Education Report
Shawn Johnson, Trapper Education Coordinator, Minnesota Trappers Association
By Shawn Johnson
Greetings All,
For some reason this year we have experienced the greatest difficulty in newly certified trappers purchasing their licenses for the first time. I have been informed from the folks in St. Paul that the reason for the problems in most cases are due to the fact that students 11 and under who have taken the course years before they will need to purchase a license cannot be properly identified in the Electronic Licensing System (ELS) without a driver's license, Firearms Safety Number etc. There is no advantage for young students to take the course so far in advance of having to legally purchase a license so from now on we are holding to the policy of no one under age 11 will have their information entered into the DNR system. It will be up to the individual instructor as to whether or not they allow younger students to take the class but in any event, the manual is written geared to at least a twelve year old reading level so those under age 11 will have difficulty comprehending the content introduced in most cases any way.
The Trapper Education Program will be undergoing major changes in the coming year. The Board has approved the publication Minnesota Trapper Education Instructor's Procedures Manual and the guidelines for hosting a class it recommends. The first new requirement being all instructors must be current members of the MTA. At this time we have fewer than thirty active instructors taking part in hosting or assisting in hosting courses statewide. As approved by the Board of Directors, those that have not hosted/assisted in a course for at least two years will have their names placed on an inactive list and be subject to recertification should they decide to become active at some point later. Active instructors will remain on the current list and will not have to be recertified to continue instructing.
An online alternative to recertification is currently being developed to give more opportunities to those that wish to become involved but cannot make a certification workshop prior to the General Membership Meeting in the winter or the workshop offered at the summer convention traditionally.
In addition the Board has approved Crime of Violence Background Checks on instructors prior to hosting classes to give some measure of protection to the association in liability cases. Details as to when this new requirement will take effect has not yet been determined. In addition all instructors will be asked to sign a Code of Conduct to remain active instructors. A Student Registration Parental Release Form will also be required for each student as well. These are dangerous times and protection of instructors, students and the association has to unfortunately become a priority. Details as well as a copy of the Minnesota Trapper Education Procedures Manual will be made available to all active instructors and those that recertify. This manual will provide guidance for effective teaching and outline the procedures the board has approved including mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse.
In this day and age, a parent can't even accompany their child's class trip to the local park without a background check conducted ahead of time. The DNR routinely demands this of all volunteer instructors to avoid lawsuits and we must take active steps to do the same. There is far too much information to contain it all in this short column so I will be introducing and explaining additional aspects of the Instructor Manual in future columns.
Those that have particular questions are encouraged to contact me directly.
Keep your skinning knives sharp,
Shawn