Patricia Randolph’s Madravenspeak: Rather than slaughtering beaver, we should protect this builder of wetlands
American Indians called beavers the “sacred center” because they create the cradle of life that supports biodiversity, rivaling the tropical rainforests. When beavers were almost exterminated by 1900 for the beaver hat fad, most wetlands were destroyed with them. Now, in some parts of the country, beavers survive at 10 percent of their numbers before Europeans settled here, but not in Wisconsin.
The DNR promotes beaver genocide with unlimited trapping. Trappers sell dead beavers for $13 each. In 2008, the Department of Natural Resources estimated that there were 66,800 beavers in the entire state. During the 2008-09 winter, trappers reported killing 37,425 beavers, and in 2009-10, killed another 31,049, totaling 68,474. The DNR calls this regulated trapping. They cannot call it responsible science.
Thirteen dollars for a dead beaver! That’s quite a bargain. This article from the heart of beaver-killin’ country in Wisconsin was sent by our new friend from Georgia. Its heart is in the very best place but its science needs a little bit of work. Hang with us a little while, Patricia and we’ll set you up with everything you need to know. The funniest part of the article was the section about the Trout Unlimited Chair asking for folks to vote to help eradicate beaver.
Kim McCarthy, chairman of Trout Unlimited Wisconsin, posted a letter and DNR beaver survey to the membership on their website that explains beaver destruction. He urges members to respond to the survey “to let the department know that we feel strongly about continuing to remove beaver from trout waters.”
See if we can keep the beavers away and keep draining the trout numbers by removing free trout-producing dams they’ll be more need for fisheries where they can grow their own with good american tax dollars. And if you think its unlikely that DNR relies on fish hatcheries to pay their salaries, then I invite you to do a random search for employee by subject. There is one wildlife biologist in the entire department that is supposed to be an expert on beavers. There are 20 such experts on trout including two for PR.
The author goes on to discuss the cruelty of trapping and the alternatives of flow devices, but if I were her I’d go straight for the pocket book. How much does the average wisconsinite pay each year for fishery maintenance and reintroduction, while the state is avidly killing the furry engineers that would do the work better, every day and for free.
This wholesale cruelty to beavers and destruction of our most valuable and diverse ecosystems defies all science and is baffling — unless you understand the DNR. Eighty years of killing-license funding has biased the agency to an obsession with destroying our wildlife and the vital natural systems they create.
A solution urgently needed is to legislate general public funding in lieu of killing-license bias. Fair participation of all citizens would create a vibrant Wisconsin, enriched with the beauty of living wildlife as the “sacred center” of wild native nature.
Go read the whole thing. Thanks Patricia for picking up the beaver gauntlet in WI. We’ll be happy to provide you with support and ammunition!
