All,

The Fur Takers of America has embarked on several new initiatives this year including some new and bigger fundraising efforts, increasing our relevancy to wildlife agencies, other non-government conservation organizations, and the public, and communicating better with trappers both members and nonmembers.

This past week the FTA took a big step in showing up where the greater community of wildlife agencies and conservation organizations meet by participating in the 113th annual Association of Fish & Wildlife Agencies meeting in Calgary, Alberta.

I wanted to pass along some of the major highlights of the meeting that I thought Trapperman members might be interested in to make sure everyone is aware of what is being discussed in these meetings and why its really important that we represent ourselves at such meetings. There are some regional meetings that I would encourage leaders from our state organizations try to attend as the impact can be pretty substantial.


Overall, I learned that most agencies and NGOs are big supporters of trappers but don't know that our organizations exist because we have done an outstanding job of keeping our heads low to avoid controversies. They have been having the conversations about trapping for a while be we haven't been present to hear them and many wrongly assume agencies and NGO's don't have much interest in trapping.


Summary:

1. Trapping was discussed at length in the Director’s meeting at the end of the committee meetings. Trapping is becoming of more interest to all wildlife agencies as furbearer and predator populations increase, resulting in increased human-wildlife conflict as well as potential impacts on game species. These discussions have been going on for several years but trappers have not been present to participate in the discussions.

2. I personally had a chance to sit down with approximately 10-15 agency directors/leaders from around the US and Canada to tell them who we were, what we do, and how we can help them.

3. We were able to make face-to-face connections with executive leadership from several national conservation organizations ranging from NWTF, NRA, American Sportfish Association, and several other groups.

4. Discussed several new grants awarded to increase public knowledge of trapping and the need for it as well as measure participation and motivations for trapping. This second part is timely as the number of trappers nation wide has increased substantially over the past few years marking the first time that trapper numbers didn't track the fur market.

5. The trapper participation and motivation survey will go out in 2024 so if you get a call or email about such a survey, it is legitimate. Please try to participate so they can generate the best data possible as it will only benefit trappers.

6. Identified several key initiatives on the national front that we can contribute to raise awareness of trapping and build important partnerships.

7. Sport shooters now are responsible for the vast majority of Pittman-Robertson funds. Sport shooters are also more likely to be anglers than hunters.

8. The FWS per Director Martha Williams is aware that the Endangered Species Act is being increasingly weaponized and is working to try to figure out how to best handle this situation. Nothing in government happens quickly.

9. The petition to cut PR funds to wildlife agencies with active predator management programs has been sent to FWS. Could any state with a trapping season be considered as having a active predator management program?

10. Beavers are responsible for the most human-wildlife conflicts in North America. Coyotes and deer are close behind. Several states keep up with these conflicts but most don't do a great job to document it as it is an unfunded portion of their duties.

11. The Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation has trademarked and extensively uses the acronym HATS - Hunters, Anglers, Trappers, and Shooters. Please consider supporting them as they are one of the first non-trapping groups for which I am aware that specifically recognize trappers in their main initiative - Outdoor Stewards of Conservation Foundation


This is just a summary of what I hope is many more to come as we increase the relevancy of trapping across the nation to ensure we are not forgotten when it comes to wildlife management.

Feel free to reach out should you have any questions or would like to discuss any of this in more detail as there is too much to write here. My contact information can be found on the FTA website under the contact page

Of course you are always welcome to reach out should you have any other thoughts, ideas, concerns, or would like or would like to join the FTA.


Jason Wisniewski
FTA President

Thank you! The FTA is leading the way in preserving our heritage. Trapperman supports the FTA ! It may soon be 100% rather than the tadeonal 50%, depending on what the NTA ethics committee decides.

My memory is fuzzy and it's been a long time ago but isn't this the same group that put on Trapping Matter's seminar's long ago? I attended one of those back then and explained to NTA we needed a presence at those meetings, it fell on deaf ear's as usual so glad to see some one moving in that direction, thank you!

Your memory isn't as fuzzy as you think. Yes, it is technically the AFWA Furbearer Conservation Technical Working Group that hosts the Trapping Matters workshops which are still happening annually as requested. Both the FTA and NTA have been attending the working group meetings annually. The technical working group is probably most known for the BMPs but its really just a small portion of what they have done and attention is shifting towards doing more outreach and communications. You can do all of the great research in the world but if nobody knows about and uses then its all for nothing. They have a great website with a lot of useful resources that may be of interest AFWA Furbearer Management site

The larger AFWA meeting is the one that the committee plugs into to provide assistance to larger scale issues such human-wildlife conflict or wildlife policy, and many others. Of course the decisions makers are at this one too.

Thankyou Jason!

Thank you!

Good news, thanks!

Jason, you are hauling us into the 22nd Century in a very positive way. Since maybe 1900 the anti trap movement has gradually eroded our part in the conservation array, and the trapping community has yet to really find a way to do more than to defend ourselves on each new assault...by collaboration and communication, we have finally lifted ourselves to the point where we may do some proactive work to change this decades old slow demise of trapping.

Anti trap groups outnumber us, out staff us, and truly DWARF us financially. Collaboration with the broad array of traditional conservation groups has the potential of uniting us with the political, scientific, social, and financial clout so we can hope to "turn this titanic."

Just imagine if, say in about 1835, the Iriquois, the Chocktaw, the Ojibway, the Cherokee, the Seminole, the Navajo, the Lakota, the Cheyenne, the Apache...and maybe 50 other nations had collectively joined into one powerful caucus..."Manifest Destiny" would maybe not have manifested.

Dave Hastings
Nebraska

Thanks, sounds like there might be a light at the end of the tunnel...finally.

thanks Jason