Reporter Dorothy Jasperson-Robson of the Westby Times has a nice article about the Wisconsin beavers that a have been slowly gaining a following. Taryn was very a happy about the article and pleased to see the support it has raised.
Jim Neubauer said during a phone interview on Tuesday, May 4, that his main concern as chairman of the town of Clinton is public safety. For Neubauer this has become a problem since the beaver continue to burrow under Parker Road forcing the town to refill the area with gravel and place orange safety cones at the location. “Public safety is my main concern and when this damage keeps reoccurring to our town road this becomes a safety issue for emergency vehicles and closing the road is not an option,” Neubauer said.
The beaver situation has become a misson of mercy for landowner Taryn Greendeer, who is ready to proclaim herself the “Loon of the Tree Women” in her fight to prevent any kind of trapping or removal of the beaver from her land. “The beaver do so much good for the environment and there has to be a way for us to all co-habituate. There are solutions to living with the beaver and I’m determined to stop anyone from destroying what these magnificent animals have created,” Greendeer said.
Ahhh. I would put up more of the article but every follower of this blog could likely write it verbatim. Promises and reassurances broken. “Lives could be lost” versus “Help the environment”. Seems like yesterday. Care to guess the easy front runner? (Hint: the answer is currently written in oil on the water between Mexico and Florida) The newspaper recently did a poll on whether roads were more important than beavers. The results were predictable, but of course the dichotomy is a false one. Clinton, you can have roads AND beavers and you can do it for less money than you’ve spent trapping them the last decade and with a better success rate.
Greendeer has since been contacted by numerous environmental groups who are offering their assistance in keeping the area home to the beaver and have also provided what she believes is some workable solutions to the issues, which she plans to present to town of Clinton board at an upcoming May 12 meeting. Greendeer is also hoping anyone with knowledge of dealing with beavers will attend the meeting and offer further suggestions.
Mr. Neubauer wants Taryn to find solutions and also wants her to pay for the road if the dam causes any damage. I have a thought about that that I’ll whisper to a lawyer if it gets that far. In the meantime, I don’t know a flow device installer closer than 15 hours away, but Mike Callahan’s DVD will likely be available within the month. Water isn’t going to be a problem in the summer, so city staff and DNR will have enough time to learn how to do this highly successful work on their own. Or you could connect with the Skunk Whisperer a few states away and invite him to bring his Discovery crew north to film the installation and make some new famous beavers! Hmm. Maybe you can persuade your town chairman to bring in Skip Lisle to do the work himself. I see Madison University produced the Revolt of the Beavers this year, why not tag onto that energy? Maybe do a revival in Clinton’s town hall to raise money for this project? Your own Prof. Peter Jacobs of Whitewater University made national news this year with his discovery of what giant beavers ate. Maybe he could help focus some attention or connect you with an ecological science professor whose students are interested in learning about this work? If all else fails, you have a whole town and a highschool named after the problem handiwork, why not bring the football team from Beaver Dam out for a little flow device installation training?
Any town smarter than a beaver can keep a beaver. Look for solutions and you will find them.
Skip Lisle Installing a Flow Device
Martinez Beaver Dam January 2008
