AR-News: (US) Fur Flies in Girl Scout Trap Flap

[Animalara2003 at aol.com]

When the beavers on the Chena River in Fairbanks, Alaska, began to turn into 
a real nuisance last fall, Girl Scout Troop 34 stepped in. Troop 34, of the 
Farthest North Girl Scouts Council in Fairbanks, participates in a youth 
outreach program of the Alaska Trappers Association (ATA). Volunteers from the troop 
accompanied trappers to learn about beaver habitat, help map dams, and set 
underwater snares. They also learned how to clean and tan the hides and make 
garments with the pelts. 


When the story broke in the mainstream media last November, animal rights 
groups railed against the scouts’ activities. Calls flooded Fairbanks. Girl Scout 
officials in the Lower 48 stated that the organization doesn’t offer merit 
badges for hunting and trapping and does not officially promote either activity, 
no matter their popularity in Alaska. 
“[Hunting and trapping] are part of Alaska’s culture,” says Cathie Harms, 
information officer with the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, which partners 
with the ATA. “The more we can teach youth about how to interact with natural 
resources, the more they’ll be able to make informed decisions about wildlife 
management when they’re older.” 




full story:

http://www.fieldandstream.com/fieldstream/fieldnotesnews/article/0,13199,59907
6,00.html 
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.envirolink.org/pipermail/ar-news/attachments/20040310/dcbece42/attachment.html