Greetings to all,

As I write this, we are still in the grasp of the January deep freeze. We can only hope it will warm up soon. I trust everyone has had a safe and successful trapping season. Soon, spring beaver season will be here.

I had the opportunity to represent the MTA at the National Pheasant Fest held in St. Paul on January 18-20, 2008. I would like to thank all my helpers who helped make the weekend a huge success. They are: Gabby Hayes, Jim Wallner, Tom Marks, Mark Palas, Mike Tucker, Mike Flanagan and Greg Flor. This was the Pheasant Forever’s 25th Anniversary so they had a record attendance at this year’s event. The three day attendance was close to 30,000 people coming through the doors. We answered many questions dealing with the 220’s and trapping in general. I firmly believe that our presence at the event has helped put trappers in a more positive light.

It is not too early to think about applying for college scholarships. The MTA will once again offer five scholarships in the following amounts: $2000, $1000, $1000, $500, $500. To obtain a scholarship and a complete set of guidelines, contact Todd Roggenkamp or myself. There is also an application in this newsletter. The deadline to turn in scholarships is July 1, 2008. The winners will be announced in August at the summer convention during the general membership meeting.

Once again, we will offer an Instructor Certification class at the summer convention. The class will be offered on Friday, August 1st, from 10 am to 1 pm. If you are interested in becoming an instructor, please pre-register by July 21, 2008 with either Ken Olson or myself.

We will again have the youth photo contest at the summer convention. Remember to take photos of your youth on the trapline or in the fur shed. Complete rules can be found in the newsletter.

I wish everyone a safe and prosperous spring season and hope to see you at the summer convention.

Deb Offerdahl

Greetings, Thanks to all you folks that stopped by the table that we had set up at the winter meeting. You were a big help with getting the instructor list up-dated. This has been a work in progress. If you do not see your name on the list please contact Deb and me. We have been trying to get the entire list including instructors that may have gotten lost over time. Also, if you would like your name removed please let us know. I hope that you look at the list of instructors located in this newsletter. You will see there are still some areas of the state where we could use an instructor. In looking at the state, there is not really an area that we could not use an instructor or two. The next planned instructor class, at this point, will be in Fergus Falls, Friday Aug. 1, 2008, from 10-1. We are asking you to pre-register by July 21 if possible. I do have those that signed up at the winter meeting on the list. So please see if this will still work out for you folks. This is a good start but we can always have more. A number of you could attend, and become an instructor, so please think about it.

The plans are also underway for an in-field training to take place at the summer convention. The details are not all worked out at this time, but keep reading future reports for the details. Some instructors are needed for this, so if you’re going to be attending and would be available to help out please let me know.

If any instructors still have a number of manuals please let me know. We’re trying to get a handle on inventory as to what is out in the field. Thanks for helping out with this.

Please keep in touch if you are putting on a class, even if you have enough supplies. There just might be a student in your area looking for a classroom setting. We want to get all students information into the system in a very timely manner.

Anyone needing to contact me for anything you can email at the following address: mta-ed@clearwire.net, or write me at ~ Kenneth Olson, 353 Stearns Ave., Paynesville, MN 56362-1211, or call (320)243-4230. If no answer, leave a message, I’ll return the call. Please do not feel or say that this is only for those that trap. It’s good for anyone of interest, in good faith.

Break from the putor.

Kenneth Olson
Mandatory Trappers Ed. Dir.
353 Stearns Ave.
Paynesville, MN. 56362-1211
 mta-ed@clearwire.net
(320)243-4230

Dear Friends,

I hope everyone had a successful trapping season this year. It is hard to believe the summer conventions are just around the corner.

 We have a unique opportunity this year with hosting two conventions. We are able to offer two more instructor classes. The first one will be at the FTA Convention, on Friday June 15 from 8 am to noon and the second class will be at the MTA Convention, on Friday August 10 from 10 am to 2 pm. If at all possible we would like to have a general idea of how many of you would like to become certified instructors, so if you could call Ken or me, that would be appreciated. I realize the list of instructors in the newsletter is large, but we can never have enough certified instructors. I know there is a great need to assist in the field days that are required with the correspondence course. If you are a certified instructor and can help with providing a field day, please contact Ken Olson.

