> Message forwarded from the Upper Valley Conservation Network:
>
> --- Forwarded message from "N.H. Fish and Game" ---
>
> CONTACT:
> Ted Walski: 603-352-9669
> Jane Vachon: 603-271-3211
> December 21, 2011
>
>
> "CITIZEN CONSERVATIONISTS" ASKED TO REPORT WILD TURKEY FLOCK SIGHTINGS
>
> CONCORD, N.H. -- If you see a flock of wild turkeys in New Hampshire  
> this winter, the New Hampshire Fish and Game Department would like  
> to hear about it. For the fourth consecutive year, citizens are  
> being asked to report sightings of turkey flocks seen from January 1  
> through March 31, 2012, by filling out a simple electronic survey  
> form posted on the Fish and Game website at http://www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey 
> . After January 1, you can also reach the survey by going to http://www.wildnh.com 
>  and clicking on "2012 Winter Turkey Flock Survey." Please do not  
> report multiple sightings of the same flock.
>
> The Winter Flock Survey bolsters Fish and Game's understanding of  
> the abundance and distribution of turkeys during New Hampshire's  
> challenging winter months. The survey asks participants to report  
> the number of turkeys in the flock; the location where they were  
> seen; the type of habitat the birds were observed in; and what the  
> turkeys were feeding on, such as acorns, beechnuts, seed at  
> birdfeeders, or corn silage.
>
> The survey is designed to fill gaps in Fish and Game's existing  
> winter flock data collection efforts. "For parts of the state,  
> especially eastern and northern New Hampshire, we could benefit by  
> additional sighting reports," said Ted Walski, Turkey Project Leader  
> at Fish and Game. "This reporting system will allow the public to  
> contribute important information to our understanding of winter  
> turkey status in an inexpensive, efficient and, hopefully, enjoyable  
> way."
>
> Last winter, people responding to the survey reported 1,500 flocks  
> totaling over 27,000 turkeys, and encompassing all areas of the  
> state. Last year's winter flock survey results are summarized at http://www.wildnh.com/turkeysurvey 
> .
>
> Turkeys are easy to see this time of year because they gather in  
> large, highly visible flocks. Knowledge of the status of wintering  
> turkeys is particularly important in New Hampshire, because of the  
> challenges of severe winter weather and limited natural food  
> supplies. New Hampshire now has an estimated 45,000 wild turkeys.  
> Their presence here is a true wildlife restoration success story.  
> Wild turkeys had disappeared from New Hampshire by the mid-1800s  
> because of overhunting and habitat loss from extensive land  
> clearing. Their successful recovery in the state began with a  
> reintroduction of 25 turkeys by N.H. Fish and Game in 1975.
>
> For more information on the flock survey, write to Turkey Project  
> Leader Ted Walski at Fish and Game Region 4 Office, 15 Ash Brook  
> Court, Keene, N.H. 03431; or call 603-352-9669.
>
> Turkey research in New Hampshire is funded by the federal Wildlife  
> Restoration Program, supported by the purchase of firearms,  
> ammunition, archery equipment, fishing supplies and motorboat fuel.  
> The New Hampshire Fish and Game Department is the guardian of the  
> state's fish, wildlife and marine resources and their habitats.  
> Visit http://www.wildnh.com.
>
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> --- End of forwarded text ---