Tanned Fur Project – MN Trappers Association

Minnesota Trappers Association Tanned Fur Project Coordinator

Tim Caven
7444 County Rd 27
Pennock, MN 56279
(320) 599-4176
info@mntrapline.com

Tanned Furs to a Good Cause

Tanned Fur Processing Volunteer Contacts

District	Name	City	Phone	Species
8	Linden Anderson	Austin Area	507-993-3109	Any species
8	Terry McElmury	Lewiston	507-459-7570	canine
8	Mark & Pam Marsolek	Austin	507-437-9397 507-279-1558	coon, mink, muskrat, beaver
8	Justin Johnson	Preston	507-951-2457	coon, mink, rats
8	Larry Jacobson	LeRoy	507-272-8291	coon, beaver
7	Bruce Lillienthal	Arlington	507-380-9415	Any species
4	Matt Carlson	Aitkin	218-244-3548	Any species
1	Dan Collins	Hibbing/Grand Rapids	507-339-3623	Any species
1	Mike Shaleen Sr	Mountain Iron	218-780-4559	Any species
1	Shawn Johnson	Duluth/Two Harbors Area	218-525-4970	All species

If you want to be added to this list, please send your request with pertinent information to the webmaster.

Fur Donation to Cedar Ridge Elementary School 2019

Minnesota Trappers Association

Tanned Fur Donation to

Cedar Ridge Elementary School

Tim Caven presented 12 tanned furs to Ms. Heyer for the Kindergarten classes at Cedar Ridge Elementary School in Eden Prairie, MN. The youth were able to touch and feel the pelts and learn of the animals they came from. Ms Heyer’s class each wrote a thank you note to the MTA and the other Kindergarten class at the school also sent thank you notes. The notes from each class ar linked below. The MTA received the following note from Ms. Heyer:

“Dear Minnesota Trappers Association,

Thank you for the 12 pelts and the education board – the kids absolutely love everything. We’ve started some lessons using both items and have additional lessons we are planning on. Since receiving your package before Thanksgiving, the pelts and matching board have been used by students EVERY SINGLE DAY! They are quizzing their friends, matching, using the pelts to create homes for the animals and even trying to match their coat fur to the animals. Today we had a tracking expert come in and when guessing what animal left a certain track the kids were jumping around shouting, “Ermin!” It’s been so fun to hear them talking about these different animals! Thank you for this wonderful gift. I have emailed thank you notes from my kindergartners as well.

Best Wishes,

Jen Heyer”

Cedar Ridge Elementary School

Ms. Heyer’s class thank you notes.

Other class’s thank you notes.

Benton County 4-H Shooting Sports and Wildlife

“Thank you to the Minnesota Trappers Association for the use of your furs. Our youth enjoyed learning about the animals and being able to touch the pelts. This has helped them to prepare for upcoming competitions.”

–Benton County 4-H Shooting Sports and Wildlife

Tanned Furs to a Good Cause by Andy Shoemaker

For years I had heard of a Stillwater Area High School teacher who does an incredible job in teaching High School Biology Courses. He has been employed there for over 30 years.

My three children had all been students of this teacher and all said the same thing, he makes learning really fun, is interesting, and teaches in a way that makes students interested in the subject, even when they thought they wouldn’t be.

A licensed Master Falconer, this teacher has been involved in Peregrine Falcon restoration since 2002, and regularly hunts with a variety of hawks and falcons. Live hawks or falcons are kept in the classrooms at the High School, giving students up close and personal experience with Birds of Prey they normally would never see or learn about.

This teacher has involved students in live trapping raccoons on the school Environmental Learning Center (ELC) fitting them with radio collars, and studying movement patters and denning locations. Deer have also been live trapped and radio collared there, so movements can be monitored.

Every year, a trail camera collects hundreds of animal photos from the ELC which get posted on a Facebook site, and in the classrooms, showing students just how many animals are present in the suburban setting.

A member of MOHA (Minnesota Outdoor Heritage Alliance) this teacher has represented the Minnesota Falconers Association on issues relating to the sport of Falconry.

Almost every year, I will bump into young hunters in the Stillwater area. Always interested in youth hunting/trapping, I ask them where they got started or how did they find this hunting spot? In many cases, they say the same thing, we got interested in hunting from a Stillwater Biology Teacher, and he gave us directions on where to go!

On December 3^rd 2019, I was able to meet with Stillwater Area High School Teacher Andrew Weaver, at the High School Biology Area, and presented him with a set of tanned furs, collected by Trappers from Minnesota, donated by Trappers from Minnesota, and tanned through the MTA’s Tanned Fur Project. He will now have beautiful tanned furs on display in their classrooms for students to see and touch and be used for animal identification. All will know that the furs were donated by Trappers and the MTA. He was very appreciative and couldn’t wait to display them in the classrooms.

Special thanks to Trappers who donate to the MTA’s Tanned Fur Project, and to Tim Caven of Minnesota Trapline Products, for heading up the Tanned Fur Project! Consider donating some furs this year!

Andy Shoemaker

Stillwater Area High School Biology Teacher, Andrew Weaver, with tanned furs.

Andrew Weaver’s class rooms have lots of interesting things in them. This is a female Goshawk, captured by Weaver and used for teaching students, and for hunting.

Winter 2025 Report

This is the issue of the Newsletter that is always the shortest on donations as trapping seasons are just getting underway. We did receive the following, thank you.

Mike & Pam Marsolek – 5 raccoon, 2 beaver, 1 skunk, 1 mink

Allen Golden – 1 skunk

Dan Ahlquist – $50.00 towards our tanning bill

In Memory of Buzz Neprud – 1 cross fox

The tanned fur project is going to feel the effects of the increased interest in skunks. If you have some that have little white in the tail (reducing the market value of them) but still have decent stripes, we could sure use them as the cupboards are bare. It’s important to have skunks in our fur education sets so our collection represents all furbearers that Minnesota has to offer. In addition to skunks, our greatest needs at this time are fisher, bobcat, badger, pine marten, and ermine. Squirrels of any color are also needed for our school sets. As always. The Tanned Fur Project is appreciative of any fur donation that you can make, regardless of the species.

Your tanned fur project doesn’t just provide educational pelts to schools, 4-H clubs, FFA chapters, parks, and environmental learning centers; it also provides the pelts for our raffle blanket, fur gauntlets, and fur hats. As its footprint grows, so does its appetite to be fed.

Just today I am sending out a permanent set of fur to a state park and 4 loaner sets to schools around the state. Your MTA tanned fur project is by far the largest of its kind in the United States; be proud. I’m writing this 4 days after water opener in the south zone and the weather and water depth this year have been a pleasure to this point. Great to see muskrat huts in quantity once again, it’s been a while. I’ve been trapping with the grand kids and family, and its been a blast. To see a 7-year-old catch his first mink in one of my Northwoods 1 ½ traps from 1982 is something I will never forget. I suggested he donate it to the tanned fur project, and he held it even tighter. He said he would donate the muskrats but the mink is going on the wall. I don’t blame him.

Have fun, make memories, and remember your tanned fur project. Thank you.

Tim Caven Tanned Fur Project Coordinator tim@mntrapline.com