Er, well not really a beaver deceiver per se, more of a flexible leveler or castor master, without a round fence, but hey the story was picked up by the AP and is now running everywhere so I guess the point is ‘Beavers can be controlled without trapping” and that’s a pretty good point to make. Yeah!
Even if it doesn’t mention Skip’s name with his invention
The “beaver deceiver” is exactly what it sounds like. Reed’s contraption, pioneered in Maine in the 1990s, regulates flow out of beaver ponds via a 12-inch-wide pipe that penetrates the dam.
There, there. Regular readers of this website will know of course that a BEAVER DECEIVER actually protects culverts and this pipe ain’t it. But that’s okay I guess. A TYPE 1 ERROR (See this article for a reminder of the error types.) I wish there was filter. Then again, maybe there is a filter and the reporter just didn’t understand.
On the upstream side of the dam, Reed extends the pipe about 10 feet so the outlet isn’t obvious. He also drills a bunch of holes into the pipe. “Even if the beaver figures out the pipe, water still flows through the hundreds of holes,” Reed said. “They really can’t block the pipe.”
Which takes the wind outta my beaver-savin’ sails a little since it deserves only one response, “huh?” but hey, saving beavers in Wyoming. That’s pretty cool. I’ll write Drew and make sure he knows about the filter around the end of the pipe to keep the beavers out and that the holes the base of the pipe are to keep it submerged.The article goes on to talk about the dangers of relocation, which I appreciated.
…a 2002 study from the Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit analyzed just that. The findings were grim. Only 23 of the 234 Wyoming beavers transplanted eventually built dams in the drainages where they were released. Without lodges to use for escape, many died quickly, whether from grizzly bears, coyotes or humans. The mortality rate for beavers younger than 2 years old was 100 percent within six months. Beavers, it seems, just have it tough.
Yes they do. They really do. Repeat that in every AP feed around the country a few times. In the meantime, congratulations to the Wyoming Wetlands Society whose web page has a section specifically on beavers! Give us a shout anytime you have questions!
Oh and I found this yesterday and like very much the idea that one might stumble upon beavers and find they become a huge hidden influence over much of your life. The painting is by someone named Gabe Wong and he posted it on his website for Canada Day. Enjoy!
