Point Reyes Light - November 26, 2003
Non-native turkeys worry Fish & Game
By Ian Fein
West Marin residents in search of an early Thanksgiving dinner may have to look no further than their own backyards, as the California Department of Fish and Game’s strategic plan for statewide wild turkey management encourages increased hunting opportunities on private lands.
Across the state, non-native wild turkey populations "have grown tremendously in recent years," Fish and Game stated in the plan’s introduction.
Nonexistent in West Marin only fifteen years ago, turkeys are now seen frequently in San Geronimo, Olema, Nicasio and Hicks Valley, as well as in Marshall and Tomales.
Every year we get more
"It seems like every year we get more," Point Reyes National Seashore biologist Natalie Gates told The Light, noting the turkeys were first seen in the park about five years ago. "The increase concerns us, as it does for all the agencies in the county."
Last year Marin Municipal Water District directors sent a letter to the Fish and Game requesting help in removing the turkeys from Mount Tamalpais State Park, where they first appeared in 2000 and have since grown to a population of more than 100.
The turkeys on Mount Tam were damaging the native habitat of other species and frightening young hikers with their aggressive behavior, district directors said.
Likewise, Tomales residents complain that wild turkeys, which sometimes march right through downtown, have ruined gardens, scratched the paint on cars, and intimidated local children.
In response to similar concerns voiced throughout California, Fish and Game published its draft strategic plan this summer, recommending a combination of relocation and increased hunting to solve the population problem.
"There’s no good solution for what to do with turkeys people don’t want," Fish and Game wildlife biologist Scott Gardner told The Light. "We basically have three options – do nothing, move them, or kill them – and nobody likes any of those."
Fish and Game wanted to finalize the plan by the end of year, but with so many contrasting opinions, that no longer appears likely.
"We’ve got a few things we still need to wade through," Gardner said.
While some local residents and many visitors to the area enjoy viewing the wild turkeys, a number of West Marin organizations oppose the Fish and Game’s plan because they say it does not adequately protect the native environment – even though countless non-native species exist in the region.
Main worry
"Our main worry is that these turkeys are existing in systems that have not evolved with their presence," parks biologist Gates told The Light. "They may be out-competing other species for similar natural resources. The fact that the turkeys seem to be increasing leads us to believe it is likely at the expense of other species."
Both the Inverness Association and the Environmental Action Committee of West Marin wrote about wild turkeys in their November newsletters, criticizing parts of the Fish and Game’s plan and citing the species’ supposed effects on native habitats.
"The turkey program highlights Department of Fish and Game’s split personality," EAC board member Jerry Meal wrote. "Biologists in the department’s natural heritage programs work to protect endangered species, while those in the wildlife management branch do everything possible to promote hunting."
The turkey was first introduced to California in 1877. Fish and Game has been releasing turkeys for hunting purposes since 1910. From 1959 to 1999, Fish and Game released nearly 4,000 turkeys throughout the state – an average of almost 100 per year.
"It’s great that [Fish and Game] is thinking about this stuff," said Audubon Canyon Ranch scientist Daniel Gluesenkamp, who oversees the habitat protection and restoration program for the ranch’s 35 properties in Marin and Sonoma, "but their plan shows that they don’t know anything about turkeys in California environments."
Gluesenkamp started studying the effects of turkey populations on local environments last year. The two-part project features an "inclusion" experiment, which will help determine vegetation and insect responses to the turkeys, and an ambitious mapping project that would try to monitor the populations in Marin and Sonoma and determine how fast they are growing.
Research brand new
"This research is brand new," Gluesenkamp said, noting that he just did his first sample collection in September and won’t have any results for another couple months. "Until [Fish and Game] does more research and has some idea what sort of effects these populations have, they shouldn’t be in the business of pushing turkeys."
Many of the wild turkey populations in West Marin can be traced back to a "turkey release" in Loma Alta in 1988. The release was intended to provide hunting opportunities on private land, but, while hunters waited for the turkey population to grow, the birds wandered to public lands where hunting is prohibited.
Fairfax resident Gordon Wright, who lives below Loma Alta at the eastern base of White’s Hill, is one of the turkeys’ rare vocal supporters.
"They’re a welcome reminder of a rustic past," said Wright, a self-purported environmentalist, Sierra Club member and frequent user of the Loma Alta and West Marin trails. "As the county becomes increasingly developed, I think it’s important to know that we share the land with wild animals – regardless of whether they’re native."
Wright feels that Fish and Game does a "good job in trying to balance all the different constituencies.
"One of their primary goals is viewing wildlife," he told The Light, "and the Marin turkey population certainly seems appropriate for that."
Charming and ironic
San Geronimo Valley rancher George Flanders, who has hosted a large flock of wild turkeys on his land every spring and summer for the last few years, said passing motorists often stop along Sir Francis Drake Boulevard to photograph the birds.
"My family was sitting down for Thanksgiving dinner last year, and we heard a ruckus outside," Wright said. "We went out there and saw a flock of wild turkeys on our lawn – which we found both totally charming and terrifically ironic."
Fish and Game’s public comment period officially ended last month, but Gardner said he is still willing to hear people’s concerns.
The draft plan is available online at <www.dfg.ca.gov/wmd/index.html>.