During 1975 the Division Of Wildlife in Ohio faced a legislative battle that would have ended all trapping in the Buckeye state. The division, with help from the sportsmen, prevailed and the bill died in committee. Anti-trapping forces, following their legislative defeat, gathered the 235,000 signatures necessary to place an amendment to the Ohio constitution that would have banned all trapping. This amendment, known as Issue 2 was defeated by nearly a 2 to 1 margin. However, nearly 1.2 million people voted for Issue 2 and wanted to stop all trapping. Subsequently the Division Of Wildlife initiated an educational campaign designed to inform the uninformed and non-consumptive wildlife user that regulated hunting, trapping and even fishing are all a part of wildlife management. A bill was introduced and subsequently passed which mandated that all first time hunters take a hunter safety course and all first time trappers take a trapper educational course. A fee of $5 was established for a trapping permit to partially finance the trapping educational program. Audio visual equipment designed to produce broadcast quality video tapes was purchased to be used in public school systems. The tape productions will teach youngsters all aspects of wildlife management, fish management, law enforcement and the overall responsibilities of the Division of Wildlife, the agency charged with managing all species of wildlife for the benefit of all people of the state of Ohio.
