkey sparked an interest in the continued restoration of the species, and in 1952, DEC-then the Conservation Department-started a formal wild turkey restoration effort. The effort included interstate transfer of wild turkeys, as well as habitat protection and preservation.
The decline of the wild turkey
population was due partly to deforestation
Today, wild turkeys have been reestablished successfully and are abundant in nearly all areas of suitable habitat in New York State. As the wild turkey population has grown, DEC recognized the need to develop a long-range management plan. To that end, DEC reached out to the sporting community, birding groups, and the agricultural community for issues that should be addressed in the plan.
Draft Plan Details
The draft plan contains background information on the wild turkey in New York State and an assessment of the current wild turkey management program. In addition, it addresses population monitoring and protection (including methods for determining harvest), public use, nuisance and damage management, and outreach efforts. It also features a systematic approach to decision-making that assesses a wide variety of factors when management changes are being considered by DEC's wildlife biologists and policymakers.
Public Review and Comment
The Draft Turkey Management Plan is posted on DEC's Web Site, and printed copies are available by writing to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, Wild Turkey Management Plan, 625 Broadway, Albany, NY 12233-4754. Public comments will be accepted until October 15, 2004 and can be sent to either the address above, or e-mailed to the Wildlife bureau, with "turkey plan" in the subject line.
