After reading a very sad article yesterday where HSUS’ Laura Simon discussed a Barred Owl caught by a leg hold trap, I wrote our old friend friend to commiserate and offer support. Turns out she is located in Connecticut and was very unhappy about the loss. Laura is a good friend of Mike Callahan of beaver solutions, and got him to apply for the Christine Stevens Award for his DVD project. I accidentally ‘met’ her when I contacted John Hadidian of HSUS about the Rossmoor Woodpeckers and she was covering for his vacation. I hadn’t realized she was from the only state where HSUS covers beaver problems. Did she know whether Skip Hilliker had been consulted in the New Forests Association case? Sadly he was not. One of her higher-ups in HSUS had called Mr. Peterson and offered their help but it had been declined.
You’ll remember this is the case where the treasurer of the Wildlife Association decided to write a message on his list-serv about the need to kill their beavers and the best way to do it without annoying animal rights interference. He also helpfully suggested what the home owners should complain about so they could blame their intervention on those complaints down the road. It was a stunning example of what goes on (I won’t even say behind the scenes) at a Home Owner’s Association.
So yesterday I forwarded Mr. Peterson my response from Laura and said I was so confused why he hadn’t contacted her. She followed up with another offer to connect with him and we crossed our fingers and waited. This morning he wrote her back, inviting her to come see the difficulties for herself. He said he was working with an engineering firm who is advising that the whole tunnel needs replacing because this one is completely obstructed by beavers. They have applied for a grant on the work, but in the meantime he would be happy to hear her thoughts.
Gosh. The news is next-door to being hopeful. Inviting Laura to come check out the scene is good. Asking engineers is not good. I’m mystified about how come the beavers wouldn’t plug up a “new tunnel” but I assume he’s relying on the fact that they’ll be dead to keep them in line. It would be great to bring in some culvert work and block it with a trapezoidal fence to keep them out of the tunnels altogether. I’m eager to see what happens, and you can be sure I’ll keep you posted.
Oh,BTW, for those of you interested in our local new beaver developments, Jon saw two yearlings on the dam-let last night, and one was scenting!
