President's Fall Report  - 2005

I want to thank all of you for the continued opportunity to serve this
trapping association for another term as your president. I truly enjoy
the friendships, the activities, and the positive direction this association is going.

We just finished a very successful fall convention. Mid-States Camp is a fantastic facility for a fall event like this. We received many nice comments from people saying they really thought this was a great place for a trappers fall rendezvous. I want to thank everyone who was involved as participants, helpers, and the dealers for a great time. Also, congratulations to Terry Olson of Madison, SD, our newly elected director, and Charlie Eich, for being named the 2005 Koffler Award
recipient.

 

Despite the high price of gas our attendance was pretty fair. We had 148 people sign in at the registration desk. However, there are always more people on the grounds than what the registration shows. The trapping and fur handling demos were super. Everyone was well prepared and did a great job. The outdoor dutch oven cooking demo, put on by Marti Poppenga, was new this year and it attracted a lot of interest. Thanks to all those who made the trip. I hope all of you had a great time.

 

We signed 20 new members and renewed another six or so that have been members in previous years, but allowed their memberships to lapse. Welcome aboard again.

 

The new raffles this fall were well received and helped raise more money for trapper education programs. The fall fundraising raffle also did better than last year. Wayne Heilman deserves a special recognition for being our top ticket seller for the third consecutive year. Thanks to everyone who sold tickets to make this a success again.

 

I would like to encourage each of you to tag as many fellow trappers and fur harvestors as possible into this association. Involvement, participation and support from fellow sportsmen is what keeps the SDTA on the right track. We have made some real progress in promoting our youth trapper education programs through various opportunities that you will read about in this newsletter. It is our goal to continue to expand those opportunities, to promote, to enhance, and to secure the future of our sport.

 

Future goals for this association are to increase membership, to increase educational opportunities, to promote our sport, to open a better line of communication with other outdoor user groups, and to continue doing what is in the best interest of South Dakota trappers.

 

Wishing all of you a great season. Enjoy your time in the field, and please feel free to contact me or any of our directors about concerns you may have.
 

Kim Potter

 SDTA President