Category: Massachusetts Trapping Law

A FEW MORE RIPPLES

heidi08 Beaver Book, Beavers, Massachusetts Trapping Law August 23, 2018

This interview aired on tuesday and somehow slipped by me, but I might like it the best of all of them since they get to places others never touch. If you aren’t sure whether these discussions are worth your time, this one from Benjamin Bombard of KUER in Utah definitely IS. Pour another cup of coffee and listen to the whole thing. Really.

The Secret Life Of Beavers

You would think this was validation week. My kit-working-with-parents video on facebook has 6k views and 220 shares at the moment. And this arrived in the mail yesterday from the winner of our “After quiz” drawing at the beaver festival. Since I’m usually trying to convince kids to take the post-test, (which helps us with our grant requirements,) I lure them with the promise that the correct answer I draw at random wins a Folkmanis beaver kit puppet.

This year our winner was a true believer.

Based on the note on the back from Mom, I’m guessing this might be Michael. That was the only time we had a woman dressed up in a beaver costume (Greg Kerekes’ wife of the Urban Wildlife Research Project).

Which would make this Dad shown on the bridge in the Ranger Rick Issue. I can’t believe the random winner turned out to be such a great representative of our whole mission! Apparently the entire family are believers.

Congratulations Michael. You did a great job on the post-test and your letter brightens my whole heart.

Bay-State Madness

heidi08 Beavers elsewhere, Massachusetts Trapping Law, Mike Callahan, Who's blaming beavers now?, Who's Killing Beavers Now? October 15, 2017

Winds picked up again last night and there were more evacuations in Santa Rosa. The death toll now is 40. Things slowed a little in Napa and the Atlas fire, where it all started, is now 50% contained. Here in Martinez the air was actually pleasant enough to risk going outside for a bit. Allowing us to see the fine layer of ash all over our deck furniture. The red flag warning for fire conditions in Napa will continue until the afternoon.

In the meantime I am happy to be catching up on some actual beaver news. The next installment will be an old favorite as poor Massachusetts struggles to eliminate the will of those pesky voters once again.

Massachusetts May Centralize Beaver Population Control

A slew of hunting and wildlife-related bills are under consideration this legislative session in Massachusetts, including one that would transfer control of the state’s beaver population to the state division of fisheries and wildlife.

Last month, the state’s environmental committee, which is chaired by Rep. Smitty Pignatelli from Berkshire and Sen. Anne Gobi from Worcester, took a look at close to two dozen acts addressing everything from crossbows to beaver traps. Dave Wattles, the black bear and furbearer biologist with the Massachusetts division of fisheries and wildlife, says wildlife-related bills tend to come up in the legislature on a somewhat annual basis.

Currently, local governments have the authority to regulate beaver trapping and determine if an emergency permit should be issued to eliminate an animal. But Wattles says the data on how many beavers are trapped through the permits is inconsistent, which makes gauging the population size difficult.

“Right now, we are handicapped in terms of our ability to [manage the population],” he says. “So giving us, at a minimum, that reporting, or giving us regulatory authority over it would enable us to manage the population to the best of our ability.”

The terrifying thing is that I actually recognize Ann Gobi’s name because she’s been hurling herself at this legislation for so many years. There are parts of this that actually make sense. It would be helpful to know some actual data about the beaver population rather than just make wild accusations saying that it has exploded. But I don’t understand why you’re saying this is going to come by counting the number of beavers killed? How would you possibly infer the number of living beavers from the number of dead beavers statistic? I mean we don’t say there were 365 deaths by gunshot in America this year so our population must be around 323,000,000 right?

I can already see that you’ll go back in time before the 1996 change and say “We used to trap 50% of our beaver population at a rate of 500 beavers a year.” (Never mind that you didn’t actually have population numbers back then either. I’m sure it felt like 50%) “And now we have issued 1000 permits so that means our population has quadrupled!”

Mike Callahan says that there is a provision in this change to include an actual beaver census. Which would be a very good thing if it actually happened. In the meantime they are talking about all kinds of sporty environmental changes.

And while the state is looking to assert more oversight over the beavers, a separate bill aims to increase the freedoms afforded to hunters. Massachusetts is one of 11 states that bans or restricts hunting on Sundays, but the legislature is looking to repeal that Puritan-era “blue law.” A number of past efforts have been mounted to do so, and those backing the current rollback want the state’s division of fisheries and wildlife to regulate the practice. Advocates who support the ban, however, say it should be preserved for families looking to spend time outside.

