To the editor,

This is in response to the “Tales and Trails” column by Dave Beck in the Sept. 7 edition of Pierce County Journal.

Dave expressed enthusiasm for trapping fishers.

Perhaps Dave is not aware of how much farmers benefit from the presence of fishers. Fishers are carnivorous — they primarily eat mice, porcupines, squirrels, snowshoe hares, birds, and shrews. reference: naturemappingfoundation.org/natmap/facts/fisher_712.html Corn and soybeans, like other grains, are susceptible to pests, such as mice. Mice dig up and feed on newly planted crops, cause damage before harvest, and burrow into other areas on the property for food and nesting.

Farmers grow a lot of corn and a lot of soybeans in the Midwest. Fishers help protect farmers’ crops and they do it for free. Think about your local farmers before deciding whether to trap and kill fishers.

Wendy DiPeso

River Falls