Some back story. Greensboro has beaver problems. The city is prepared to kill them but residents don’t want them to. There’s a vet on the city council who doesn’t want to either. So she tried to get a change in the law that will allow them to be relocated instead. Turns out it’s possible.
That means one cruel reality for them: Greensboro’s proposed beaver management policy calls for euthanasia as the solution of last resort. “We’re going to do everything we can,” said Allan Williams, the city’s water resources director. “We’re not going to kill the little buggers unless we have to.”
That sentence is worth a column I think, and certainly a new feature on the ‘who’s killing beavers now’ roster. As you can tell by his affectionate compassion-weary language, Mr. Williams is HIGHLY motivated to find a means to solve their problem other than killing beavers. (Kind of like if you had put off doing your fourth grade mission report for four weeks and then your mom marches you into the library to get some books and you wander around sullenly and come out saying, I looked and looked but there are NO books in there!) He’s so motivated that the article says further down that they even looked into those new-fangled flow devices thingys that all the kids are talking about. He is sure they wouldn’t work for Greensboro, but they won’t kill the beavers until they HAVE to.
Translation: until there’s enough damage or threat of damage to create public cover for our decision.
Gosh I’m cynical, aren’t I? I better work on that. In the mean time let me tell you a little story. Once upon a time there was a city called Martinez where the public works department noticed some beavers in an urban creek. They called a neighboring city and said, what should we do? And the city said, kill em’! We do it all the time. Actually, you might know this story. There were some a lot of very difficult noisy residents in this town who said we don’t want you to kill them!!! And the city said, okay we’ll move them for you even though its usually illegal. And the residents said NO we want to keep them! Find another solution! The city said it’s hard but okay we’ll TRY. “We won’t kill the little buggers unless we have to.”
Some more back story: A year later one of these difficult residents was talking to a pointedly unnamed elected official of the city who said, we were so worried about what to do with these beavers! Then I went home and on Animal Planet there was this whole program with Skip Lisle installing a beaver deceiver and it saved the town! I was so happy, I called the director of public works and the city manager so we could watch it together.
Meanwhile there was a grand meeting with all the difficult townsfolk and the city where a very funny thing happened. Everyone standing in the audience talked about the use of flow devices to control beaver problems, and no one sitting on the stage did. How could it be that the simple act of sitting changed the conversation so drastically? At one point a standing woman said, “why doesn’t staff report contain any information about the use of flow devices?” And the city manager smiled weakly with all the charm of a two year old with cookies behind his back and answered “We didn’t think they would work for this area“.
So you see why I am cynical. In all the world of beaver killing there is really nothing new under the sun. Well Martinez has news for Greensboro. Our flow device was installed three years ago. The dam has been maintained at a safe height since that time. Our beavers have been a civic, environmental and social asset to this city. And yes, flow devices do work for this area.
When beaver activity causes damage or a public safety threat — and all other options fail — the city will consider trapping and killing the animals. “Under the laws of the state, you get to the point where all you can do is trap them,” Williams said. Wade said the city’s hands are tied because of the General Assembly’s decision. “It looks like they did everything they could not to bring the trappers in,” she said. Wade, who is running for state Senate, said if she is elected, she hopes to help Vaughan work on that issue next year.
Mayor pro temp nancy.vaughan@greensboro-nc.gov
Council woman with a heart trudy.wade@greensboro-nc.gov
Allan E. Williams, P.E., Director
Allan.Williams@greensboro-nc.gov
david.phlegar@greensboro-nc.gov
Reporter amanda.lehmert@news-record.com
