Local filmmaker and photographer Aynsley Floyd has worked for everyone from New York Times to the Chicago Tribune — and for her newest project, she's focusing not on a politician or concert, but more of a "plump" subject.
Her new documentary “Turkey Town” explores the recent explosion of the local turkey population in Massachusetts and the consequences, both negative and positive, caused by the rise in turkeys.
According to MassWildlife, today there are between 31,000 and 35,000 of these birds across the state. In 1978, there were approximately 1,000 birds across the state.
Floyd is a native of Massachusetts and currently lives in Brookline. For her, this film highlights the success of conservation efforts.
“I grew up in Massachusetts and I don't remember ever seeing a turkey in the ’70s and ’80s,” Floyd said on Boston Public Radio. “So that piqued my interest and I did some research on the topic and it turns out that the resurgence of turkeys in the area is a really interesting conservation success story.”
One of the people who helped start the repopulation was Eugene Moran, a former western district manager for the Department of Fisheries & Wildlife. His son John Moran joined BPR to talk about his father’s efforts, and his own run-in with a turkey while working as a mailman.
“He [the turkey] was going after the tires and actually trying to get in the truck and everything,” Moran said. “I was going up a hill and looked at my mirror and I said, 'ah here comes the turkey.'”
Turkey Town trailer from Aynsley Floyd on Vimeo.
Moran’s father Eugene was one of the original people tasked to bring turkeys back to the state. In the ’70s, Moran, along with other biologists from MassWildlife, trapped turkeys from New York state and brought them to the Berkshires. Today the birds sprawl across the state.
The 30-minute documentary will air on GBH Channel 2 on Thanksgiving Day at 9 p.m. A rerun will air on Friday, November 25th.