Also on the agenda is a proposal to allow hunters to use crossbows, which are currently prohibited by the state, except for people with a disability that prohibits them from using other archery equipment. If passed, the new law would allow hunters to carry equipment complying with specific weight and design requirements.

Gobi told the Telegram she was optimistic that the crossbow bill would diversify the population of archers, which would no longer be limited to those strong enough to pull back a traditional bow.

“I don’t know of a single instance involving a bow hunter during archery season when someone was hurt in the woods,” Gobi said. “I take my dog for a walk in the woods every day…and we’ve never had a problem.”

Oh well then, I guess it’s safe. I mean if it never happened to you personally it must never happen right? And it’s not like your state is the most populated in New England or anything, or the third most densely populated in the nation, so I’m sure carrying around crossbow or shooting on Sundays won’t cause any problems for folks. Right?

Honestly, that is the stupidest thing I have read in a long time. And you think adding crossbows is going to diversify the hunting population? I can’t understand why you think that’s a persuasive argument that makes sense. I suppose handing crossbows out to terrorists or hungry children would diversify it too. Is that really the goal?

I’m not the only one who thinks this is crazy. Here’s a nice letter to the editor this morning on the subject.

Letter: Let hunters go out on Saturdays, leave Sundays to non-hunters

Managing beavers and other wildlife doesn’t mean that we need to open up the state to fur trapping and Sunday hunting (“Bills introduced would allow hunting on Sunday,” Tuesday 10/10).

Sen. Gobi contends that some sportsmen don’t get licenses because they can only hunt on weekends. As a working mother, the only time my family gets to enjoy the outdoors together is on weekends as well. If hunters are given one day during the weekend to enjoy their recreation I think it’s only fair that families also have one day to take their dogs and little ones out in nature without worrying about wearing orange, explaining gunshots, or coming across hunted or trapped animals.

We enjoy seeing animals in their natural habitats, including beavers, which are an important keystone species. As expert engineers, they create habitat for other species and help improve water quality.

For those rare situations when humans and beavers come into conflict, there are plenty of humane, non-lethal, and cost effective solutions such as trunk guards, sanded paint, and fencing around tress as well as piping systems, fencing systems, and flow devices.

Trapping beavers is a temporary solution, removing one beaver from a desirable area only opens up that habitat for the next migrating beaver to occupy. In these instances, the trapping and killing of beavers must be repeated, ad nauseam.

Rather than trapping and killing beavers over and over again, as Sen. Gobi and others advocate, let’s pursue and continue to invent creative and humane solutions.

Margaret Mulcahy

Excellently said, Margaret. You made so many excellent points in such a short space that I am happy to share your letter. And you did it all while being much more polite than I was. Of course Ms. Gobi won’t change her position, because obviously her opinions aren’t vulnerable to actual facts or the concerns of voters or anything. But I am proud of you, and beavers unanimously agree.

Out of left-field, Medfield.

heidi08 Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, Massachusetts Trapping Law, What's killing beavers now?, Who's blaming beavers now? October 31, 2015

Less than 100 miles from Beaver Solutions in Massachusetts, the historic town of Medfield has learned something about beaver management. Something. Who was it that said “a little knowledge is a dangerous thing?“.

I mean, besides me?

Increased beaver population wreaking havoc in Medfield

A string of beaver dams has caused flooding in 28 acres of Medfield forestland over the past few months, backing millions of gallons of water up into the Fork Factory Brook and Rocky Woods Reservations.

We have a number of concerns from the loss of public ways, to mosquito concerns, to flooding areas, and residents downstream,” said Selectmen chairman Richard DeSorgher.

The avoidable problem is flooding on both sides of Fork Factory Reservation. If the water level continues to rise two to three more feet, then the integrity of the pavement on Hartford Street, a main commuter road, will be compromised said Town Administrator Mike Sullivan.

The Trustees of Reservations, owners of the Fork Factory Brook and Rocky Woods Reservations, are attempting to take a non-violent approach to the beaver infestation.

Okay, so far so good, right? Considering this is Massachusetts, home of the big whiners about beavers, and the alarming headline from the hyperbole department, that’s not a bad start. But keep reading, It gets very confusing very fast.

