A hero! Is the town throwing a parade? Did the mayor give him the keys the city. Did they dedicate December 28 as national Roger Johnson day?

Of course not.

Johnson was charged with springing the trap and the incident prompted him to plan to petition the legislature to change the types of traps allowed in the state, a local lawmaker to investigate the issue further and the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to affirm trapping as necessary in the state.

Of course he was charged. No good deed goes unpunished they say. Especially no beaver good deed. Interesting quote from the department of Environmental Protection.

“Trapping is a gruesome activity, but the traps are designed to kill the animal quickly,” he said. “I don’t know what pond (Johnson) was referring to but it was probably legal to trap there. He was very lucky he didn’t get injured releasing the beaver. Those traps will take your hand right off. Or, the beaver can bite you, or they’ll wack you with their tail. That can cause some damage too.”

Williams said hasn’t heard of many people releasing a beaver as Johnson did.

“It’s rare that a person is able to free a beaver,” he said. “As for finding traps, the trapping community itself tries to stay out of the limelight. You rarely hear about trappers in Connecticut, because they know it’s a hot topic. People don’t like to see it. It’s in the best interest of the trapper to keep a low profile. And people rarely fool around with someone else’s traps.”

I agree with you whole-heartedly, sir. Trapping is a gruesome activity. And by your own rules this trap obviously failed because a beaver was NOT killed instantly and somebody rescued it. What on EARTH does killing beavers have to do with protecting the environment, anyway? Putting Deep in charge of regulating traps is like putting Exxon in charge of counting oiled birds. It’s like putting your drunk cousin in charge of controlling the liquor cabinet. It’s like putting your randma in charge of sexting memes.

When the couple found the beaver that day at the end of December, Johnson said, the trap was strong and had the animal in its grip.

“It was just a vise, with two sides, and the beaver was in it,” he said. “It wasn’t like an old-school bear trap with teeth, but it was metal and very strong. It broke a stick in half.”

The couple said the neighboring property owners near the pond were watching the scene, and came out to investigate. “The neighbors we talked to were furious,” Johnson said. “They also have dogs, and one of them swims in that pond … they said ‘That could easily have been our dog.’”

Johnson and Hannelová waited with the little beaver until it was dark, and then put it in some tall grass near the water’s edge. When they returned the next day, the beaver was gone.

“We saw a little blood trail in the grass leading to the pond, so maybe it went back in the water … we didn’t see it anywhere,” Johnson said.

Wait, they left the beaver? After all that they just left him there? They didn’t bring him to animal rehab. Or put him in a box by the stove? Let me see what wildlife rescue was the closest. Two counties over in Granby or Sharon. Either one would take a little beaver. The state’s the size of a postage stamp so it would be a half hour in either direction.

But sure, I guess. You took a photo with your camera and started a petition. And sat with the bleeding little beaver for a while. Yeah?

We saw a little blood trail in the grass leading to the pond, so maybe it went back in the water … we didn’t see it anywhere,” Johnson said.

He called the Department of Energy and Environmental Protection to let them know what happened, “and to check if these traps were legally set,” he said. “The next morning, an environmental officer named Ed Norton returned my phone call to inform me that my actions were illegal. I was charged with criminal mischief for removing the beaver and disabling the steel traps.”

The officer told Johnson that, when a person finds an animal in a trap, they are not allowed to touch it or move it, and they should contact the state’s wildlife division if they have questions.

Points for follow up. You picked up the phone and turned yourself in. That’s something, Maybe you really weren’t sure what to do. That’s okay. The people in charge aren’t either.

Lawmakers

Rep. Maria Horn said she has received a number of calls about beaver trapping, and the types of traps that are being used.

“I’ve taken some calls from people in the last few days, and we have investigated a law banning these kinds of traps,” she said. “We got a lot of pushback, so we’ve put it off for another day.

“In the interim, I need to do research on the traps themselves. Massachusetts has banned these types of traps in favor of another type, and they are used under water, so they’re not a danger to dogs. That’s something I’m going to look into,” she said.

Horn’s biggest concern is safety for everyone. “My concern is that trapping is done in an appropriate location,” she said. “Are there other alternatives for the kinds of traps that are used, is another concern. And obviously, there’s a concern about the humanity of trapping. If a representative from the DEEP is out there, doing their job to explain what’s permissible and what isn’t, then that will make a difference. But the location is important.”

