Portland ROUSS: Nutria Trapping & Skinning by bikes

Rodents of Unusual Size

Originally from South Amercia, nutria are truly Rodents of Unusual Size They can grow up to 10-20 pounds and reproduce prodigously. Invasive to our area, nutria often encroach and degrade the habitat of native species such as muskrat. They cause erosion by eating to much vegetation and are the bane of Portland's urban organic farmers as they eat many of their crops.

Taking a life

Yet at Trackers we also recognize that every living being is simply doing what it does best. Its not the nutria's fault we find it in a place it may not belong. Brought here by the fur trade to be raised on farms, the nutria eventually escaped and continued to do what it does best. That said, as humans so will we. Starting with a bicycle excursion, this workshops teaches you the finer points of trailing, setting and laying a trapline for our urban water dweller. We work on urban permaculture farms in an effort to support habitat restoration and local businesses. We discuss trapping ethics and legality, along with the methods that best ensure death is quick and painless as possible for the animal.

Honoring that life

After checking the traps the next day we then ride back to our headquarters and proceed to skin, butcher and learn about using every part of the animal. We even discuss the process of tanning furs and hides.

Caveats...

• No leg traps are ever used in this program. They are cruel, plain and simple. Our traps aim for an instant kill.
• Participants cannot actually set traps without their fur taker's lisence. This is left for the actual instructor. They do participate in sighting and tracking trails and location of traps is discussed in conversation.
  

Class format...

You must bring your own bike to participate in this urban workshop. This class is taught by Shaun Deller.

Day 1 November 10, 2009 1pm-4pm We bike ride down the springwater corridor to local urban farms. There we look at how to find nutria sign and determine if it is fresh. We discuss placement of traps and our instructor finally lays them for the harvest the next day.

Day 2 November 11, 2009 9am-4pm Riding back to the farm the next morning we see what the nutria harvest has wrought. Strapping our prey to our bike racks and buckets we peddle back to TrackersHQ and then proceed to learn what it takes to skin and butcher these Rodents of Unusual Size.