Once upon a time there was a city in Canada where there were beavers building a dam in a creek behind some houses. The city was worried about property damage and there were some gloomy meetings. Meanwhile residents noticed the beavers dissappeared and when they called to find out what had happened to them the city reassured that they had been relocated to a greener pasture. Since residents had met them before and seen them in action, they were suspicious. They asked again and asked different people, did you relocate our beavers? Oh no, they were told, those beavers weren’t relocated, they were killed.
Let’s say that this story of cruelty and deception penetrated the Oshawan mind by osmosis and made them a little more sensitive to beaver issues in general. A few short months later some beavers were creating a flooding hazard in a similar area and the city once again decided to use the same solution that failed to work the last time. This season residents were proactive. They marched to the beavers defense, and earned media attention by doing lots of this:
They even got a few council members on their side who managed, in the wee hours, to get a ‘temporary stay’ on the decision and halt any more killing.
Do you remember that scene in Zeffirelli’s Romeo & Juliet where the servant races from Friar Lawrence on horse back with a letter to tell Romeo that Juliet is just PRETENDING to be dead and will be fine in a little while gets detained by some sheep crossing the road, while news from Baltahasar that she is forever lost makes its way to the forlorn lover? Well the Oshawa city council must have used the very same courier service, because the trapper was never informed of the “STAY” and went right on killing beavers.
Meanwhile, a fearless gentleman had snagged one of the crushing traps out of the water and was busily showing neighbors how dramatically it snapped shut. This was way too effective and very soon he had the ministry of the environment on his doorstep, citing him for removing their property, and demanding it back. The hero got more even press for Oshawa by taking the ridiculous case to court, while beaver supporters showed up at council meetings with stuffed beavers and plead for change.
Plagued by more bad press than any city council ever imagines, city officials could only threaten their residents with cost. Yes, we’ll do this humane thing you all say you want but it will be REALLY EXPENSIVE!!! Do you want that? It will cost 60,000 dollars. Are you still crazy about those beavers? We’re not made of money you know. Don’t come crying to us about pot holes or playgrounds. In the election that followed one candidate even staked his entire campaign on a pink beaver killing platform:
The people of Oshawa weren’t dissuaded. Spackman lost and Oshawa won.
Trapping a last resort in Oshawa’s new beaver policy
OSHAWA — A year after public outrage prompted Oshawa council to stop lethal trapping of beavers at Goodman Creek, the City has unveiled its new beaver management policy. It still includes the option of lethal trapping, but only as a last resort. “We will do everything we can without going to that last stage,” said Garth Johns, the City’s interim commissioner of community services.
The new rules of beaver engagement for the city include wire wrapping of trees, beaver deceivers and beaver bafflers. City staff monitors the area for new dams, tags trees for wrapping, and consults when needed. There is still a provision for dam removal and trapping when necessary, which will be less useful than the scrap of paper it took to write it down, but for the most part Ontario has done better than all of North America and Martinez combined, because they have a commitment to deal humanely not with just a single colony, but with every beaver that crosses their watery path.
And it all started with her:
GREAT work, Oshawa. Are any of you thinking about a vacation in the Bay Area this summer? Maybe some wine tasting or a cable car ride? Something tells me you’dd be a hit at the Beaver Festival!
