O Gertrude, Gertrude,
When sorrows come, they come not single spies
But in battalions.
Hamlet: Act IV Scene 5
I guess the world waits eagerly until beaver kits are born before deciding to wage war on the families and ‘solve’ their beaver problems. There were so many trapping stories yesterday that I might have lost count. It made me wish that I had been keeping a big war room chart and I could identify if this was part of a solstice pattern. I take real comfort from the fact that in almost every story there is some public outcry about trapping. The world has certainly become a little more protective of beavers than it was when I stepped into the fray. I’m sure the PBS documentary has a lot to do with it (Thanks Jari!) although fans might not have gotten it all down straight…
Resident Carol Carnovale said that she lives on the lake, and while she has noticed the water level rising, she said she is “very much opposed to any trapping and killing” of the creatures she said are “a benefit to the biodiversity of the area.”
She added, “They’re a KEYNOTE species, which means a lot of the other plants and animals in the area are dependent on them.”
Mendon residents approve beaver trapping, killing
MENDON – Residents voted to approve all but one article at Special Town Meeting Tuesday, including one to trap and kill beavers at Lake Nipmuc.
Just more than 40 residents who appeared at the Miscoe Hill Middle School auditorium voted to reject only one article, but others raised some opposition.The most contentious article was centered around the trapping and killing of beavers who are reportedly causing flooding on Lake Nipmuc.
Resident Patrice Murphy, who organized the article, said that beavers are flooding yards and causing damage in the neighborhood. She added that a neighbor had regularly been breaking the dam up, but the beavers keep rebuilding.
There are an estimated 15 to 18 beavers in the pond, Patrice said, which are about 70 pounds and live for 20 years.
Land Use Committee Chairwoman Anne Mazar said officials looked into installing a flow device that would run the water under the dam, but it was not suitable for the lake.
Ah there but for the grace of Everyone…That could have been Martinez, you know, imagine crowding into that high school meeting in November and voting unanimously to trap our beavers! Apparently, that’s what Mendon did after a conversation with Mike Callahan who told there was no alternative. What if Skip Lisle talked that way to our city council and said a flow device probably wouldn’t help? The beavers would have been killed, Martinez would still be best known for refinery explosions, the tile bridge or mural wouldn’t exist and I could have spent the last decade pursuing some other interest.
No beaver festival! What a weird version of the “it’s a wonderful life” story that would be.
Onto some beaver pressure in North Carolina…
Fayetteville PWC says it will coordinate more with state on beaver dams
The general manager of the Fayetteville Public Works Commission says the utility will better coordinate with the state when beaver dams block access to pipes.
On Wednesday morning, two Fayetteville residents who live off Country Club Drive aired their complaints to the PWC board during a public hearing on the utility’s $341 million budget for fiscal 2017. They are unhappy the PWC breached a sprawling beaver dam in their neighborhood and shot several beavers.
The beaver dam had flooded a state-designated wetlands called Tarlton Swamp. The 23-acre site is north of Country Club Drive. The breach left a muddy mess, residents said, plus affected fish, turtles, Canada geese and other animals.
“I’m begging you, to please respect the true, natural state and not to throw good money after bad,” said one of the residents, Wendy Banks. “Please do whatever maintenance you need to do now and then leave it alone, so more beavers can move in and fix the mess.
A fervent plea from North Carolina, and this still isn’t the urban story I was called about! Folks are getting the message, at least some of them. Of course PWC promised only to check with DNR next time who will STILL give them permission to kill beavers, but it’s a start! And I’m impressed.
One final story from Canada which proves that even when public pressure fails in one instance, it can have a lasting impact nonetheless.
University tries to live peacefully with resident beavers
WATERLOO — Officials at the University of Waterloo say they’re aware of a beaver that has taken up residence on Columbia Lake and they will break up its dam if it poses a risk to people or property.
“We’re generally aware of it,” said university spokesperson Nick Manning. “I don’t know whether they plan to go out and break up the dam. We know it’s there.”
The university suffered a public relations black eye a decade ago after a public outcry over the trapping and killing of four beavers that had been felling trees near campus walkways. Hundreds of people wrote letters to the editor about the issue, and some alumni threatened to stop donating to the university.
In the wake of the controversy, the university created a wildlife management task force to ensure similar incidents didn’t recur.
Now THAT is a legacy worth paying attention too. Let’s hope that other universities saw this happen and took note as well! The sentence about alumni threats make me happier than I can express. I’m sure our friends at FurbearerDefenders had a lot to do with that.
In festival news, I designed this yesterday for the membership booth, to handout with every donation. I’m thinking I can add their names to the video about the mural with a thank you!