Rather than attempting to halt the creatures from doing their work, they aim to find ways to slow them down but mostly intend on “allowing the natural changes to take place, with some intervention,” said Mike Francis, superintendent of the Trustees. The transition from wooded area to wetland is not uncommon, and is often instigated by beavers, he said.

“Beavers are a keystone species. A lot of other species rely on beavers to create the habitat that they need. When beavers move in, you see a lot of changes, quickly,” he said. “I think people have started to see those changes there and will continue to. You will see new wild life and new species moving in as a result of the new habitat created there.”

The preferred and most humane method of dealing with the overpopulation of beavers is to use long 10-inch wide pipes to avert the water through or around the beaver dam allowing the brook to flow as it had before.

The idea is that the beaver eventually becomes discouraged by the lowering water level and moves somewhere else. Two of these water-diverting pipes, commonly known as “beaver deceivers,” were installed two weeks ago doubling the amount of covert pipes since early summer in the Fork Factory Brook Reservation.

Francis said that the culverts are monitored and maintained regularly, and that the water levels have decreased as planned. The Trustees are working closely and cooperatively with town officials to make the best decision for the community.

The issue that the two groups face is whether to install culverts at every dam hoping that the pipes prove affective [sic] in the long term, or to take advantage of the short trapping season this winter.

“We still feel trapping is the long term solution,” said Sullivan. “The long term for the beavers is to kill them unfortunately because otherwise they keep multiplying.

Wait, so you just put pipes through the dam because and didn’t bother about putting fencing around the pipes? Because I guess you think that that good-for-nothing Mike Callahan just makes up busy work to charge folks more and you know better? And you think this will make the beavers leave because they hate the water draining away? Um, sit down for a moment and take a deep breath. You’re right that beavers hate their water draining. But you know they have way to stop that, right? It’s called ‘plugging the pipe‘. And they have a nearly unlimited supply of plugging materials right there in the creek. It’s called ‘mud‘.

Send the photographer out to get a photo of what those pipes look like in 5 days.

This article could hardly be more wrong. Aside from the spelling errors and mistaking the word culvert for the word pipe. I think the reporter is every bit as confused as the trustees. Funny that he got the misleading numbers from Fish and Game exactly right. I guess they’re probably printed on the newsroom wall, (or the cocktail napkins). I can’t help it. I’ll print the last part with corrections.

The mammal’s population has increased from 20,000 to 75,000 in Massachusetts in the last seven years, according to the Department of Fish and Game. ~~The population spike is due to the passing of a law that shortens beaver trapping season to the early winter months.~~ The population spike is due to the passing of a law that outlaws kill traps except for in specified circumstances.

“We really want to just be installing these water flow devices,” said Francis. “Only as a last resort, when the other options have proven unsuccessful, then we will really adhere to a permitting process to go about trapping the beavers.” (We hate installing pipes and would much rather kill them but we didn’t do the paperwork fast enough.)

Sullivan said the ~~culverts~~ (pipes) will be monitored and hopes they do as they claim to. He does, however, have his doubts.

“If they leave, they’ve got to go someplace,” he said.

Can you go somewhere else please? Because you’re making my head hurt. I can’t decide where to START with this story. Especially because Mike Francis delivered that nice paragraph about ‘keystone species’ and made me think he’s trying to do the right thing. And then two paragraphs later said we can’t wait for them to leave. Obviously you don’t really BELIEVE that beavers will bring new wildlife to your beautiful historic brook. Other wise you wouldn’t want them to leave. And you don’t really BELIEVE that they’ll leave because you decorated their dam with a pipe. That’s why you want to kill them. This is beaver kabuki.

I almost trust Sullivan more at the end of the article because he can see these silly pipes aren’t going to solve the problem.

If two pipes thrown into a dam solved the problem why even bother installing them? Heck, if your beavers are going to be that accommodating just leave pipes on the bank and I’m sure they’ll install them themselves, before they leave the key under the mat and check out.

Oh and Happy Halloween Everyone!

Even Steven with Beaver Stories

heidi08 Beaver Behavior, Beavers and Birds, Beavers and Frogs, Beavers and salmon, Beavers and trout, Beavers and water, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Massachusetts Trapping Law, Who's blaming beavers now?, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? January 12, 2015

Two steps forward, two steps back. I don’t think we’re moving at all. But I guess good news takes a ton more work to get published, so it matters more. We should be content to see the positive paired with a couple stinkers. Especially in January. Let’s be good stoics and save the good news for last. Before the sugar we need two spoonfuls of bitter beaver ignorance from Massachusetts.

