Years ago Jakob Shockey was a young biologist who attended the State of the Beaver conference for the first time. He heard speaker Mike Callahan talk about installing flow devices and a host of presenters talking about why beavers matter. And he thought, “Hey, I wanna learn to do that” So he started talking more with Mike, who invited him out to work with him in Massachusetts, and then he came back to Oregon and a whole bunch of beaver-believing folks helped him get this new business off the ground.
The rest, as they say, is history. 
Nedonna Beach Group finds solution to beaver issues
The beavers of Nedonna Beach have become a problem. But thanks to a group of neighbors, there may be a solution to allow beavers and homeowners to live harmoniously. After the critters built dams blocking McMillan Creek and flooding neighboring properties, many homeowners complained resulting in the trapping and killing of the beavers and otters that inhabited the area.
Seeking a more humane solution, the Nedonna Beaver Group set out to find a solution to the conflict between beavers and homeowners so property can be protected without removing or killing the beavers.
“The water would build up behind the dam and it would flood the homeowner’s septic drains,” Nedonna Beaver Group member Gillian Holbrook said. “It also made the foundation of the house go down since it is all sand, so they needed a solution.”
The solution was a pond leveler or ‘beaver deceiver.’ The group hired Jakob Shockey of Beaver State Wildlife Solutions to install a pond leveler in McMillan Creek on Aug. 13, in a beaver dam behind the house of a family who volunteered to try out the leveler. The Nedonna Neighborhood Association donated $250 to the pond leveler. The owner of the property and the other neighbors who were interested in the welfare of the beavers also contributed to funding the project.
Be still my heart. Folks chipping in for a flow device! 250 contributed by a neighborhood association which is practically a HOA. How amazing! I think I might be moving here when I retire. (Living in California we could probably afford a mansion, but I bet the neighbors would hate us. Hmm…).
Nedonna Beach is on the Oregon Coast about two hours from Portland. Think of it like the Bodega Bay of the Bay Area. Now with a flow device. The part that makes me most curious is that these beavers deal with some tidal influence just like ours. They might even use the ocean to disperse?
Shockey’s crew arrived with all the equipment and with the assistance of local volunteers, assembled the pond leveler in just a few hours and put it in place by rolling the cage over the creek side vegetation. The creek is very low this time of year and the device is exposed, but will be underwater when the fall rains come.
A large flexible tube goes through the dam and the upstream end of the tube is in a cage located a distance from the dam so the beavers do not discover the source of the ‘leak’ and close it off. The water level will be maintained at a level that will not flood the backyard, but high enough to provide protection for the beavers.
Beavers are an integral part of Oregon coast wildlife. The pools behind their dams provide safe, cool habitat for young salmon and other fish and create a wetland that supports mammals, birds, crustaceans and insects.
“With all the new rules regarding salmon, beavers have become really important to their habitat, Holbrook said. “Forest owners need to provide this kind of structure to promote a healthy salmon habitat.”
Mcmillan creek is one of two salmon-running streams in the area, so there are extra special reasons to be nice to the beavers.
Holbrook said pond levelers are growing in popularity and are commonly found in parts of Canada. The Nedonna Beaver Group will be monitoring the device to see if it works as it should, which means beavers can continue to live in the creek, the problems they can create for homeowners are gone and everyone gets the benefits of a healthy habitat for wildlife.
Holbrook said the device is pretty permanent solution to the ongoing issue.
“Only two percent of them don’t succeed for whatever reason,” Holbrook said. “They do require a little maintenance, but it seems like a much better way of deal with the issue as opposed to killing the beavers and pulling out their dams.”
These folks are practically our grandchildren when you think about it. Jakob was trained by Mike who was trained by Skip. It’s all one great big family tree! I’m thinking I’m sending a care package to the beaver group, ecosystem poster, tshirt and a copy of Ben’s book!
Welcome to the family guys!
