VTA District 8 Director's Report
Art Foltz
6706 River Road
Fredericksburg, VA 22407
Home: 540-412-9607
Mobile: 540-630-1756
March 2010
District 8 area is comprised of nine counties; Caroline, Essex, Lancaster, Mathew, Middlesex, Northumberland, Richmond, Spotsylvania, and Westmoreland. Current membership is 39 trappers and trapping-interested persons. Our membership covers a wide range of experience from senior to novice trappers, fur graders/buyers, and wildlife managers.
The district holds regular meetings/cookouts during the off-season
(March-September) to discuss issues related to the trade/hobby,
provide trade-related demonstrations, and engage in camaraderie
around pot luck meals. All VTA Officers and our local DGIF
Wildlife/Land Managers have open invitations to attend our meetings
to share the meal with us, participate in the discussions, and field
questions about trapper concerns.
Our first of the
year district meeting was held on March 7th and was well
attended with 29 district members and guests. After the grub and official
business Francis Richards conducted an exceptional fur grading
demonstration, letting us know how to improve fur handling to increase the
value of our catches. Market trends appear to be on the upswing so we’re
hopeful the NAFA and VTA Fur Auctions will bear out the predictions.
While we had a lot of official business ground to cover since our last
meeting, most of the time was dominated by Fredericksburg Watershed
Management Plan 
discussion.
Our guests; Mike Dye - DGIF,
Steve Colvin - VTA President, Todd Cocker - VA Waterfowlers’ Association
President, and Frank Wade - VAWFA all provided valuable insight to the
management plan and what we’re doing to open the land to trappers and
provide additional river access.
Our
next district meeting is scheduled for 2:00 PM, April 18th, 2010 at
6706 River Road, Fredericksburg. The scheduled demonstrations are;
trap modifications, fox sets, and fur damage repair (my specialty).
A meeting announcement with site directions will be sent to district
members and guests however, the event is open to all trappers or
trapping-interested persons. If you would like to attend, please contact
me for details and directions.
Respectfully,
Art Foltz
District-8 Director