What’sgoing on: Eastford Public Works installed a homemade “beaver deceiver” this summer at the pond at Westford and Church roads. The beaver dam causes Westford Road to flood. The system of pipes channels water from the pond through the dam and toward a culvert that runs under Westford Road. The beaver can’t block the pipe, Public Works supervisor Ben Schmidt said.
Ahhh there is NOTHING I love to read more than a story about public works solving beaver problems humanely! Yeahhh Eastford! Of course you will remember per our discussion last week that this is not technically a ‘beaver deceiver’ and calling it one would be classified as a TYPE I error, but still it looks good from the front. I’m hopeful that the other end of the pipe is still artfully protected and that since its back east it has already survived a few rains and the beavers truly aren’t going to simly plug it up when the water level rises.
In the meantime I would just remind everyone that Connecticut is a beaver-complex state with some folks dedicated to preserving their value and others ready to exterminate at a moments notice. It takes all kinds I guess. Hopefully the good works going on in Eastford will encourage a few others to try it on their own.
Additional measures: This week, Schmidt installed a grate at the entrance to the culvert that runs under Westford Road. “Beavers are smart,” Schmidt said. “They started damming up the backside of the culvert and blocked it.” It flooded Westford Road again.
What’s next: Public works will continue to monitor the situation. “This is the most success we’ve had at stopping it,” Schmidt said.
Jon trotted down beneath the light of the beaver-y moon to catch sight of beavers milling about the place. Two at the old lodge, one climbing up a bank, and one chewing near the footbridge. It was too dark to tell if number four was mom or dad, but its nice to see the whole family every now and then. A pefect ending to the occasion of the 700th post on this website, which is a fairly hefty landmark to pass.Thanks many of you for making the journey with me.
One of the sighs of relief I can breathe now is that since we’ve fully entered November the odds of vast foolish being planned for the beaver section of Alhambra Creek have gone down considerably. We are now in the “stay away from the creek by order of F&G” zone of winter, which, mind you, doesn’t preclude a sudden “emergency” decision, but does mean that the massive work they want to do on the east bank won’t come this year. Hurray! No new tragedies! This weekend I read idly through the posts for last october of the sheetpile-palooza. I had forgotten how horrifically demoralizing and upsetting that period of time was. No wonder I breathed easier when we hit November.
On related notes I am told that bird-foam-weary Cheryl actually has the day off today, so maybe she’ll get some rest and be able to relax. RL is hard at work finding out about the black mountain beavers, and tomorrow I have a meeting with the city staff about the children’s art tile project for the Escobar Bridge. This weekend we’re supposed to be at the Save Mt. Diablo event at Castle Rock.
Every now and then a post gets a little flurry of attention, and Sundays “Descant on a foolish connecticut land-trust” managed to be this month’s entry. A couple feisty beaver friends wrote Mr. Peterson and sent me his responses. I sent my own very polite letter, along with the link to my less polite column. I thought you’d want to see his response.
Thanks for your thoughts. I also appreciate the exposure related impacts of an email such as the one i sent could have. I was actually expecting reactions similar to yours. The best suggestions for solutions have come from those opposed to this type of action as a proposed stewardship plan. That said. I still did recieve several others promoting it as a sound stewardship practice when combined with good design or when there is an overpopulation for a given ecosystem.
My email was expected to identify other alternatives and resources suggested by a broad distribution to a variety of groups on all sides. The strong emotions against trapping as an option brought forth the best alternative ideas, resources and possible solutions that had not previously been brought to our attention. Those that support trapping were not as quick to offer solutions rather quick to support this as a sound stewardship practice.
The PR aspect was to help me express to our entire board that thier are strong views on both sides and to find out the positive and negative impacts of this type of action in other communities. Most of the public views expressed are in opposition of the overpopulation of beavers in this area based on the damage they have caused. I was expecting more land trusts that permitt hunting, in general, on thier properties to provide feedback on how it is percieved by the public. I then reflect on some of the insightful comments by the anti-hunter contingent to this inquiry and maybe those land trusts would prefer to leave those practices less public.
This ecosystem can not support the beaver population current here and they are instinctively converting the wetland to a pond to support thier presense. This location, altered by man has given the beavers an opportunity to further change the landscape. With a connected and healthy 5 acre pond, this affected area needs to see the emergent vegitation restored and wetland grasses return to make a riparian buffer of an appropriate size for the area and restore the area to its condition when donated to us. Again some of these problems are caused by poorly designed roads over the years and overdevelopment – which are not in under our control.
I conceed and agree that suggesting our Town share in the blame (for this type of actions) may not be the most appropriate tact to take. Again to inappropriately throw stones – our Town has not been overly helpful in modifying the roads or storm water systems to mitigate the requirement for a healthy riparian buffer to this pond. The Town actually has permitted (under enacted ordinaces) the volume of water traversing this property by some pooly designed storm water systems, increased impervious surfaces and riparian buffer desruction.
We have other properties that have a cycle of beaver activity that are naturally regulated by them moving in and out to permit the property to recover. We let these alone and exist in harmony. Qe are going to impliment one of the suggested hybrid designs for now and see if this can decieve the beavers for now to get us through winter. I will post our progress of the project and our actions taken when it is completed.
Thanks,
Guy
Ahhh, where to begin. How about by noticing that this is a man who is very happy to have learned the word “Ecosystem” when his daughter was in fourth grade. Like many before him, he believes it is a magic shield and if he clutches it convincingly to his chest he can ward off all challenges to his motives or compassion. “The ecosystem can’t support that many beavers!” Gosh. I wonder why those beavers didn’t get the memo? I mean birth rate is determined by caloric intake which is determined by available food source. So can it truly not support them? Or are you referring to the ecosystem of your internal tolerance, which I agree, appears strained?
You do realize beavers are territorial right? Your yearlings will disperse, by hook or by crook, over land or over water to find their new homes. The beavers you are enduring right now are keeping others away. If you get rid of this “batch” of beavers, you will get another one.
“And makes us rather bear those ills we have, than fly to others that we know not of”.
Eastford pipe system fools beaver, keeps street flood-free 
