Isn’t that sweet! Beavers in Clearfield Pennsylvania get a housing makeover! Of course the temperature this morning is 25 so they’ll probably die alone separated from their food cache and family members but still, isn’t that sweet?
Bye bye beavers: Clearfield’s beavers to be re-homed
Beavers destroying expensive trees in downtown Clearfield are getting a new home, Street Commissioner Todd Kling reported at Thursday night’s committee meetings of the Clearfield Borough Council.
Beavers have moved into downtown Clearfield and are reportedly living in the West Branch of the Susquehanna River near the Market Street Bridge.
The beavers have removed several recently planted saplings and significantly damaged several fully grown trees on both sides of the riverbank near the bridge. The recently planted saplings cost roughly $150 a piece.
That’s right. The trees cost us MONEY. And we couldn’t possibly spend more money affording wire to wrap them in to protect our investment from these beavers or the NEXT beavers that come along. Instead we had to pay a trapper to pretend to move them. We hired “Wildlife Deceivers: We pretend so you don’t have to” just for this.
At first the beavers were destroying the trees near the Joseph and Elizabeth Shaw Public Library, so the borough put up fencing to protect the remaining trees. The beavers then started cutting trees on the west side of the river.
We tried doing the right thing, but it was hard and we decided to give up and do the other thing instead which was a lot easier.
Kling said the state Game Commission has stepped in and begun trapping the beavers alive and relocating them to a safe location. The beavers won’t be harmed.
He said the Game Commission has already caught one beaver, but it is believed there are more beavers left. Kling said now that they have professionals involved, he hopes private citizens don’t try to trap the beavers.
Borough Operations Manager Leslie Stott said residents have reported seeing three beavers.
We only saw three that one time so we know that’s how many there are every other time. I’m sure we won’t leave any orphans alone to die. As long as those pesky citizens don’t but in and start messing things up. They always get in the way.
Kling said the borough is planning to remove the dead trees and replant new trees using grant funds next year.
That’s my favorite part. Obviously next year there won’t be any more beavers because they only come ever other year or during el nino or whatever magical reason you want to make up. We have decided as a county it’s too hard to fix the problem, so we’re just going to move it.
Year after year.
TREE WRAP RAP
When the beaver starts a’chewing There’s a thing you should be doing If you want to save your treeline Better go and make a beeline For the wire Get a plier It’s not dire I’m no liar Do the tree-wrap, rap Do the tree-wrap, rap In the yard and in the garden Wrap it up and beg their pardon Not too tight, the tree will widen And it the wire it will tighten Wire thicken Not for chicken Paint with sandy Comes in handy Do the tree-wrap, rap Do the tree-wrap, rap Save your maple and your aspen Here’s the point that needed graspen’ Come protect the plants that need you And the fruit trees that will feed you I’m not crazy Don’t be lazy Stop your trappin’ And start wrappin Do the tree-wrap, rap Do the tree-wrap, rap! It was March 21 2015 when I wrote these lyrics. Whew, People have gotten sooo much smarter since then. HA!
