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ANNOUNCER: Coming up, acquiring delicacy.

MAN: I think I would the way it's marinated, ANNOUNCER: And, fire brings new Outdoors Maryland is produced in the Maryland Department DNR, inspired by nature, [Waves Crashing] Closed Captioning has been made empowering those who are deaf, or speech disabled * * NARRATOR: From above, on Maryland's Eastern shore, of serpentine waterways, through the state's largest On a windy February morning, anyone venturing out into this and marsh grass.

But for Dorchester native February is prime season for JUSTIN AARON: We're in Wallace we're going to go out in the I've been trapping My Mom's side of the family, They taught me NARRATOR: Just as their parents in a trapping lineage AARON: They're mostly through the night, sunset mostly NARRATOR: Which means that Justin has to carefully of muskrat activity, and set his small tunnels AARON: I found a nice hole I can see where the muskrat It's lot of like and sticks and stuff You can tell that- So what I'm going to do, outside here, just get it.

Hopefully tomorrow we'll have the muskrat NARRATOR: A semi-aquatic rodent It uses to mark its territory, an important source of Trapped by Native Americans, even a young Harriet Tubman.

Some Native American legends as a mythical figure, in a time long ago when the And as it turns out, nocturnal marsh dwellers Just ask Department of Donald Webster.

DONALD WEBSTER: The muskrats out of the local and they build it above to stay dry during NARRATOR: Like Justin, in this area, since his teenage years.

WEBSTER: And it's part of It's something do like they would crabbing, or any of them.

NARRATOR: and showing off one of the of prime muskrat habitat, Blackwater National WEBSTER: Yeah.

I'd say the ranges from one muskrat per acre They are relatively numerous, unseen.

NARRATOR: Especially in winter, when they spend most of their inside of tunnels and huts, But when they do leave these little guys WEBSTER: And of course 10 to 11 inches long, through the water while their They're adaptive to living in than most anything else * NARRATOR: Like foxes, river muskrats are considered meaning they've traditionally In fact, muskrat pelts were once an Throughout much of dozens of trappers worked selling dried pelts to fur But in recent decades trapping has become WEBSTER: Earlier in 1978, and fill your car up with gas.

Now you catch one muskrat, and NARRATOR: And the work, AARON: You get mud all over, you're sinking halfway NARRATOR: But for Justin, who working the marshes is more than it is money.

AARON: I wouldn't change it I like it around here.

[boat engine revs] NARRATOR: The official trapping runs from January 1st dates set by DNR's Fur Bearer WEBSTER: The purpose of the is managing the populations.

Muskrats themselves are able to because they can have three so the harvest of muskrats on the population overall.

AARON: Looks like we got a- NARRATOR: Most of what private orders for muskrat meat.

Slow cooked, AARON: The old timers love it, want to eat it.

[crunch of rocks] NARRATOR: But a few of these two time women's world champion This afternoon, she's getting which will be held at the National Outdoor Show, of muskrat history and heritage.

To outsiders, but Rhonda says it's a tradition RHONDA AARON: but in the wintertime to supplement the income, So they farmed and they trapped from like My uncles and my grandfather bring them into the farmhouse on the linoleum floor and then everybody NARRATOR: Men and women, the whole family together, ready for sale.

And back in 1938, a few local cold weather chore R. AARON: The trappers would "My son can skin faster than NARRATOR: Rhonda's family since the very beginning.

R. AARON: What I have in old photos.

And I've got a picture here of who skinned in the very first This photo was in 1938.

This is a picture it's says "Family affair, upheld the family skinning National Outdoor Muskrat at the Cambridge Armory.

NARRATOR: Today, what began as has grown into an event that each year.

With hundreds of vendors, [tapping] and events ranging from duck [duck call] to a wild game cookoff.

In case you're wondering each year the show welcomes from the Fur and Wildlife in Cameron Parish, Louisiana.

EMCEE: Do me a favor, Maddy, show them how they do it [clapping] NARRATOR: Which has its own It also prompts a visit from Zander Fur.

BUYER: We stop by, kind of and get an idea what they do Basically just grading the NARRATOR: And getting them BUYER: The end user It was Europe for a long time, basically dominated by China.

NARRATOR: Right now, dropped off by trapper, Speaker 12: Well, I've been all my life.

Probably caught my first muskrat and I'm 74 now.

When the price was high that was my job.

I caught 2,000 muskrats a year.

Now, it's just NARRATOR: And the occasional is an added bonus.

Speaker 12: I ran a 5K a lot of young-ins.

And they asked me I said, "I eat a lot of muskrat, NARRATOR: Cameron sells to Roger Webster in Cambridge.

You can find it in the back ROGER WEBSTER: County people eight and 10, 15 at a time.

NARRATOR: And it's no wonder R. WEBSTER: There's only a who even has them.

It's nothing like it * NARRATOR: But believe it or not, when even city slickers enjoyed During the early to mid 1900's, when the fur trade this Eastern shore delicacy making its way onto restaurant and Philadelphia.

Though it often went by a water squirrel, or perhaps R. WEBSTER: Another more call them that and they sound [chuckles] NARRATOR: But back at the they don't mince words.

And at a dollar a sample, can afford to give And no, it doesn't BOY: I think it We eat a lot of squirrel MAN: I think I would the way it's marinated, And whoever prepared this because it's very tender NARRATOR: it's time for the main event.

There's the presentation of winner of the show's a rowdy bead toss to celebrate and finally the trap setting The crowds may be a bit bigger but one thing hasn't changed.

