Drowning. Freezing, Starving we’re flexible either will do.
The city of Belleville Ontario was mightily hindered by those pesky citizens asking them not to drown beavers so they waited until everyone was away and then ripped the dams out entirely leaving a mudflat that will soon freeze solid so they can’t reach their food cache. Belleville leaders are flexible. They can starve the animals or freeze them too.
Bell Creek group vexed by city razing of Belleville beaver dams
Members of Friends of Bell Creek group contend the City of Belleville is not abiding in good faith by a wildlife policy approved in 2019 by city council to humanely manage beavers and other animals living in urban pockets of the city.
Municipal officials said the beaver dams needed to be taken down to release rising waters and the marsh to drain after city hall received complaints from nearby homeowners backing onto to the wetland that water levels were encroaching upon their homes and posing a flood risk.
The beaver dilemma has been ongoing since September 2018 when residents Doug and Carolyn Knutson and Chris and Susan Finkle made a deputation to city council and showed a video of their July 2018 rescue of a beaver in a leg-hold trap set by the city.
You remember Doug. The filmmaker who came across a drowning beaver in a trap and was stunned to learn such things routinely happened in his city and all over Canada. He and a group of like minded friends pushed the city to agree not to trap.
But they never promised not to freeze.
Despite the new policy measures, Friends of Bell Creek member Doug Knutson — a filmmaker who has documented the beavers’ plight in urban areas – told The Intelligencer he is disappointed with the latest damage to beaver dams by the municipality.
The removal of water just before winter couldn’t come at a worse time for the marsh animals that depend on deeper water to survive the freeze, he said.
Speaking at the marsh site of two affected beaver dams on the western side of Haig Road just north of Victoria Avenue, Knutson said after several years of working with the city to install alternative anti-flooding devices, the city did not need to remove the dams Nov. 16.
You never said we couldn’t freeze. Be fair. You know it’s true.
“Beavers are probably one of our greatest natural allies because they keep water on the land and that helps prevent flooding and prevents drought. We should be doing everything possible to permit beavers to exist where it’s feasible but unfortunately in the marsh behind us here, the city has created a situation where it’s not that feasible,” he said.
Doug has become such an awesome advocate. I’m sure the city of Belleville is thankful there aren’t ten more of him every day.
Joe Reid, general manager of the city’s Transportation and Operation Services, told The Intelligencer the municipality is listening to all concerned to protect both homes and beavers and asserts the city is following the wildlife policy.
Reid confirmed the dams at Stanley Park were dismantled last week to prevent flooding but no beavers were trapped or killed.
“I can assure you right now that absolutely no trapping is occurring in Stanley Park,” Reid said.
You all remember that kid on the playground who would promise it would be “your turn” next and then said smartly that he didn’t have to keep his bargain because “I crossed my fingers!” Well the city swore they wouldn’t drown. They didn’t say anything about freezing or starving.
Reid said “our staff have been going in, and again we have removed a few dams, we removed a few dams to allow the water to drain, hoping the animals would move on.”
The beavers, however, have not moved to another area and have rebuilt their dams to bring water levels up once again.The city is looking at extending a longer new pipe farther into the marsh that will siphon water away at a slower steady rate but still maintain water levels suitable for the survival of the beavers, he said.
“We’re hoping to get in the next week or two. We’ve ordered some pipe to extend the pipe that’s currently there,” Reid said. “We’re hoping to extend the pipe a little farther to allow the water to equalize out and build a Beaver Baffler extension as the next step. We’re looking at mitigating measures to allow that co-existence.”
We’re ordering that pipe right now, honest, but you know how slow things are getting delivered with Covid and everything. We here in Belleville are all about the coexistence. You know we are.
The mayor has promised people not to trap them
I wonder if they’re really well
But the weather’s getting cold
And the promise getting old
They can rip the dams and let them freeze, that Belleville
