Families, volunteers labor to keep the ice at town rinks open
Though the weather might not always cooperate, the magic of ice skating continues to be a popular winter pastime thanks to recreation departments, volunteers, and in at least one case, a very hungry beaver.For the last couple of years, Susan and Rodney Danielson and their neighbors on Brentwood Road in Exeter have been plagued by the presence of a beaver (or two) making dams and creating small swamps in their back yards. The town has been working on removing the pesky critter, but in the meantime, the Danielsons have decided to have a little fun with the gift from the beaver.
“During the summer the beaver dam was a huge problem,” said Rodney Danielson. “But now it’s just great.”
Oh so NOW you like beaver ponds more than culverts, eh? You’ve been trying to get rid of these hard workers for 2 years (how is that possible, btw – it usually is over fairly quickly) only you don’t mind skating around on their front yard until the spring thaw, when you’ll go back to trying to kill them again?
“There are about four of us who kind of maintain the rink,” said Sampson. “We add water at night to try to get the water levels up and bring in a little skimmer and a hose after the kids skate to smooth out the ice.”
It seems to me that if you have enough creativity and community committment to maintain a patch of ice during the winter, you might have enough to solve this beaver problem in a way that maintains the wetlands, protects the city, and provides for your fish, birds, and wildlife.
Write us, we can help. And in case it’s been a while since you skated on a beaver pond, this might help you remember how good it feels.
Finally look what beaver friend and NPS Ranger found at the local thrift store. Hrmph. I see somebody needs a new shirt!
