Bridgeton – Worth A Dam

By Gail Geraghty

A CAGEY WAY — to prevent the beavers from plugging up the upstream end of the culvert was to erect this wire dome over it, held in place by rebar sunk deep into the stream bed.

A grand experiment in coexistence with beavers began last weekend when a few passionate folks waded knee-deep in muck to modify the dam the beavers created behind the Bridgton Post Office on Elm Street.

The dam was causing flooding in the post office’s parking lot, and raised water levels well above what’s typical for a large expanse of downtown wetland bounded by Elm, Park and Nulty Streets and the town’s Wayside Avenue leach field.

Regional Wildlife Biologist Scott Lindsay of the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife believes it’s one or two young beavers at work, possibly the same ones that built the lodge and dam just a short distance away at Shorey Park, where Highland Lake meets Stevens Brook. Resident Lega Medcalf, who’s been championing the beavers’ cause, called Lindsay for advice about the problem, and he put her in contact with Richard Hesslein of Brownfield, who has worked on beaver modification efforts for years. Together, they walked the perimeter of the wetland around Corn Shop Brook late last week.

Go read the entire fantastic article and remember what a powerful difference a passionate individual can make! Last night we had a very brief viewing of HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS the new kit at our own beaver dam. He dives faster than a camera can focus…sheesh! We did meet a fantastic family from Ireland (now Hercules) who stopped to become deeply entranced by the beavers and their story. I made sure to plug the festival lots of times.

Finally there’s a nice article about muskrats this morning from the St. Albert Gazette in Canada you might want to check out. Since we always enjoy their visits while we’re waiting for beavers, its good to get a little background.

Muskrats are the most commonly seen mammal on waterways in St. Albert, according to local naturalist Dan Stoker. You can find them anywhere along the Sturgeon River at this time of year, as well as at Grandin Pond.

“For every one observation that might be made of a beaver,” he says, “you are likely to make 10 to 20 or more sightings of muskrats locally.”

You’re telling us! The fun article made me think of these, which happen to span about 5 years as nearly the most complicated movie I ever made and the very third movie I ever made! How’ that for a learning curve?

Hard rains have forced Lega’s beavers out of their lodge at the park and downstream to a pond behind the post office. Her dedication remains undaunted and she sent this copy of a recent letter to the city engineer.

As you have probably deduced, the Shorey Park beavers abandoned their lodge when it got flooded and have now built a dam and an odd sized lodge across Willett Brook next to the Post Office. This is causing considerable flooding to the rear of the Post Office. Although this new wetland has already attracted a flock of mallards, its location is obviously problematic. Instead of trapping the beavers for relocation or killing them, it is my hope that the town will consider using a flow device to stop the flooding. These devices require only wire fencing and piping and volunteers are willing to do the installation if the “go ahead” is given. Why not give it a try?

On another note, the beavers are not likely remain in this immediate area for long because by winter they will need to build a lodge with access to deeper water that remains unfrozen so that the food that they have stored on the pond’s bottom will be available. Since there has been a sighting of a beaver crossing Main Street by the Corn Shop Trading Company and another report of one on Depot Street, it is safe to assume that the beavers (probably a pair) are indeed looking for more permanent lodging.

Again, it is my hope that Bridgton’s Downtown Beavers will be protected and valued as a beneficial species. In Bridge Creek, Oregon, the National Park Service, NOAA-Fisheries, and the Bureau of Land Management have collaborated to build structures (vertical wood posts driven into the stream bottom) to encourage beaver dam creation so as to “accelerate stream recovery and improve production of the creek’s salmon population”. Beaver ponds in downtown Martinez, California, led to the return of steelhead trout, otters, herons, mink and tourists. Corvallis, Oregon has for many years been in constant battle with beavers whose dam building activities periodically flooded the softball fields in Sunset Park. Earlier this year, the city decided on a truce and is installing water leveling devices in order to “try and see if we can live with the beavers”. Countries such as Belgium and Sweden are known for their safari tours that highlight beavers, their dams and lodges.

After the most recent Ice Age, the industrious ancestors of Bridgton’s beavers were partly responsible for creating the landscape that we so love in the Lakes Region. Surely we can learn to co-exist with this watchable wildlife species by becoming more tolerant and by limiting beaver damage. Again, water leveling devices and wrapping favorite trees with galvanized welded wire (placed 6-12 inches out from the trunk and stand up about three feet high from the base of the trunk) are solutions that work in many communities..

The following websites, www.martinezbeavers.org/wordpress, www.beaversww.org, and www.beaversolutions.com (read the testimonials) are excellent resources and I can also be reached if you have questions or need referrals.

Lega Medcalf

Let’s all keep our fingers crossed! And Lega you win the beaver advocacy prize for the year. Honestly, you’re the best!