R. AARON: It still is My brother skins and I skin, my son skins And it's so special, yelling for us to win, NARRATOR: These competitions with separate classes for even a head to head between and the visiting MS. CAMEROON PARISH: Boom!

MS. OUTDOORS: Whoo!

NARRATOR: are reserved for the fastest the contenders for the world championships.

[cheering] Rhonda won back in 2016, but Once all of the contestants the announcer gives the EMCEE: Ready, set, go.

NARRATOR: And they're off.

[cheering and yelling] R. AARON: When I'm skinning, Can't skin against the you have to skin against NARRATOR: In just a few minutes, And while Rhonda her family isn't going home The 2020 World Muskrat Skinning [crowd erupts in cheers] and his wife Dakota.

* And in the end, it's about more R. AARON: In our area, Our families have They had strong beliefs and that at they would make a little money a few people.

We feel that way also, we try to and I hope that we're doing * * NARRATOR: A November chill at the Sidling Hill Creek The first rays of light foreshadowing what's to come.

Today, the Nonprofit and its partners are looking to GABE CAHALLAN: My name's Gabe Cahallan I work I'll be the burn boss for today.

Our objectives are clear the leaf litter some of the rare plants that DEBORAH LANDOW: Fire is a We've always had fire, And we're very, very careful and where we do it.

NARRATOR: Nature Conservancy is here to make sure the burn The Maryland Department of and the U.S. Forest Service are LANDOW: When you have this it can actually stimulate to germinate.

It also has- it releases so it's almost like a for many of the plant So by bringing fire back you're going to make and more resilient.

[crackling of fire] NARRATOR: In the last century, as something to prevent, to property.

But without fire, And when the weather they create a much larger LANDOW: So now when they can be catastrophic.

They're hotter and more So by doing these controlled weather parameters, we can have a light burn that will burn up the leaves and the grasses but not too hot so as to damage plant communities.

CAHALLAN: Well, years before today, when we're NARRATOR: It begins with the exact circumstances to ensure the fire NARRATOR: A test fire FIREFIGHTER: Safety's the when you're lighting a fire.

NARRATOR: Gabe will first to make sure the weather wind speed and direction, are at the right levels GUY: Gonna burn?

CAHALLAN: I hope.

NARRATOR: It's got to be and so far CAHALLAN: This is generally in hardwood litter, slow creeping fire.

We're also looking to see that and dispersing, versus laying and we are seeing that here.

NARRATOR: Gabe gives the okay starting the natural process CAHALLAN: We know that and animals here, we get to It's just a great, NARRATOR: But for those who the site of smoke on the LANDOW: So, what we're doing we'll have a little table set up observe the burn.

So, what do you And while they're there, about the importance of and all the benefits of NARRATOR: While some people Marie Miller made it a point to to give them a firsthand look STUDENT: Did they make any MARIE MILLER: No.

It's always great for students happening on the ground.

Because we learn a lot about and how things could be, actually happening, I think this NARRATOR: the controlled burn on 60 acres of the preserve.

[crackling] CAHALLAN: It carried really nicely and we had no issues today.

NARRATOR: Now for the most ensuring these creeping flames [clanking] CAHALLAN: Now, we'll put it into So we'll be patrolling it until it's completely out.

Speaker 23: As I'm going down, areas that are still smoking, When I come back up, those are We want to get that cleaned up, just so we don't have a hazard of the fire escaping We want to get that So right here, at the base of this tree.

We're going to want to make sure and check that area.

We're going to dig up dig up the duff wet it down, cool it down of leaving that area.

This is the most important part, because if you don't if something should happen a control line should fail, and go across your line, be in wildfire situation.

NARRATOR: One species that is a gnarled native conifer Pine.

Flames coax open its cones, CAHALLAN: Yeah, so here's a it has these sharp points on it.

So the fire actually, And in fact, there's a Table Mountain So, we expect to see uh, Table Mountain pine from the burn.

NARRATOR: In just seven months, LANDOW: So there really are coming up directly under We've got pine cones that and two pine seedlings, hoping to get.

And it's really exciting to see how quickly they return when all we've done is I'm admiring the effects of this and how good it looks Right on the fire line, you can you still have a lot of leaf trees and branches.

And on the burn side, There's green, there's a coming in.

NARRATOR: And with diversity and heartier forest, to the more extreme conditions LANDOW: Going forward, of severe drought.

By bringing fire back into we're encouraging the to come back and to thrive.

And those fire-adapted species drought resilient.

They have long taproots, by thick bark.

So, the entire landscape will and less susceptible to that come with those droughts.

[blackbird chirps] NARRATOR: scientists expect animals living will need to migrate to cooler of the country.

LANDOW: are like a super highway of Where they not only can move but there's also topography so So you have exactly what you as they're bumping forward in NARRATOR: As they rejuvenate and enable biodiversity may have another benefit.

Frostburg University professor is studying how burning might help control Lyme Disease REBECCA TAYLOR: Ticks are a And throughout the spring and you're going to see these they're about anywhere between and a sesame seed.

And those are the ones the most cases of Lyme, and people don't So, the idea is that controlled to not only improve but to ameliorate NARRATOR: And Rebecca hopes to but effective TAYLOR: Well, I don't usually but that's exactly what's here.

I don't see any ticks which is a good thing potentially there is And this area of the forest so hopefully we eliminated LANDOW: Reintroducing fire is an intersection of so many and we're making this a more for people to come and enjoy.

NARRATOR: Returning fire to not only that the forest but that it is stronger for it.

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