Meet Glenn S. Stillman. He’s 57, a farmer and a former selectman (which in massachusetts is like a member of city council). His farm was just voted to grow the best tomatoes in the region and his wife is the local conservation chair. Last week he was arrested for using his backhoe to repair the damage the city’s backhoe did to a beaver dam. Apparently the highway workers were afraid that the pond would flood the road. The pond is on Mr. Stillman’s property. The Dam is on Mr. Stillman’s property.
The road is not.
NEW BRAINTREE — A former selectman trying to save a beaver pond is facing assault charges.
Glenn S. Stillman, 57, was arrested on charges of assault and disorderly conduct after he allegedly had an angry confrontation with a highway worker who was removing part of a beaver dam in order to clear water off Barre Cutoff Road during the Sunday storm.
Mr. Stillman, of 1205 Barre Cutoff Road, allegedly shouted at the worker, then used a tractor to undo the work that the man had done to try to stop flooding on the road. Mr. Stillman, a well-known local farmer, was released on $250 bail at his arraignment yesterday in Western Worcester District Court in East Brookfield.
I love this story more than any I’ve read all year. I well remember how many citizens of Martinez (respectable and not-so-respectable) glowered (or worse) at city staff when they were taking out the dam or threatening to. I remember the man who sat on the dam and the police who dragged him off. Mr. Stillman is accused of threatening the highway hero inside the backhoe, but honestly I can only wonder. Once at a city council meeting our head of public works refused to stay in the room because he said my husband scowled at him from three rows away. (Having survived a quarter of a century with intermittent exposure to such scowls I can only imagine that road workers may be somewhat differently-skinned.)
But the law is the law. Mr. Stillman was arrested and released on bail and must tell his story to the judge next week. In the mean time I immediately wrote Mr. Stillman with praise for his courage and then wrote Beaver Solutions Mike Callahan to tell him to make friends as quickly as possible. He assured me he was already scheduled to meet with the Stillman’s next week and do some site assessments. I invited the former selectman to guest blog should he wish to tell his side of the story, but after his court date he may be tied up with book signings and movie deals.
Beaver support this week from Farmers AND Ranchers! What is the world coming to?
This morning I arrived WAY TOO EARLY to see our beavers and was greeted with a black feathered shadow on the dam. (Ohh so that’s why they’re called night herons!) Jon saw two yesterday morning, one on each dam. When the sun came up the night heron slipped away and was replaced by the usual green heron. I was able to film this.
