Check out this article from Juneau about the volunteer group intervening to keep beavers from causing problems on the hiking trails at Dredge lake. The original plan was apparently every institution’s original plan but residents didn’t want the beavers killed. An alternative solution was suggested involving wrapping some trees and unplugging culverts. The success has helped form cooperation between Rangers and volunteers, and at this point there is a somewhat stable situation.
The spokesperson for the group, Bob Armstrong, is even publishing a book on the Mendenhall glaciar beavers soon. Like our own Cheryl Reynolds he is an avid birder and wildlife photographer, who found out more about beavers as he worked on this project. Did he happen to read the article on beaver dams increasing songbirds? Or the newer research on beaver dams increasing safe habitat for salmonids? If you get in touch with us Bob, we will load you up with research and problem solving tools.
The biggest one it sounds like you need is the beaver deceiver, and we can put you in touch with its inventor, Skip Lisle. Blocking culverts is a big beaver hazzard, although its been a non-event in Martinez so far. Beavers block where the water goes through because its the easiest. However, they like to build their dams at right angles and are off put by the trapezoidal wire fence Skip installs outside them. You don’t have to dig every night, there is an easier way.
You may also need a flow device or two to control the height of the dams. There are a couple different kinds that accommodate fish easily. You can find plans here or check in with Mike Callahan at Beaver Solutions whose working on making this a more broadly teachable skill.
We entirely applaud your effort and would be thrilled to offer help in any way possible. A few points in the article gave us pause though,
Beaver lodges at Moose, Crystal and Dredge Lakes appear to have the right level of water-not too high to flood beaver sleeping quarters, not too low to prevent them from reaching their winter food supply.
Obviously beavers don’t want to flood their sleeping quarters either. So either they stop building when the water gets too high, or they move to someplace higher or build upwards. The water height outside the lodge is the same as the height inside the lodge, and sometimes people forget that beavers have this built in reminder of level-setting.
Finally, I twitched a little at this sentence:
All dams are open enough to allow fish passage and avoid flooding.
Sigh. Do what you must to control flooding, but don’t say you are lowering dams to help the fish. Mr. Armstrong you have your work cut out for you educating an entire fish and wildlife department about the role that beaver dams play in making still pools for juvenile salmonids, especially in winter! I would direct you to our friends at the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, but there’s tons more where that came from. Remember that beaver and salmon co-evolved, long before rangers were there to help lower those dams. Trust me, those fish will work it out.
