Town Diary - November 2001 Turkeys A Common Sight, And Not Just
on the Thanksgiving Table Just 27 years ago, the only places
Connecticut residents saw turkeys were in the supermarket and on
their holiday tables. Now, thanks to a reintroduction program by
the Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection, wild
turkeys are again a common site in Barkhamsted. In fact, the
folks who live on East River Road in Riverton see them waltzing
across their yards nearly every day! Turkeys Have Become a
Common Site in Riverton Though wild turkeys prospered in this
part of the continent for many years, the European settlers had
a devastating effect on their population. By 1812, deforestation
and unrestrained hunting had completely eradicated wild turkeys
from Connecticut. The turkey was absent from this state for one
hundred and sixty-three years. During that period, however, the
practices that had wiped the bird out slowly faded away. Our
reliance on farming and logging lessened and the forests came
back. The advent o