Vermont HCR 184: House concurrent resolution celebrating the restoration of a wild turkey population in Vermont

Bill Text

R-225 Page 1 of 1
2026

VT LEG #387229 v.1
No. R-225. House concurrent resolution celebrating the restoration of a wild turkey
population in Vermont.
(H.C.R.184)
Offered by Representative Pritchard of Pawlet
Whereas, in the rural countryside in Pawlet, Vermont, on February 28, 1969, wildlife
biologist Bill Drake of the Vermont Fish & Game Department undertook a historic and
visionary act, releasing wild turkeys back into their native habitat and setting in motion
the successful restoration of the species statewide, and
Whereas, by the late 19th century, wild turkeys had been eliminated in Vermont due to
widespread forest clearing and unregulated subsistence harvesting, leaving generations of
Vermonters without the sight or sound of this iconic bird, and
Whereas, the wild turkey restoration effort was made possible through funding from
federal excise taxes on firearms and ammunition under the Pittman-Robertson Wildlife
Restoration Act, supplemented by state hunting license revenues, demonstrating the
enduring value of conservation partnerships, and
Whereas, Bill Drake traveled to Steuben and Allegany Counties in New York to trap
and transport wild turkeys for reintroduction into Vermont, resulting in the release of 17
birds—five toms and twelve hens—between February 28 and March 31, 1969, at two
sites in Pawlet, and
Whereas, subsequent releases in Hubbardton and Rockingham further strengthened the
restoration effort, and these birds became the ancestors of the wild turkeys that now
inhabit every region of Vermont, and
Whereas, the success of this program was confirmed in 1973 with the establishment of
Vermont’s first regulated wild turkey hunt in southern Vermont, during which 579
permits were issued for a twelve-day season, and
Whereas, today, wild turkeys are once again a natural and thriving part of Vermont’s
landscape, as emblematic of the state’s forested hillsides and sugar maples, providing
ecological benefits, recreational opportunities, and sustenance for Vermonters, and
Whereas, the restoration of the wild turkey would not have been possible without the
cooperation and stewardship of farmers and landowners throughout Pawlet and southern
Vermont, whose full-hearted participation ensured the program’s lasting success, and
Whereas, this gallant endeavor is now memorialized with a commemorative marker
located in the Town of Pawlet, now therefore be it
Resolved by the Senate and House of Representatives:
That the General Assembly celebrates the restoration of a wild turkey population in
Vermont, and be it further
Resolved: That the Secretary of State be directed to send a copy of this resolution to
the Pawlett Historical Society.