Woonsocket Radio News Room

RESIDENTS ASKED TO REPORT WILD TURKEY BROOD SIGHTINGS

 

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Department of Environmental Management (DEM) is asking the public to report sightings of wild turkey hens – both with brood and without – to help with research efforts. The Department is currently evaluating the state’s wild turkey population which is estimated at 3,000 birds.

 

Information gathered from the public is helpful in determining the number of young birds that survive after common causes of mortality such as predators, weather, and road kill are taken into account. The Division receives hundreds of brood reports annually that assist biologists with monitoring recruitment, population dynamics and distribution of the wild turkey flock in Rhode Island.

 

DEM is actively working to protect and improve wildlife habitat in Rhode Island forests and management areas to ensure healthier, more diverse, and abundant wildlife populations. DEM's turkey relocation program, which ran from 1980 to 1996, resulted in increased opportunities for the public to see and hunt wild turkeys. The restoration project released wild trapped birds that established new turkey flocks in Exeter, Burrillville, Little Compton, West Greenwich, Foster, Scituate, and Tiverton. Restoration of the wild turkey was funded by state hunting license fees and the Federal Aid to Wildlife Restoration program.

 

The public is encouraged to report sightings via a brief online survey. For those that do not have internet access, brood reports can be made by calling the Division of Fish and Wildlife at (401) 789-0281.

 

For more turkey facts, visit www.dem.ri.gov. Follow DEM on Twitter (@RhodeIslandDEM) or Facebook at www.facebook.com/RhodeIslandDEM for more information on boating in Rhode Island as well as other timely updates.

 

-30-

 

Donald Trump is back in a Manhattan courtroom this morning for his criminal hush money trial. Jurors will hear more testimony from former National Enquirer publisher David Pecker, who explained this week how he protected Trump from negative stories. Trump's lawyers will also be in Washington, DC to try to convince the U.S. Supreme Court that the former president shouldn't face charges for his alleged election interference.        The head of the FBI says the bureau is working with colleges to warn of antisemitic threats of violence. Thousands of students have been protesting across the U.S. over Israel's bombing of the Gaza Strip. FBI Director Christopher Wray told NBC News on Wednesday that the bureau doesn't directly track university protests, but is giving schools information on potential threats.        Arizona's House of Representatives has voted to repeal a Civil War-era abortion law. State Democrats on Wednesday successfully pushed through a bill that repeals the 1864 law that banned nearly all abortions. The bill now heads to the state Senate where it is expected to be passed early next month.       Parts of the Central U.S. are bracing for severe weather today. Large hail, heavy downpours and isolated tornadoes are possible today from the Texas Panhandle to southern Nebraska, with wind gusts reaching 85 miles per hour. More dangerous weather is forecast on Friday and Saturday from Oklahoma to Iowa.        Shares of Facebook company Meta dropped Wednesday in after-hours trading after an underwhelming first quarter earnings report. While the report beat expectations, the company's capital expenditure outlook for the year was increased. Stock fell 15-percent after market close, after rising 39-percent so far this year.       Tupac Shakur's estate is threatening legal action against Drake after he used the late rapper's AI-generated vocals in a new Kendrick Lamar diss track. Billboard obtained a copy of a cease-and-desist letter that was sent to Drake on Wednesday. The letter claims that neither the family nor Tupac himself would ever approve of the track.        

Old News Archives