City gets approval to trap beavers causing flooding in South Lowell

LOWELL — A bucktoothed menace reared its furry head in South Lowell last spring, turning Charles Tamulonis’ backyard into a mosquito-infested swamp.

“There’s always this thing about ‘save the beavers,'” Tamulonis said. “But it’s the greatest nuisance in the world depending on where you live.”

Soon after the dam appeared, he began writing to every city official he could think of. For almost a month, nothing happened,

But eventually he spoke with Ralph Snow, commissioner of the Department of Public Works, and the city embarked on the arduous task of securing the proper permitting to breach a dam and trap the beavers — not to mention actually taking on the dam itself.

It took more than five months for the city to secure the proper approval. During that time, a trapper caught 12 beavers behind Tamulonis’ property, some of the weighing more than 50 pounds.

You asked public works last? I would have asked them first. They are notorious for hating beavers! Lessons learned I guess. So you killed a dozen beavers. 2 parents, 5 yearlings and 5 kits. Now the water won’t drip into your basement any more. Never mind that Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions is 100 miles away, and could have fixed this problem for the long term. Never mind that he just emailed that he gave a TALK last year to the Lowell Conservation Commission. You wanted those 12 beavers dead, and now they are.

Je Suis Castor?

(Mike just added that 12 beavers would be HIGHLY unusual for an urban setting. 5-6 is more common. Sometimes trappers lie to inflate their fees. Which is pretty comforting, but I still need to post this:)

On to the next lie:

Towns to discuss mosquito control budget

The Central Massachusetts Mosquito Control Project also runs a program to breach beaver dams, which cause rivers and streams to become stagnant and attract mosquitoes.

“Those impede water flow,” said Oram.

The $2 million budget, which is a 2.1 percent increase over the $1.9 million fiscal 2015 budget, includes a $20,000 increase for pesticides, garden tools and supplies, $10,000 more for spraying equipment upgrades and $70,000 more in salary increases.

Obviously they need more money. It’s hard work thinking up lies that good! And all those mosquitoes won’t kill themselves! I suppose if Northboro is good for the money they should ask for the moon and see what happens. It’s not like anyone will point out that if more fish and invertebrates are found in beaver ponds, they’ll be lots more trying to eat that larvae. Why worry your pretty head about details like that?

Bring us some good news. I’ve had my fill of liars and murderers this morning. Okay, how about this from New Hampshire?

Beavers help environment, but conflicts with humans can arise

Moose and deer, wood frogs and salamanders, mergansers and great blue herons, otters and weasels – all thrive in the habitats created by beavers.

“I think of them as great little wildlife managers,” said Dave Anderson, a naturalist and director of education at the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests.

Beaver is a “keystone species,” Anderson said. “If we were to eliminate their activity, we’d lose wetlands that are critical habitats.”

Anderson, who also co-writes the “Forest Journal” column in the New Hampshire Sunday News, said killing all the animals in an area isn’t a long-term solution to beaver problems.

“You can’t trap them out of existence,” he said. “If you make a gap and the habitat’s suitable, there will be (other) beavers moving in.”

How much do you love Dave right now? Hurray for beaver wisdom in New Hamshire! Dave is also a forest columnist for the New Hamshire journal, so he has a great platform to preach the beaver gospel. But he needs to be a little less passive with his solutions for land-owners I think:

As long as a well or septic system isn’t threatened, homeowners can just wait out the beavers, Tate said. Once they exhaust the available food supply, they’ll move somewhere else, and new ones won’t move in for another seven years or so.

Well, I think I will write Dave about fast-acting solutions that will let land owners cooperate with beavers. In the meantime thank you SO MUCH for your great promotional efforts! I think this is probably the VERY BEST article we have had on beavers from the state.

Let’s conclude with some very cheerful beaver reporting from Kent England. I can’t embed the video but if you click on the photo it will take you to where you can watch three minutes of the delightful story unfolding Enjoy!

