Tom Kaye loved the triple threat louisiana crawdad dip alongside his fried frog legs and purple varnish clam chowder.

And the bacon-wrapped starling kabob in a blackberry reduction "was to die for," said Kaye, executive director of the Institute for Applied Ecology in Corvallis.

Those were only a few of the featured dishes last year at the institute's "Invasive Species Cookoff" in the Benton County Fairgrounds.

Its culinary motto, "Eradication through mastication," will be put to the test again Aug. 27 with a repeat array of creative ways to make finned and furred aliens taste good enough to, well, eradicate, masticate and downright eat.

The institute's Herculean mission, though, extends far beyond trying to stamp out invading fish, fowl, flora and fauna. Habitat restoration and education programs sponsored by the institute have spread across the Pacific Northwest and now extend internationally.

I called Kaye out of curiosity after an Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife news release reported the discovery of a large snapping turtle in the Yoncalla water treatment plant. Snapping turtles, like nutria and bullfrogs, were introduced to Oregon from the Eastern United States, where some states have bag limits (and recipes) for the "Jaws" in-the-half-shell.

Oregon not only doesn't protect snapping turtles, biologists go out of their way to find and humanely euthanize them to protect native species. The snapper's powerful jaws are dangerous, they readily eat native fish and wildlife and can carry diseases.

Having written a column about the institute's first invasive cookoff (recall, perhaps, my daughter and son-in-law's creativity-prize winning "popcorn house sparrow" in 2012), my first question after seeing the release was about how turtle soup tastes.

"I don't know," said Kaye, whose institute also publishes an invasive cookbook. "I don't think we've ever had a snapping turtle dish."

That may change soon.

Susan Barnes, a wildlife biologist for the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, recently issued a permit for a live snapping turtle to someone who then took it home to dispatch, process and save specifically for the institute's invasive species cookoff.

Barnes said she frequently answers calls about snapping turtles in the greater Portland area and throughout western Oregon. She recently dealt with four large ones, two from the Fanno Creek drainage, one from Aurora, south of Canby, and one from the Eagle Creek area.

A cautionary note: Unlike bullfrogs, starlings, house sparrows, etc., snapping turtles (and nutria, another popular invasive cookoff ingredient) are on a long list of species prohibited to possess live without a permit issued by the Department of Fish and Wildlife. That may limit live-trapping and Barnes said any snapping turtle sighting needs to be reported to the nearest department office. Barnes also urged potential turtle hunters to verse themselves first on identification since native turtles are protected.

Meanwhile, there are a host of other edible critters to qualify for the cookoff:

House sparrow drumstick ready for the frying pan.

Nutria -- Burrowing, vegetarian wetland dweller with delicately flavored flesh.

Wild pig -- Kaye said cookoff rules don't require the ingredients be gathered in Oregon.

Wild turkey -- Flavor is more intense than store-bought.

Asian collared dove and rock dove -- No season or bag limit for either.

House sparrow -- Most easily captured with nest-box traps.

Carp -- Bony but tasty white flesh is preferred in some countries.

Bass, crappie, panfish -- All qualify.

Crayfish -- As with turtles, be careful since there also are natives. State identification guide.

Manila or purple varnish clams -- small, but intense clam flavor.

Bullfrogs -- Legs do, indeed, taste like chicken.

Kaye said there will be no chefs available and everyone must cook/prepare their own dish. Bring three small samples for the judges and enough potluck for other attendees. Attendance is free, but a $10-$50 donation is suggested to help the institute fund its programs.

Invasive categories are best savory meat dish, best savory vegetarian dish (invasive roots, leaves, etc.), best dessert (blackberries are invasive) and, this year for the first time, best beverage.

Dandelion wine or scotchbroom pale ale anyone?