A few days ago this aired on CBC radio -. the middle segment is about installing fish passage boxes so that salmon could get over beaver dams in Nova Scotia . Victoria Neville does a pretty delicate job with the interview trying tp explain all the good beavers do. but it still dumbfounded me that the WWF would be using donations to fix a problem that doesn’t exist.Of course I said as much at the time which prompted several very concerned and patient conversations about public perception being so abysmal in the region they are working hard to chip away at the edges. The design was Adrien’s based on Mike’s and they made things easier for fish at low flow conditions which climate change was making happen more often.
I listened and underestood some of it. But honestly if the problem is mostly PERCEPTION then wouldn’t it be a mistake to offer a solution that reinforces the idea that there us a problem in the first place?
I suggested at least changing the name to something that reminded people that under normal conditions it wasn’t needed.
Something like the “Drought Ladder.”
By all accounts yesterday was a splendid beaver day, with presenters from around the world really swinging the bat hard for beavers. To the right is Frances Backhouse posing with conference organizers Scott McGill and Mike Callahan (in disguise). Here are some highlights from yesterday Sharon and Owen Brown of Beavers: Wetlands and Wildlifeand were presented with the lifetime achievement award, Skip did a very well received presentation on the history of the beaver deceiver (summarized by Malcolm Kenton) and here’s a brief run through of what I’ll be presenting today.
Under a permit from Colorado Parks and Wildlife, Wildlife Services-Colorado used suitcase traps to capture five beaver causing damage elsewhere. They were trapped during the summer months until mid-September in order to relocate them when they were old enough to survive on their own and find adequate habitat before winter.
Last month, South Windsor officials trapped three beavers and had them euthanized. The beavers had caused safety issues at a town park by gnawing on trees near the trail system, which blocked a spillway to a pond and caused flooding issues.
Mike Callahan of Beaver Solutions LLC said his company has resolved more than 1,500 human and beaver conflicts since 1998 by using flow devices, such as culvert protective fences and beaver dam pipes. These methods allow the water to flow out of the pond created by beavers, in turn reducing flooding.
The North American beaver is a keystone species whose activities promote ecological biodiversity across the landscape. Beaver dams help improve water quality by reducing sediment and nutrient flow to downstream sources, creates wetlands and enhances wildlife habitat.
the only available option to mitigate potential beaver problems. By working with researchers and experts from around the US, we are able to offer an ecologically friendly beaver management solution by designing and installing custom flow devices (i.e. beaver deceivers) and culvert exclusion fences, providing a long term cost-effective solution. Ecotone installs flow devices to manage the size of the beaver pond, regulate water levels to desirable levels, and mitigate activity around culverts, while also keeping the dam, and the ecosystem services it provides. By working to co-exist with the beaver we can create a cascade of benefits to water quality and biodiversity. .
Ecotone has partnered with 
