I am writing in defense of beaver dams as they are proven to be effective in helping with flood control. As a matter of fact; beavers are generally referred to as nature’s flood control experts. Despite this, every time there is a flood event associated with higher than normal amounts of rain like that associated with the recent downpours associated with the storm Irene, misinformed local residents start squawking about the “darn beavers.”
I am writing to say that flooding downstream of a beaver dam is not the fault of the beavers at all — there was a lot of rain. The beaver dams in the area would help keep the water back, gradually letting the flood waters off and would help to prevent higher waters downstream and road washouts.
Of particular concern to me is the beaver dam on Hibernia Brook, just north of the Meriden Road Bridge. This dam holds back a fairly large amount of water and surely did assist in keeping the bridge there from washing out and leaving Meriden Road residents without access to Green Pond Road.
Local residents are grumbling about the dam in a misinformed way and I hope that they are not trying to influence the local road department and others in the way of destroying a good piece of natural flood control work.
Beavers have been helping to control floods in New Jersey for millions of years. They know what they are doing.
ROCKAWAY TOWNSHIP
The writer is illustrator, coauthor and editor of “The Easy Bird Guide – Eastern Region,” co-founder of the Highlands Conservation Initiative and founder of the Partnership Plan to Preserve the Beaver Brook/Hibernia Brook Watershed.
Thanks Pieter. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
