No snow in the valley, What a near miss. Reports that my parents home in the mountains got 14 inches in a single night and PGE is turning off power because of all the downed lines. The funny thing is we found out this year that Rob Rust (of beaver cycle fame) AND our own Leslie Mills own cabins up that way. Which I only learned about when they were watching the Caldor fire like me in terror. It’s lovely to think of all those scarred miles getting a drenching in this, although I imagine the Consumnes will look pretty rotten when it all melts, but getting rid of all that ash is an easier job with more water rather than less. Sherry Guzzi posted this photo of her Tahoe deck which she already shoveled earlier in the day!
Today there is news from Detroit which almost makes me happy for their beaver but mostly seems like they are making big excuses for not doing the work themselves. Maybe it’s both. I’m not positive which. Help me decide?
‘Let the beavers do the heavy lifting’: Roscommon County dams to be removed
In the battle between nature and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, it looks like nature won: the DNR will remove two Roscommon County dams and “let the beavers do the heavy lifting.”
The DNR-owned Little Mud Dam on Backus Creek and Denton Creek Dam on Denton Creek are slated for removal this winter and next spring, officials said this month.
The removal plans followed recent inspections of both dams that found their water-control structures needed extensive upgrades. The DNR said it opted to remove the structures after evaluating their age, deficiencies and maintenance needs, as well as the estimated cost of dam replacement and the surrounding wildlife habitat.
Hmm, I guess I’m a very suspicious person but it seems like you decided not to spend money and manpower on repairs and are just selling it as “Faith in beavers”. I’ll take it.
“In recent years, the local beavers have been trying to outdo us,” said Mark Boersen, DNR wildlife biologist. “The beavers are back to making their own dams, often causing the water-control structures to be blocked with woody debris. Those dams risk overflooding, formation of washouts and creation of additional maintenance issues. After taking into consideration the economic, habitat and recreational impacts, we’ve decided to restore the natural waterway and let the beavers do the heavy lifting.”
Um..thanks? That’s like hearing a Martinez city official explain they aren’t going to fix the pot holes on Main street because they’ve decided to “return the road to it’s natural state and encourage plant diversity”. But okay. If you want to say you’re doing this for the beavers I won’t stop you. Does that mean you’re going to also prohibit trapping in that area?
“The Wildlife Division is responsible for many water-control structures similar to these dams. They can be very expensive to repair, replace and maintain over time,” said Keith Fisher, DNR wildlife biologist, in a statement. “When we have an opportunity to restore habitat to its natural setting in addition to saving maintenance dollars for other projects, it is a win-win for all involved.”
Ohhhh puleeze. Spare me the explanation about how much you like wildlife and are trusting it to do its job. I actuallythink you’re trusting your selves to take more coffee breaks but what do I know?
