Grand Rapids South Dakota is ready to embrace the beavers. First the fly fishermen sand painted trees and now this. I can’t embed the video but click on the image for a stunning explanation.

Volunteers help relocate the beavers of Rapid Creek

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Black Hills Fly Fishing Club is working to relocate beavers causing damage to Rapid Creek.

The number of beavers in town has increased over the last few months, with old growth trees having to be removed due to the damage. Volunteers met outside the Civic Center this morning to paint the base of large trees along the creek. The non-toxic paint was mixed with sand, which acts as a deterrent, keeping beavers from chewing into the trees.

A trapping and relocation effort has been made by The Fly Fishing Club, Trout not Trash, and Clean up Rapid Creek. Beavers play an important role in the Black Hills ecosystem, restricting the flow of water, reducing the risk of flooding, and keeping Pactola Reservoir filled.

“We want to keep beavers on the landscape,” says Bill Young of Trout not Trash, “They’re incredibly helpful to the ecosystem here in Rapid City. We just need to help them make better choices. So what we’re doing is we’re painting a mixture of sand and latex paint on the trees, and it deters the beavers from wanting to chew on those particular trees.”

 

That;s right. The fly fishermen and women of SD know so much about beavers that they WANT them around to make great habitat for the fishes they love to angle for.

And they have really nice cottonwood trees.