Good news on all fronts! We ended with exactly enough children to fill the 148 squares on our banners, and enough people complained about the beavers in Briar Chapel that it looks like they’ll be safe for a while longer. As I always say about saving beavers, “when the people lead the leaders will follow“, And this time it turns out to be true. I admit that a delay of execution isn’t the same as a pardon, but it’s giving their defenders time to get together and further strategize about the next step. And what I’m hearing is that they’re using that time wisely.
Beavers catch a break. Chatham County neighborhood delays their removal.
On Friday, the property manager of the Briar Chapel neighborhood announced it will not move forward with a plan to trap about 35 beavers that have built several dams along Pokeberry Creek in the northern Chatham County community. Two days earlier, the community association board had voted to eradicate the beavers.
Garretson Browne, president of the Briar Chapel Community Association board of directors, additional conversations with U.S. Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services officials had occurred since the vote to remove the rodents. Together, the neigh borhood and Wildlife Services decided to explore other options with the beavers, he said.
The association sent a statement to homeowners on Friday. It read:
The Briar Chapel Board of Directors acted in good faith and based on expert consultation from the US Department of Agriculture Wildlife Services, to manage the growing impact of beaver damage and flooding in our community. The board has investigated this issue over the past several months, and came to its conclusion only after significant due diligence was done on the options. The board would prefer other alternatives to manage this challenge, but they were presented with only one viable solution based on the significance of the situation. With that said, and understanding that no one, including the board, wants to see any wildlife harmed, we have communicated with the US Department of Agriculture and have discussed having additional consultation before any work is done.
This is my favorite part;
Stacey Donelan, another Briar Chapel resident, said many homeowners want to make sure the beavers are not killed. “Briar Chapel’s residents will keep up the pressure and protests until the BCCA BOD unquestionably confirm that killing the beaver population is irrevocably off the table,” Donelan said in an email.
Hurray for Stacey and her many friends! And hurray for people everywhere who stand up for beavers! It’s wonderful to be reminded of how we started on this auspicious occasion of a national magazine publishing so casually that “some cities have decided that beavers make good neighbors.” I love how it doesn’t even mention how hard we had to work or how many protests it took to force our city council to do the right thing.
“But now, some people are working to make sure beavers can live happily in their communities.”
Yes they are, Ranger Rick, in Martinez and in Briar Chapel too.
I thought you’d want to see the finished park banners the children created at Earth Day. Here are all six sides. Aren’t they lovely. Tell me again why people pay for artwork?
