If you live long enough, they say, you will see things that surprise you. Like this report from the Idaho Transportation District in Montpelier. It was even in the local news!

State agencies team to create a “beaver deceiver”

MONTPELIER, Idaho (KIFI/KIDK) – Two state agencies have teamed up to create what they’re calling a “beaver deceiver” at a wetland project near Montpelier.

An access road crosses a wastewater canal and creates a prime location for beaver dam-building, which in that location, creates roadway flooding that has become a recurrent problem for Montpelier based maintenance crews.

The team believes the fence shape increases the length a beaver would need to create a dam, making the location less desirable for building. Biologists hope that will encourage the beaver to build somewhere else.

They plan to monitor its effectiveness and durability over the summer. If successful, it could provide an inexpensive option to protect road culverts in other areas, while allowing beaver to remain in the area.

Whoa! If this is for real it’s a pretty big deal – Fish and Wildlife teaming up with the department of transportation to install culvert protection. but we’ve been fooled before. Just because some one calls it a beaver deceiver doesn’t mean it is one. I wish they showed a photo of the finished product, because I can’t tell whether they’re actually doing this right.

It certainly sounds right.

D5 installs trial culvert-fencing exlosure to deter beaver-dam construction

Because funds are not currently available to replace the culvert with a different structure, ITD asked for advice on the problem from Idaho Fish & Game biologists. After discussing possible strategies, the two agencies decided to join forces to install a ‘beaver deceiver’ fence as an experimental project.

On April 17, the Montpelier shed crew and IDFG staff met at the site to install the trapezoid-shaped fence exclosure and discussed plans to monitor the effectiveness and durability of the structure over the summer.

Members of the Montpelier crew installed the ‘wedge’ fence and IDFG will add wire panels around the culvert inlet to complete the exclosure. The fence shape increases the length needed for the beaver to create a dam, which makes the location less desirable as a choice for building, so ideally, the beaver will move elsewhere.

If it works, the “beaver deceivers” would provide an inexpensive option to protect road culverts, while allowing beaver to remain in the area.

This is amazing. It sure sounds like they have the thinking down on this one. Even though we can’t see it I’m assuming it may have a chance. Stranger things have happened. And besides Mike Settell is just an hour a half away in Pocotello, so I’m assuming accurate information could be shared. I went hunting for more details in the DOT newsletter. This is my favorite part. Imagine this being in the Caltrans newsletter!

Beaver are important components of healthy stream-wetland systems in North America, yet they tend to dam culverts and can cause roadway flooding. The Montpelier maintenance shed spends much time and effort to keep the culvert clear.

Isn’t that very, very intriguing? So they installed a trapezoidal fence and are going to monitor to see if it protects the culvert and saves DOT money, and if it does the technique might be more widely used. That’s sounds so logical. What am I missing here?

i guess sometimes the big players really do the right thing?

Robin Ellison of Napa recently championed her way into the 2018 depredation permits for California beavers. 209 in all. I thought you’d be interested in the summary. Surprising findings include beaver permits issued for Monterey and San Diego Counties for the first time. Also the news that CDFW is officially keeping a spreadsheet of permits issued, although they either didn’t include the number of beavers allowed or they edited that part out before they sent it to her.

Looks like we still have a lot of work to do.