I wish the church lady from SNL was sitting beside me this morning as I read this article because I can practically hear her tightly pursed commentary in my head.
“Isn’t that special?”
Can I legally blow up a beaver dam in Minnesota?
If a beaver dam is causing damage to your property in Minnesota can you legally blow it up?
Beavers’ natural activities, including tree-gnawing and dam-building, can have negative effects on human resources and infrastructure
Are you sitting at the edge of your seat? This is sure a nail biter. I wonder what the answer is.
Their tendency to gnaw on trees and crops can result in the damage or destruction of these valuable resources.
Plus, the dams they construct have the potential to cause flooding, which may negatively impact trees, agricultural lands, private and public properties, transportation networks such as roads and railways, and even airports.
Gosh darn those beavers are mighty destructive. There is nothing they can’t mess up.
So what if a family of beavers is wreaking havoc on your property? Is it against the law to “dispatch” the rodent?
Minnesota’s game and fish regulations do provide legal protection for beavers. In most cases, obtaining a license or permit is a prerequisite for killing these animals.
However, landowners are granted an exception if beavers cause damage to their property.
Well sure you can KILL them. Every state will let you KILL them. But can I blow them up? Can I blow that dam to smithereens? It looks sooo cool in the videos I saw on youtube.
The Brainerd Daily Dispatch reports that according to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources…”The use of explosives in public waters or public waters wetlands is restricted under Minnesota Statute.
Before any blasting is done in public waters or public waters wetlands, the local DNR conservation officer must be contacted.
In general, no DNR public waters work permit will be required to remove beaver dams, log jams, or other debris by the use of explosives.
If the use of explosives would result in substantial modification in the bed or banks of public waters or public waters wetlands, however, a DNR public waters work permit would be required.
Darn, you mean I need an expert to blow up a dam? That makes no sense. My buddy did all by hiself.nd lefty got rid of them beavers for good.
To remove a dam by explosives, contact the local Sheriff’s office for the names of licensed explosives experts.”
Obviously you need some trained for this. Anyone can kill a beaver but it takes an expert to blow one up.
