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� <br />CITY OF ARDEN HILLS <br />MEMORANDUM <br />\DATE: March 8, 2010 <br />TO: Mayor and City Council <br />Sue Iverson, Acting City Administrator <br />FROM: Charles Roberts, Administrative Intern <br />SUBJECT: Wild Turkey Control in Urban Areas <br />On February 23, 2010, the City received a phone call and an E-mail from a concerned resident <br />experiencing issues with aggressive wild turkeys in their yard, near the intersection of County <br />Road E and Snelling Avenue (Attachment A). The resident has requested help getting a permit <br />from the DNR for removal. This information was forwarded to the City Council by Acting City <br />Administrator Iverson, and it was requested by some members of the Council to bring the issue <br />forward for discussion. This is an informational memo giving a brief background on wild <br />turkeys, advisement given to homeowners by the DNR to discourage turkeys, and options <br />available to communities for population control. Staff is seeking direction from the City Council <br />on how to pursue the City's options in addressing nuisance wild turkeys and respond to the <br />. <br />resl ent's request. <br />Back�round <br />Wild turkeys were once extinct within the state of Minnesota, though efforts of the DNR have <br />enabled these birds to make a comeback. The restoration efforts began between 1971 and 1973 <br />when a small wild turkey population was transplanted from Missouri into southeastern <br />Minnesota. As a result of this establishment and strong protection laws, the wild turkey <br />population now extends through the southern two-thirds of the state and is estimated at over <br />70,000 today. One such complication of this repopulation is the expansion of wild turkeys into <br />urban areas, in which their aggression can threaten local residents and cause property damage. <br />Wild turkeys are generally active during the day and prefer a mixed habitat of forests for roosting <br />and grassland for foraging. Turkeys forage for insects and seeds as their primarily source of food <br />and thus will often avoid contact with people during the warmer months when food is more <br />abundant in their immediate surroundings. It is during the winter when insects are dormant and <br />City of Arden Hills <br />Regular City Council Meeting for March 8, 2010 <br />Page 1 of 3 <br />