The Weirdest Thing Seen at the Capitol This Week (Hint: It Wasn’t a Bill)
If someone were to ask me about what the strangest thing I've ever seen at the State Capitol is, I might have to say seeing a real Confederate flag on display. If you were at the Capitol earlier this week, you might have replied with pan-roasted beaver. A Central Minnesota Senator is on a mission to allow nuisance beavers to be hunted and eaten again, something that was on his mind last year, too.
Senator Nathan Wesenberg, of Little Falls, is looking to bring beavers back to the menu, at least in terms of allowing nuisance beavers to be eaten again. Something that, up until 2023, was perfectly legal to do in the land of 10,000 lakes.
A Twin Cities County Commissioner shared the pan-roasted beaver photo to social media, bringing attention to the 'odd' policy change that is being sought by Senator Wesenberg.
I've spent extra time at the State Capitol this spring, tracking and testifying on legislative proposals that could significantly impact Dakota County—especially around services for residents with disabilities, pedestrian safety, and property taxes.
But in between committee hearings and meetings, I’ve come across some... unusual bills.
Most interesting? Hard to pick.
Most unusual? Cooked beaver legislation.
Yes, really. In honor of International Beaver Day (who knew?), Sen. Nathan Wesenberg brought pan-seared, slow-baked beaver to the Capitol—legally trapped, he noted, and (he says) tasting just like roast beef.
This all ties back to a 2024 law that banned eating “nuisance” beavers—a provision Sen. Wesenberg is trying to reverse.
Senator Wesenberg tried last year unsuccessfully to get the change reversed, so he is back at it, like a tenacious beaver tending to their dam.
A Senate Bill, SF 811 was introduced back in January by Senator Grant Hauschild, and it strikes the last sentence of the bill, which prohibits the eating of nuisance beaver by humans.
Unless otherwise directed by a conservation officer, the road authority, local
government unit, the landowner, or their agent may dispose of or retain a beaver killed under this section. Human consumption of a retained beaver is prohibited.
Currently, there is NOT a companion bill in the Minnesota House of Representatives. I've reached out to Senator Wesenberg about the likelihood of a companion bill in the House this session.
The law, as it currently stands, allows for legally trapped beavers, within season, to be consumed by humans, but not nuisance beavers. The reason behind the nuisance beaver ban is concern over the "potential disease or parasite transmission from consuming a rodent."
We are gearing up for the end of the session, as it is slated to end in late May, so with roughly 6 weeks left, it's the home stretch for many of our legislators.
Will nuisance beaver be back on the menu when this legislative session closes? Time will tell.
LOOK: 20 American foods that raise eyebrows outside of the US
Gallery Credit: Charlotte Barnett
LOOK: Baby boomer baby names that have gone out of style
Gallery Credit: Elizabeth Jackson