As a co-director, I should introduce myself.  ‘Been going to the meetings and eating the donuts for years.  When somebody floated an idea, I’ve always said, “good idea, ‘glad somebody is thinking for us” and let it go at that.  Then I noticed Bill Ruhland was telling us he had a life outside of trapping, that needed tending to, and it opened up a co-director position in district 8.  Now that I’m retired, I have  the time to do more than eat donuts and thank everyone else for stepping up.

My first duty to the organization was to organize the Steele County Fair booth for 2018.  Bill sent good directions and I spent a week educating area residents.  This is the biggest fair outside of the state fair, held every year and between all of our efforts, we educated a lot of people about the value of fur and the service trappers provide.  My voice was absolutely gone for 2-days when it was over.  Bill Ruhland said I’d have a blast and he wasn’t kidding.   There are lots of nice people who attend that fair and I talked to a good bunch of them.

This year was a bit different.  I suspect it had a lot to do with the weather.  Rain forced a lot of people in-doors and they came to the booth. There was only one person who was angry and it was a 10-year old boy who took it upon himself to raise his voice about wildlife harvesting.  And then his mother stepped up and said, “shut up, Albert!” because she wanted to hear about skunks, and the fishers that eat porcupines, and beaver felt.  And to feel the luxuriousness of the ranched silvers and pearl fox provided by Minnesota Trapline Products.  More people volunteered to work the booth and I actually had a voice to explain things on the last day.  Since this fair routinely gets 300,000+ attendees, there is a significant opportunity to educate the public.  From what I’ve experienced, they’re very eager to learn.

Lots of people wanted to know about fur prices in the coming year.  I’m not sure why they think we have a crystal ball on these things. Several wanted to get into trapping and I told them about the required classwork.  They all felt comfortable with free education on the subject and were eager to attend.  Some even ended up at Cumberland’s customer appreciation day that took place the Saturday of fair week.  

If you’ve never done a fair booth for the Trapper’s Association, you might want to volunteer just to see what the public knows or doesn’t.  It’s an eye-opener.  People are genuinely curious about wildlife harvest and how to get the critters out of their yards, away from their livestock and to know there are many uses for animal products. They’re stunned when you tell them beaver castor is found in many of the foods they eat.  In the end, education can be a powerful tool.  The fairs are where we get to tell our story to many who are eager to learn more.

Bill Adler