Mississippi is very alarmed to learn that Uncle Sam will only cover half the costs of beaver management this year. Lazy feds. Interested counties are going to have to come up with the other half themselves. I guess it won’t cost that much. I mean what kind of beaver management do they use? Flow devices? Culvert protection? Relocation? Immunocontraception?
Mississippi’s Beaver Control Assistance Program, which routinely uses explosives to remove beaver dams that flood properties.
That’s right, they blow up dams to control flooding. How fun! Bring the kids! No word yet on whether they noticed that beavers don’t actually LIVE IN the dam and simply rebuild them with all that debris lying around afterwards. I mean I suppose they could wait until all the beavers were ON the dam and then blow them up but that’s pretty rare, and would require a lot of impulse control, which I’m doubting there’s much of. It would at least be accomplish something though.
Financial changes in beaver control leave county with costs
WEST POINT — Dozens of landowners in Clay County can attest to problems with beavers affecting their property, and several roads, bridges and other properties in the county over the years also have borne their share of beaver damage.
Last September, the Clay County Board of Supervisors voted to participate in Mississippi’s Beaver Control Assistance Program, which routinely uses explosives to remove beaver dams that flood properties.
Okay. I agree. A big dose of Mississippi beaver stupid is a soul-less way to start the morning. But trust me. This next quote is going to make it all worth while. It’s going to make everything fall in place and put a smile on your face every time you think of it. You think I exaggerate? This quote is awe-inspiring in a way Alabama and Arkansas can only dream of. Trust me.
Johnny Carter, wildlife/explosives specialist for Wildlife Services, provides beaver control services to Clay County.ec
Because in Clay County, Wildlife and explosives just go together. Like peanut butter and jelly. Or handguns and house guests. Identify the critters. Blow up the critters. Obviously you need someone who is trained in both. And look no farther than Wildlife Services to do the trick.
This is apparently Mississippi’s idea of a double major.
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November portrays rhythm of life
The “Hunter’s Moon” wanes, the nights become longer, the mornings frostier. Now comes the “Beaver Moon”
It is also a time of preparation and challenge. Among Native Americans it was traditionally called the “Beaver Moon” because it was the time when the beavers, wise in the ways of seasons, had grown their fur thick and full. They had finished and reinforced their dams, and had their houses well-caulked and full of a winter’s supply of food. Beavers knew what November meant.
They still do. November arrives as it has always arrived, and means what it has always meant, a vital part of the circle of a year, and the rhythm of life.
Douglas Wood is a naturalist, musician, and author of 30 books for children and adults. He writes for Our Woods & Waters on the third Sunday of each month