Beaver Colony Flourishes in Kent

In the Shadow of greatness, there oft Stupid lies

heidi08 Beavers, Beavers elsewhere, City Reports, Creative Solutions, Educational, Environmental, Friends of Martinez Beavers, Massachusetts Trapping Law, Who's Killing Beavers Now?, Who's saving beavers now? October 23, 2014

I’m still scratching my head about this article on Port Orchard in Kitsap county. The area actually borders Kings and Snohomish counties which boast the most enduring record of progressive beaver management in the world. They are literally in throwing distance of better solutions everydirection they face. I recognize the reporters name because I’ve written about her glowing intelligent reporting on beavers before. And now this.

Persistent beavers frustrate county workers

PORT ORCHARD — It’s one dam problem that keeps coming back.

Kitsap County crews have been battling beavers for more than a month below the Long Lake Bridge near Port Orchard.

The persistent beavers keep rebuilding a dam, which the county removed last week for the third time since Aug. 8, according to Tony Carroll, with the county roads division.

Beavers can cause roads to flood, endangering drivers.

Trapping and removing the animals has been the county’s answer, until its certified, locally contracted trapper was hired by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, leaving the county without a trapper.

Now, the county is asking the department to help handle the beavers with a $15,000 contract through the end of the year.

So the previous county trapper loved his work so much that he got hired by USDA and now they are subcontracting the work out with a 15,000 a year contract. Hey, I bet you didn’t know that the old name for Kitsap county used to be SLAUGHTER county. Coincidence?

Typically, the county has about two or three beaver incidents a year when it can trap and remove beavers, according to Andrew Nelson, Kitsap County public works director.

So 5000 dollars a family? That’s your budget? Maybe I’m in the wrong line of work. I couldn’t believe the article didn’t at least mention flow devices, and then I got to this.

Beaver deceivers, specialized fencing to deter beavers and allow fish to migrate, have been placed in some areas to prevent the animals from building dams.

The county and Port Gamble S’Klallam Tribe teamed up in 2010 to place a beaver deceiver by a culvert along 288th Street in North Kitsap.

While the fencing is a deterrent, it’s not guaranteed to keep out beavers.

“Believe it or not, they still manage to build inside that culvert,” Carroll said.

Of course they do, those scheming beavers. with their cunning ways and wire-clippers. It couldn’t be that you put them in WRONG or anything, could it? You know, far be it from me be like the loyal republican who says, “Conservatism never fails, it can only BE failed” – but in this case the tools are automatically suspect. I want to see that beaver deceiver that failed. And Beaver Deceivers helping fish migration? I blame Mike Callahan for that. I knew his specially adapted flow devices would give people the wrong idea. And here’s proof.

For the record, they’re helping fish maneuver the flow device, not the dam.

________________________________________________________

On that note, we will say goodbye to the “you’ve got to be kidding me” in Kitsap story, and talked about our favorite topic. Citizens protecting beavers. This time in Milford, New Hampshire.

Breach of Milford beaver dam upsets some residents

MILFORD – A few residents joined environmental activist Suzanne Fournier Monday night as she continued to criticize town officials for breaching the dam at Heron Pond.

Fournier, who wrote in a letter to the editor of The Cabinet last week that removing part of the dam will harm many animal species, told selectmen someone should have consulted the town Conservation Commission and teachers at the nearby Heron Pond elementary school before the work was done.

“Many teachers are very upset about the loss of this beautiful pond,” she said, and the reasons given for the breach “are not credible.”

There were complaints about turtles and frogs and a ruined Great Blue Heron Rookery. The Conservation Commission who gave the orders has little to say for itself, but gosh, they’re thinking about using a flow device next time.

Selectmen did not respond to the comments, but Fred Elkind, the town’s environmental programs coordinator, said last week that no real harm was done to the dam or the pond by the breaching, which was done in August.

The Conservation Commission is looking into the possibility of installing a pipe and fence system, he said, that could help control beaver activity, as Fournier has suggested.

Now you’re thinking about following her advice? Now that you’ve tried every conceivable way to ruin things on your own? I think your body is laboring under a misnomer.

You should be called the “Destruction Commission”.

And Suzanne, Worth A Dam is VERY proud of you and your neighbors. Your next step is to get the kids in those classrooms and bring them on a fieldtrip to the ruined dam. It’s a science project on habitat and ecosystems. Have them all draw something that was harmed by the damaged wetlands. You know, the frogs and the fish and the blue herons. Invite the art teacher to cut them out and put them on a mural. And oh, call the media and invite them to photograph kids at the ruined dam.

That flow device will start looking better and better to those commissioners. I guarantee it.