CALLANDER – The Nipissing Southeast Municipal Action Group (NSEMag) is expected to get on the wild turkey bandwagon by lobbying the Minister of Natural Resources (MNR) to allow wild turkeys to be brought into the area.
“Wild turkeys are getting to be a significant part this region,” Roy Warriner told the area mayors. “A decision made by this group to help encourage the release of turkeys in this area could go a long way in convincing the Ministry of Natural Resources to reconsider its mindset that these magnificent birds will not survive here.”
Warriner, a member of the Commanda Anglers and Hunters, has been making presentations across the Almaguin Highlands drawing awareness to the need to change the new MNR Turkey Management Plan to include this area of the province as a wild turkey habitat.
“The significance of wild turkeys to this area is becoming a very important subject,” he said. “This is an area where MNR should allow wild turkey transfers with potential (hunting) licence sales and socio-economic benefits very likely to double. It is necessary for residents within your municipalities to convey to our MPP and the Minister of Natural Resources that this area should be included in that plan, and point out the fact that wild turkeys are already here and reproducing. Some local residents have reported sightings of groups as large as 12 birds.”
He said that as the proposed management plan now stands, “residents of this area will be needlessly deprived of the social, cultural and economic benefits of wild turkeys because of the Ministry’s policy that wild turkeys will not be transferred in here.”
Chisholm mayor Barb Groves confirmed “we have seen wild turkeys in our township, and I have even had people enquire how they could improve the habitat to encourage them. I think this is something we should take back to our councils.”
Powassan mayor Bob Young suggested the NSEMag develop a resolution requesting MNR to include this region as part of the wild turkey management plan, “then we can take that back to our individual councils for consideration.”
However, before that is done, Nipissing mayor Wendy Billingsley suggested “we should do some research on what that resolution should say. It needs to be spelled out at this table so we have all the facts when it is presented to our councils,” she said.
Callander mayor Hec Lavigne agreed saying “I’d like to see the MNR report as it’s now written (excluding the Almaguin area from its transfer program). I certainly agree that there is potential here for economic development, and support our looking into the wild turkey program. But I think we need to get all of our facts in order. We don’t want our resolutions to be shot down by the MNR. We have to include specifics about the turkeys in our area and the habitat, if we hope to be successful in this campaign.”
NSEMag members, which include the municipalities of Bonfield, East Ferris, Powassan, Callander, Nipissing and Chisholm are expected to draft their resolution at the May meeting. In the meantime, interest in officially establishing the region as home to wild turkeys by local conservationists has resulted in area residents working to form a local chapter of the Wild Turkey Federation. The first meeting of that group will take place this Sunday, May 4, at 1:30 pm in the Sundridge legion.
Editorial
