Look what’s happening in a town so important they named a whole disease after it. They have a watery problem. They aren’t sure what’s wrong but they are certain that killing beavers is going to solve it.
Doesn’t it always?
Old Lyme Board of Selectmen Talk Beavers, Sewers, Reviewing Roles of Commissions
OLD LYME — Several town boards — including the Open Space Commission and the Flood & Erosion Control Board — have been made aware of problems posed by beaver dams in the area around Black Hall Pond, First Selectman Tim Griswold said. The dams block water flow and cause water levels to rise, which has left one resident unable to do laundry and worried about showering in his own house.
The problem is at “something of a gridlock,” Griswold said, because officials have not yet been able to identify a specific dam causing the problems. The responsibility to remediate the dam would likely fall to whoever owns the land underneath the water that the dam sits on, Griswold said. This could be a town entity, such as the open space commission, or it might be a private property owner.
We don’t know what’s to blame but we’re SURE it’s beavers. Because its always beavers. Don’t argue with us.
“If it’s not town property it wouldn’t be our problem, but we do want to facilitate the solution,” Griswold said. Griswold said that the affected homeowners and officials are considering flying a drone up the stream that feeds into the pond to try and identify the dam.
“If we could figure out where they are and who owns what, then we could hopefully corner a corrective action and then we could get that water down,” he said. Griswold said that whoever is tasked with removing the beavers will have the option to choose between lethal and non-lethal methods to remove the animals.
“I know trapping might get people excited, but we need to figure out a better option than what we have now,” Griswold said.
So Bob has a drone and we’re gonna fly it over everyone’s private property until we find a beaver dam and then blame THEM, does that sound like a good solution? Don’t get upset about it until we find out who to blame. And then you can protest their wives in the grocery store.
We’re just doing our jobs.
One thing we need in this epic beaver struggle of ours is an organization like “Indivisible”. Something that outlines all the tools and techniques most persuasive arguments for how to deal with the challenges they cause and the best most effective way to get your message across to the people that can do something about it. This has been a powerful invention of 2016 desperation that has given people across the means to nudge their local representatives in the right direction.
To this end, the following chapters offer a step-by-step guide for individuals, groups, and organizations looking to replicate the success in getting Congress to listen to a small, vocal, dedicated group of constituents.
Except we need it not for politics. But for BEAVERS.
There is in fact something like this happening right now in the UK called the Beaver Trust, which seeks to teach people across the country the tools they need to advocate and educate for beavers in their local landscape. They want to use local watershed and conservation groups already in place already aware of the particular challenges of the region to give them the tools to educate their people on the benefits of beavers and how to live with them.
Think of it like giving each child wishing to go to camp a set of questions and answers about how to talk to their own parents into it.
The Beaver Trust is the brain child of a bunch of faces we already know in England and some knew ones behind the scenes.They are working hard to undo 500 years of extinction and deserve our support.
Oh and one of their leaders asked for a call with ME tomorrow because they want to learn what we have figured out about education and persuasion.
Truly all roads lead to Martinez.
Introducing Beaver Trust