 As the responsibilities of the Trapper Education Coordinator have grown, there has been a need to split the responsibilities between Ken and myself. Ken will handle all trapper education materials. If you need any class materials please contact Ken Olson. All instructors are to hand in class rosters to Ken as well. There is a new form the DNR is requiring for all students to fill out. Please make sure you use them. It will make Ken's life much easier when he has to email the rosters to the DNR.

I will continue to work with Ken and oversee the trapper education program, but I will be responsible for all other things that have been included under this position. My focus right now is to continue to improve upon the Instructor class. My other responsibilities will include, but are not limited to the following: scholarship program; youth photo contest; kid games and the MEA convention. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to contact me.

A reminder to anyone interested in applying for a scholarship, the deadline is July 1st. Please mail your applications to either Todd Roggenkamp or me. The scholarship winners are announced at the general membership meeting at the summer convention.

Youth photo contest...please have your photos to the summer convention by Friday at noon. This will allow the photos entered to be viewed by the membership. The winners will be announced before the auction/raffle on Saturday night.
 
Be safe and hope to see you all at the conventions.
 
Deb

By the time you read this, summer will be knocking on the door. Hopefully you will get to go and enjoy it, because the time sure is flying by.  It won’t be long and we will be getting ready for the fall trapping season.  I’m asking any instructors planning on putting on a class to let me know ahead of time so I can help to get the information available.

It is now two months since the mandatory trappers education law went into effect. It sure has been busy.  It is hard to believe how fast the time is flying by. It seems that not long ago I was reporting that the law change was coming. There were some folks that didn’t seem to think that it was going to come into play, and they found out the hard way, when they went to purchase a trapper’s license this spring. So folks I can’t tell you enough not to wait till the last minute. It takes time to do all this. I wish you could do it overnight but it doesn’t work that way.

  Here are some updates of the latest developments. After some discussion between Gary, Deb, and me, it was decided to turn the Mandatory Trappers Education program over to me.  This will enable Deb to concentrate more time on the rest of trapper’s education.  She is still the Director of Trapper Education. This puts the Mandatory Trappers Education supplies and record keeping under one roof.   This should hopefully make fewer complications, and easier to address anyone who wants to take the correspondence course, or take a class, to get the supplies for classes, and/or information.
 Thank you to the instructors that have been holding classes so far this year. There are less and less bugs each time.

    Here are some dates to mark on your calendars:  Trappers Education Class to be held at Spring Valley Sportsman’s Club starting at 8:00 AM June 9, 2007. Please RSVP by June 4th.  Call (507) 251-2209 Sam Meyers, for more information and to sign up for the class.
  Then at the Fur Takers Convention, June 14-17 in Barnum, there will be an instructor class on Friday, June 15 starting at 8:00 AM.  All who are interested in becoming instructors please let me know, no later than June, 10.

   There is also infield training day also scheduled for Saturday, June 16.  We plan to start around 8:00AM.  Again, please let me know no later than June 10 for this as well.

   If you are an instructor and planning to be up there and would be available to help out with the field day let me know. And the time or writing this report there about 20 students that have said they will be there for the in field training.

Then come August 10-12, the MTA Summer Convention will be held in Bemidji. The date for in field training date will be Aug 9th. Please try to RSVP by the Aug.6th.  The instructor’s class will be held there on Aug 10th. Please sign up by the 6th of Aug.

   Don’t forget to get and sell those raffle tickets. It’s for the youth or our future which ever way you look at it.

   With that I’ll draw this to a close. Hope to see you at one or both on the conventions.
  If you have any questions, comments - good bad or indifferent please feel free to contact me at anytime.  As always say a prayer for our soldiers in the midst of turmoil.

Break from the line.

Kenneth Olson / Dena Olson
Lifetime MTA Members
MTA Trappers Education Correspondence Directors
353 Stearns Ave.
Paynesville, MN. 56362-1211
 mta-ed@clearwire.net
(320)243-4230