Pocket gopher program now for youth only

Mountain View County's northern pocket gopher control program is now open to youths only.

The county's agricultural service board passed a motion at its recent regularly scheduled meeting regarding the program.

The motion calls on the CAO to approve changes to procedure #6307-01. The change includes a new definition that the program applies to youth residents of Mountain View County below the age of 18.

The program had previously been open to residents of all ages.

"The northern pocket gopher control program aims to assist and compensate farmers and ranchers of Mountain View County via a $1 per tail bounty to control a declared nuisance under the Agricultural Pests Act, which can cause damage to crops and equipment," administration said in a note to the board.

Northern pocket gophers are a 20-centimetre-long burrowing rodent with a large head, small eyes and ears, stout body, thick muscular forearms with long curved claws, and a short, nearly naked tail.

The northern pocket program has run for two consecutive years with good support from residents, the board heard.

"Administration is asking the agricultural service board to consider changes for the upcoming year (2017) to help maintain a fair and better controlled program, allowing for more of the MVC youth to take advantage of the program.

"It is recommended that the $1 a tail up to 500 tails be changed to $100 for 100 tails for the first 50 MVC youths."

Under the updated procedure "multiple youths from one residence may combine their submission to reach the required program tail threshold."

The legal land location where the pocket gophers were trapped must be provided to receive the initiative.

The program commences on April 1 and runs through until the 50 submissions are made "at which time no further tail submissions will be accepted and no further payments will be made."

The program does not apply to Richardson's ground squirrels, commonly known as gophers.