Don’t you just hate it when you have the very best fishing hole and a bunch of beavers move in saving water and trying to make it better? Building their rotten little dams that create more nutrients and generate more fish?
Yeah, me neither.
Dammed if they do, dammed if they don’t: Beavers have claimed a popular kayaking and fishing spot, and residents are not happy
Texas Pond in Oxford is officially under new management. While the new owners are longtime residents, they are pursuing a development initiative. Locals have raised concerns that such aggressive building will have a negative effect on the pond’s recreational and scenic qualities. However, construction continues unabated, as the developers are protected under Massachusetts law.
As surprising as it might be, Texas pond is about an hour away from Mike Callahan. And if people were really worried about the beaver activity there are answers a phone call away. But that’s not the issue. It’s massachusetts so we know COMPLAINING is the issue, about the law that banned trapping lo these many years ago.
“It’s like a fortress,” said longtime resident Kathy Doiron, describing the dam, “it’s ruining the pond.” The water level of the pond has fallen dramatically and residents have noticed the absence of the once-flowing current. Residents believe the enormous beaver dam to be the cause.
Doiron has lived beside Thayer Pond for over two decades and can see a difference from even five years ago, as the area becomes more swamplike. An avid kayaker, she said getting to the river requires dragging a kayak over the dam, which may soon be impossible.
Kayaking isn’t the only curtailed activity. As herbivores, beavers don’t compete with anglers for fish, but the two are traditionally at odds. Beavers are famous for slapping the water with their tails to alert the colony of possible threats and any fish are scared away — along with any hope for a decent catch.
You know how it is. You sneak down to the pond at dawn and throw in your line. And then one of those rotten overgrown rats slaps its tail at you and scares away all the fish! It’s not fair! Never mind that the fish are there to eat the things that are sustained by the pond the beaver built. Never mind that there are more fish and more diverse fish now. You can’t catch them because of those darned slappers!
“The beavers are horrible,” said John Bottcher, who fishes regularly at Thayer Pond. “The damming there is really bad. It can definitely affect fishing.” When beavers impound an area, changes to water depth and temperature can impact the type of fish there.
The beavers have always been there, Bottcher explained, but “it seems like lately they’ve been putting in extra work.” While true that beavers are a natural part of New England waterways, over the last couple of centuries, they have had an intermittent presence in Massachusetts.
You know the media spends so much time writing down the ridiculous lies inexperienced fishermen spread about beavers it’s no wonder they go to the same diners over and over to interview trump supporters about the Covid hoax. They are used to being lied to. They think its their job.
“When beavers came back, they got right back to work and found we had built in places where they like to impound water,” said Colin Novick, executive director of Greater Worcester Land Trust, leading to what he referred to as a “user conflict.” Novick makes no pretense of neutrality, saying that the landscape was initially “managed by beavers,” who are taking up their original role in the ecosystem.
From an ecological perspective, that role is vital — beavers are considered a keystone species, having an outsized benefit to the environment relative to their population. Through impoundment, they create ponds and wetlands that foster biodiversity by providing habitats for various plants and wildlife. The fallen trees make a submerged canopy that gives fish a place to hide from predators as well as potential spawning areas.
A multitude of species, including humans, benefit from the presence of wetlands, as they control flooding damage by slowing water release. Wetlands also improve water quality by removing toxic chemicals and filtering out sediment.
Colin has a clue. I’m so glad someone does. He’s the exectutive director and deacon at the local catholic diocese. Something tells me he and Mike have crossed paths before.
For the residents of Oxford, this is all well and good except “they’re creating dry lands, not wetlands,” said Doiron, citing the drop in water level. However, not everyone believes the beavers to be the culprit.
“We are in a protracted drought and water levels are dropping where they haven’t in decades,” said Jennifer Warren-Dyment, of the Oxford Town Manager’s office, describing a level two drought, with below average rainfall and above average temperatures. State reports indicate the drought began in late June, coinciding with the water level changes in the pond.
She said neither the Town Manager nor the Department of Public Works has received any complaints about beavers.
So wait. Rather than saying to yourself WHEW! There’s a drought! Good thing beavers saved the water or otherwise there’d be no pond at all and all the fish would be DEAD. You say DAMN THOSE BEAVERS for stealing our water! What is wrong with people? I ask you.
Besides the issues with recreational use of the area, residents have voiced health concerns due to the stagnant water, namely mosquito-borne viruses such as Eastern Equine Encephalitis. However, Novick clarified that it takes a special habitat for the mosquito that carries Triple E — “a cedar swamp, which is not going to magically appear just because beavers move in.”
I wanted to be regaled with hundreds of beaver illustrations this morning, but Ray seems to be the only one online so far. Let’s hope his work inspires many others. 
You can see what a large undertaking it all is. One of my favorite parts of working with Amy is being there when she has Jon help her lay out the grid for her initial artwork. It’s always soo auspicious!
