The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources will hold four youth trapper education workshops between December 2010 and February 2011, with more to be scheduled during the 2011-12 trapping season. Each of the two-and-a-half-day events is free to participants, and classes are limited to 25 students per workshop. Youth need to be at least 6 years old to participate. Youth under age 16 and under must be accompanied by a parent or adult.Call the Northport office at (205) 339-5716 to register.

The workshop dates and locations are:

Dec.17-19, Decatur in Morgan County.

Jan. 7-9, Greensboro in Hale County.

Jan. 21-23, 2011, Rockford in Coosa County.

Feb. 18-20, 2011, Greenville in Butler County.

During the classes, seasoned trapping instructors teach students a variety of subjects including the history of trapping, furbearer ecology and management, trapping techniques, laws and regulations, and outdoor ethics.

According to Alabama Division of Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Supervising Wildlife Biologist Mike Sievering, these workshops offer the perfect opportunity for the youth of Alabama to learn skills and techniques that can only be attained from hands-on activities.

“The youth of today are more accustomed to sitting on the couch, playing video games, texting their friends or watching TV,” Sievering said. “Opportunities like this to learn outdoor skills seem to be somewhat limited.”

The youth trapper education workshops are just one tool to reverse that trend.”