buffalo

Bellingham: Beaver dams in culverts a thorny issue

Beavers have dammed up several culverts in town. Daily News file photo (No its NOT)

by Matt Tota/Daily News Staff

BELLINGHAM — Department of Public Work crews on Wednesday started to demolish a beaver dam plugging a culvert on Whitehall Way, releasing a stream of water downstream that flooded five residential roadways.

DPW Director Donald DiMartino, responding to the flooding, found himself mired in the high water on Newland Avenue, where his vehicle sat until rescued by a front-end loader. Beavers had bested the department again.

In recent months, the DPW started monitoring several culverts around town where beavers have taken to building their dams. The culvert dams are new, potentially costly maintenance issues for the department.

And removing the dams usually requires heavy equipment.

“They are dumb animals, but their instincts are fantastic,” DiMartino said.

I’m confused, Do you think he’s talking about DPW employees? Or photo editors?

Great news with LOVELY (ahem) photos from Anne Mazer of the Milford Daily News in MA. Seems like she spent some time learning about Mike and Beavers and ended up writing a glowing article on coexistence. (Mike suggested she contact us for photos and she gave credit and a lovely link at the end of the article). (Go see for yourself.)

North America’s largest rodent. Nuisance. Pest. There is a widespread under appreciation for the North American Beaver, Castor canadensis. Beavers are most often mentioned when a property is flooded as a result of a beaver dam. Yes, they are busy and can transform a landscape. What most people do not realize is that they are extremely beneficial to humans and wildlife, and we can coexist under most circumstances.

The typical solution to a “beaver problem” is to trap and kill beavers or blow up their lodges, often unnecessary and cruel actions. Mike Callahan, of Beaver Solutions based out of Southampton, Mass., has worked on approximately 800 sites where beavers were causing flooding, mostly in Massachusetts, but also as far away as Alaska and Canada.

What an excellent beginning to a Saturday read! Don’t you want to rush out and read the entire thing? You really should. Remember this is MASSACHUSETTS where their favorite pastime is whining about voters and not being able to kill beavers with the equivalent of staple guns and garbage compactors so its a VERY BIG DEAL.

Beavers are a keystone species, supporting hundreds of other species of wildlife. Their meticulously built dams create biologically productive wetlands, opening up wooded areas to sunlight, creating nutrient-rich waters, providing a resource for mink, otters, wood ducks, trout, and plants like cattails, winterberries and more.

Beavers provide a priceless service to humans by protecting and cleaning drinking water. The dams help to filter toxins such as pesticides and fertilizers. The dams maintain water flow to prevent erosion and flooding downstream. The wetlands recharge the aquifers and help maintain stream flow during droughts.

Well go read it for yourself, and if you can figure out how to post a comment argue with the whiners who say that the only solution is the final solution and flow devices never work. I’m off to Wild Birds Unlimited to talk about beavers to the last three people in Pleasant Hill who haven’t already heard the good news. Wish me luck! Oh and speaking of ‘Keystone Species’ check out the back of our new festival brochure that went to the printers. Artist Amelia Hunter really outdid herself this year!