By BARBARA
BARBIERI
Ouabache State Park’s Lunch and Learn event Thursday noon at the park was “all about wild turkeys” as presented by two men, Dion Jordan and Pat Novarre, from the National Wildlife Turkey Federation.
Special guests were students who were taking the Teen/Junior Indiana Master Naturalist class with Friends of Ouabache members serving as staff. Jody Heaston, director of the program for the state of Indiana, welcomed all and introduced the speakers.
The program, which included slides, was titled “Introduction to Turkeys 101”, with Jordan giving some basic turkey information that included: baby turkeys are called poults, the 10 to 15 eggs in a nest is called a clutch, a gobbler is a male turkey, one bird can have from 5,000 to 6,000 feathers, turkeys eat plants (and bugs when they are babies), gizzards allow turkeys to eat acorns and feather patterns are different for birds in different area.
The Federation is divided into five areas with this area being in the Eastern area. (Others areas are Osceola (Florida), Rio Grande, Merriam’s (Rocky Mountain) and Gould’s (Mexico/New Mexico).
The foundation was formed in 1973 as a conservation effort as the number of birds for hunters to hunt were declining due to habitat destruction and unregulated hunting. The relocation of birds was also started with the discovery of a net that allowed the birds to be caught safely for re-location.
The federation has a license plate fund-raising project that secures funds for the conservation efforts which in 2023 were conducted at 10 sites in the country.
The campers also had been taught turkey calls by Jordan and Novarre with the luncheon lecture ending with the campers giving a demonstration. The equipment for doing the call was provided by the speakers.
The next Lunch and Learn event will be held on Thursday, July 11, when Alan Daugherty will talk about his book about Iris specialist E.B. Williamson.
barb@news-banner.com
