One of the beavers is seen recently at Griff Creek munching on a branch.

North Tahoe officials: Human beings, beavers can peacefully co-exist

Matt Renda Sierra Sun

KINGS BEACH, Calif. — Human beings and beavers can peacefully co-exist, Tahoe wildlife advocates said during a recent community forum, and Placer County officials agreed, vowing to explore alternatives to hunting and killing the animals. Co-existence is especially practical since the recent advent of many Tahoe-based water flow control devices and techniques which successfully manage flooding hazards and damage to property associated with beavers and their dam building.

Now isn’t that a great beginning to an article? The news out of Kings Beach affirms the report of our own Lory Bruno who attended the meeting in person. Apparently there is broad support for humanely maintaining the beavers the ‘next time’ they come to town. Honestly if we keep having success stories like this I pledge to start a new section on the website called “Who’s saving beavers now?”.

The primary solution for the specific problem at Griff Creek consists of installing a Flexible Pond Leveler, Millham said, a water flow control device designed to ensure the water of the beaver-created pond will not reach flood levels that could potentially create a driving hazard on a nearby section of Highway 28.

The Flexible Pond Leveler — invented by Mike Callahan, owner of the Southampton, Mass.-based company Beaver Solutions — makes use of a pipe, with the outflow portion installed in the middle of a beaver dam allowing water to flow through the dam instead of over it. The intake portion of the pipe is protected by wire fence, to prevent beavers from clogging the pipe.

Okay now THAT’s some good press. Good for beavers, good for beaver friends, good for Kings Beach. A very interesting conversation is brewing in the community about how to respond to the new plan to deal with the situation humanely next time. There are some who are so upset about the shooting of those four beavers that they want to ask for the director of public works’ head on a plate. And then there are the more conciliatory ‘lets wait and see’ voices. My favorite was from a smart childcare worker who said ‘lets hope for the best and not burn bridges’ and ‘btw I’m having every child in the day care personally make a card for the director and the supervisor thanking them for keeping their promise’.

Ahhh now that’s a woman after my own heart! Miss Manners meets Machiavelli!

Representatives from Wylie Animal Rescue Foundation and Worth A Dam — a beaver advocacy organization — pledged $500 each to the project during the forum.

Oooh good press for us too! There are lots of great things in the article, go read for yourself, and only a few head scratchers (protect trees with cayenne pepper?) But the very best and smartest part from the reporter, (who we already know does his research), comes from the price comparison for the cost of shooting the beavers. Check it out:

By the numbers

Costs of Placer County beaver removal operation at Griff Creek

• Direct cost to Placer County for California Conservation Corps crew: $5,700

• Indirect cost to state of California to maintain that crew: $2,800

• Cost to Placer County Department of Public Works to plan and administer project: $500

• Cost of Placer County Wildlife Agents (which carried out the hunting and killing of the beavers): $500

• Costs of refuse disposal, erosion control materials: $500

• Total: $10,000

Costs of installing water flow control device:

• Materials: $1,500

• Permitting: $500

• Annual maintenance: $150

• Total (over a 10-year period): $3,500

-Source: Tahoe Truckee Wildlife Coalition

Now that’s what I like to see! Good luck Kings Beach. You have funds, friends and a promise from the powers that be. That’s all any city with beavers can hope for.

“We need to do all the preparation work so that once the device is built — it stays,” Placer county Supervisor Jennifer Montgomery said. “We can truly be an example to the rest of the lake, and I know Peter and I are committed to making sure what happened to the Griff Creek beavers doesn’t happen again.”

KINGS BEACH, Calif. — Wildlife agents used rifles in early October to hunt, shoot and kill four beavers that had built three different dams at the mouth of Griff Creek on Lake Tahoe’s North Shore, a Placer County official confirmed last week.

Thanks to Matt Renda at the Sierra sun we now learn that the four beavers killed near the Kings beach Co-op daycare were actually shot, not trapped, which explains why some workers claimed they saw blood in the area.

“Trapping presents some logistical problems, so we hunted the beavers,” said Josh Huntsinger, commissioner of the Placer County Department of Agriculture. “Licensed wildlife specialists shot and killed them,” he said. “They are trained professionals.” Huntsinger said the hunt was carried out after dark with special equipment to ensure no residents were endangered by the operation. “We evaluate the park to identify the exact point where the operation can be carried out safely,” he said. “My wildlife specialists receive 30 hours of training per year regarding hunt operations such as this. I have complete confidence in their abilities.”

Logistical problems? Really? What, no one had waterproof shoes? I didn’t realize that killing beavers was such hard work. It happens so often you’d think its like falling off a log. Come to think of it that must be why there was so little of it in done in the 1800’s. And by the way, is that really your name? Or did you pick it like an actor or a porn star. Josh Huntsinger? Tell me the truth, was “Ivan Wannashoot” already taken?

The Placer County Flood Control Agency obtained a depredation permit from California Department of Fish and Game to carry out the hunt, Huntsinger said.

Honestly, does Fish & Game even do anything else but issue licenses to kill? Maybe they should change their name to the Department of Depredation? Can’t you see it now, lots of men in the dark with their night vision goggles playing ‘Rambo‘ with the beavers. I guess someone must have found some waterproof shoes because they had to have dragged the bodies out before tossing them into the back of the truck for incineration.

I wonder what that night was like for the surviving members of the colony, ducking into the lodge and hearing bullets whiz by. Then coming out later and finding that your entire family is gone, Island of the Blue Dophins, notwithstanding. Well we know there were surviving members because one was just seen a few nights ago, Denise tells me. Lets hope it’s a parent or a yearling who can help take care of the few kits that are still hanging around. Gosh, you’d think that ‘experts’ at wildlife removal would actually remove wildlife. I guess they never took the time to watch the colony and learn how many beavers were actually there.

Well, Placer County should not despair. Where there’s one beaver there will be more. Where there’s any willingness on the part of public works to look for solutions, there are solutions to be found. I was forwarded also a letter from a Placer County Supervisor that said this happened while they were on vacation but will NEVER happen again. Denise is convinced things will get better, and I remain cautiously hopeful that the greater Tahoe Community can preserve its watershed stewards and prove, once and for all, that it’s smarter than a beaver.