Hey, I have an idea! How about the NO TRAPPING idea? You know the one where you actually SOLVE the problem instead of killing it.  I’m just thinking out loud here but maybe you could give a flow device a try before you bring in the guillotine?

Sen. Craig Miner, R-30, is a longtime outdoorsman who has discussed the issue of trapping animals before.

“We’ve had legislation proposed on trapping and the types of traps, and last year, we had a very long public hearing about it,” he said. “We concluded that it would be difficult for humans and wildlife to live together if the beaver population increased. That includes nuisance wildlife in particular, and beavers could fall into that category.”

Funny thing senator. There are a finite number of places for a beaver to live in a postage stamp state like yours. And beavers are territorial so they will keep out anyone who there isn’t space for. When your trap-happy buddies take a family of beavers OUT space for a new family opens up. Like those vending machines that drop cokes when you put in your money.

By trapping out families you actually make more space for new families to come – Increasing the number of beavers in Connecticut in a constant vending machine of take and replace.

And since your state is surrounded with other postage stamps they have lots of choices about how to get there. Four states share a border with Connecticut. And beavers don’t need passports. Take out the Jones and the Smith family will just swim on over. Take out the Smith’s and the Lincoln’s will be on standby. And so on. And so on.

But HEY, if you put in a flow device and actually SOLVED the problem instead of making a hole in it, the next family that tried to move in would get discouraged and have to keep looking for  the unoccupied space of their dreams. Actually making a stable population instead of a constantly refilling one. Gosh.

“Every time I see a beaver (dead) on the side of the road, I think, ‘Oh my God, how awful that must have been,’” he said. “But if I see one in a trap, I don’t feel that way. Trapping seems to be the most logical tool; it seems to be the most well-thought out process so far. And there are always advancements in the mechanisms that people use. The steel trap is a much quicker piece of equipment (to eliminate beavers) but it doesn’t work in all settings, which is why there are a number of different (traps). People who know what they’re doing will use the proper mechanism.”

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I hardly know where to begin. I have started this sentence a thousand different ways with a hundred different profane insults.  You feel sad when you see a beaver hit by a car but NOT when you see a beaver killed in a trap?

Of course you know they both result in death and are probably not that different for the beaver. A metal thing comes out of nowhere making a big noise and then you die. I’m pretty sure that’s how a beaver sees it. I’m not sure there’s any real distinction. Well, your lungs don’t burst when you’re hit by a car I guess. But other than that…

But HEY I know one big difference and correct me if I’m wrong on this. You’ve actually SEEN beavers hit by cars on your way to the capital, senator.  But you’ve  never actually SEEN a beaver dangling lifelessly in a conibear.  Because those things happen out of sight. And you know what they say. Out of sight. Out of mind.

Please never leave me alone in an elevator with this man. It’s not safe for him.

“I understand why people feel the way they do about trapping, but the state does everything it can to make it work and to control the number of beavers,” he said. “It’s all done for a reason, and it’s not as comforting for some people. But without trapping, there would be many more.”

In another story reported by CBC Canada radio, “Beavers are dam important to the ecosystem,” beaver habitats prevent water temperatures from rising, which protects fish like salmon and trout, restores river systems, and over time protect the impact of evaporating water on farmland and open space.

I had no idea this was going to be such a marathon article when it started. This reporter needs a copy of Ben’s book, stat!

Trapping is the best way to manage beavers, the DEEP said. “In situations when the presence of beavers cannot be tolerated, or the landowner wishes to control the number of beavers on his property, trapping during the regulated winter trapping season is the most effective solution,” the DEEP said. “Licensed trappers will often voluntarily assist landowners by harvesting beaver during the trapping season.”

Who is the sympathetic figure in this story? No, seriously. I’m asking. It’s not the guy who freed the beaver so it could die slowly. And it’s not the senator who hates seeing dead beavers on the road but loves to see them in traps. Or the DEEP officer who thinks beavers have infinite powers and must be stopped. I’m not even sure its the reporter. who read something nice about them in 2014. Maybe I wouldn’t like people in Connecticut that much. I mean honestly even the state park is paying to trap beavers on public lands. What’s up with that?