Mandatory Trapper Education Program Now In Effect

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ANNAPOLIS, MD — The Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) Wildlife & Heritage Service recently unveiled new education requirements for anyone desiring to trap furbearers in Maryland. Effective August 1, 2007 any person who is trapping or attempting to trap furbearers (muskrat, beaver, raccoon, red and gray fox, opossum, mink, skunk, river otter, fisher, long-tailed weasel and coyote) under the authority of a Furbearer Permit must first obtain a Certificate of Trapper Education from the Department unless the person held a Furbearer Permit during the 2006-2007 trapping season (prior to August 1, 2007).

“This new requirement ensures that trappers are aware of current best management practices for furbearers,” said Paul Peditto, Director of DNR’s Wildlife & Heritage Service. “It is imperative that current and future trappers understand furbearer biology and management, and they maintain ethical standards that are above reproach. The trapper education program aims to achieve these goals.”

The trapper education course will be a self-study course followed by a classroom session. All applicants must complete a student workbook, which must be submitted prior to completing a written examination. Once the applicant passes the exam, a Certificate of Trapper Education will be awarded.

Applicants also have the option of completing the student workbook and testing out without attending the classroom session. Testing out dates and locations are set and instructors are presently planning classroom courses for the fall. Information on the trapper education program, testing out dates and locations, and future courses can be found at http://www.dnr.state.md.us/nrp/education/trappered.html.

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August 2, 2007

Maryland Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is the state agency responsible for providing natural and living resource-related services to citizens and visitors. DNR manages more than 449,000 acres of public lands and 17,000 miles of waterways, along with Maryland's forests, fisheries and wildlife for maximum environmental, economic and quality of life benefits. A national leader in land conservation, DNR-managed parks and natural, historic and cultural resources attract 12 million visitors annually. DNR is the lead agency in Maryland's effort to restore the Chesapeake Bay, the state's number one environmental priority. Learn more at www.dnr.maryland.gov