Colorado "Turkey Lady' is Given a Citation for 'Disorderly Conduct' After Tapping on a Car That Almost Hits Her

A Thornton, Colorado woman known for escorting turkeys across the road is given a ticket for disorderly conduct after an irate driver nearly hits her and calls 911. She just wants to assist wild turkeys across the road safely, but has ended up ruffling the feathers of local birds.

Turkeys; photo by Ruth Caron on Unsplash

Question: Why did the turkeys cross the road?

Answer: To get to the other side.

Turkeys crossing the road is what caused a ruckus in Thornton, Colorado. Seen below is a photo of the local "Turkey woman" helping turkeys cross the street.

Turkeys crossing the road

According to the National Wild Turkey Foundation (NWTF), there were 7 million turkeys in the U.S. in 2015, and "inhabit 19,000 square miles of forest lands in Colorado. (Source: Colorado Outdoors Magazine)

A Thornton Woman Wants to Help Turkeys Cross a Busy Road

FOX31 KDVR News reported that Mary Ann Strauch was just "helping turkeys cross the road" not far from her residence at York Street and 124th Avenue when a motorist "sped around her," almost hitting her.

During the incident, "Turkey lady" Mary Ann Strauch tapped the back of the car with a stick she used to herd the turkeys, and that set the driver off.

Mary Ann said:

“She got really irate and jumped out and started yelling at me,” Strauch said. “And she insisted on calling 911 and having the police come out, and then we were all detained out here about 2 and a half hours.” -Mary Ann Strauch, the "Turkey lady"

Thornton Police arrived at the scene and sorted out the situation, and ultimately cited both women for disorderly conduct. This upset Mary Ann Strauch because she was just wanting to help nature.

She said:

“I try to help the birds be safe, and I think I’m helping the motorists as well,” she said. “Most of the people seem to really enjoy the birds, and they really appreciate me being out here helping the birds.” -Mary Ann Strauch, the "Turkey lady"

Signs at Turkey Crossings Don't Slow Car Traffic

Karen Bigelow, a Thornton City Councilmember worked with the turkey lady to get turkey crossing signs installed, but signs alone don't slow cars buzzing by, and the city can't do anything to slow the traffic, either.

“What I was told is we can’t touch the turkeys, we can’t re-home them, because they’re wildlife,” she said. “I don’t understand why we can’t rehome these turkeys when we do rehome prairie dogs from development areas. What’s the difference? I’ve not been able to get an answer on this at all.” -Karen Bigelow, Thornton City Councilmember

Turkey lady Mary Ann Strauch says that despite this incident, she will keep helping these turkeys across the road.

Why?

To help them get to the other side safely. Mary is concerned cars will hit them.

She said:

“When they cross these busy roads, particularly 124th or York, they are getting run over,” she said of the turkeys. “I wonder what happens when someone gets in an accident because of the turkeys?” -Mary Ann Strauch, the "Turkey lady"

 

Thoughts

It's time for the readers to share their thoughts and opinions.

• Do you think that the Turkey lady is helping the community?
• Do you think that the city of Thornton should do something to slow traffic at turkey crossings?
• What do you think needs to happen to protect the turkeys and drivers?

Sources

Colorado Parks & Wildlife website: "Turkey"

Coloradooutdoorscontributor. "5 Tips for Hunting Merriam's Turkeys." Colorado Outdoors. 14 May 2015.

Kruegel, Evan. "‘Turkey lady’ confronted while helping neighborhood birds cross the street." FOX31 KDVR News. 5 October 2023.

Summary: A local woman has taken it upon herself to assist wild turkeys cross the road in Thornton, Colorado.