Of course I was surprised when I opened my news feed this morning to come across this article from Lisbon, CT which makes it sound like doing something that bothers beavers is actually a bad thing. Of course we know it is, but most of the word doesn’t usually share our wisdom.
Lisbon landowner fears Eversource project is bothering beavers
LISBON — Travelers heading south on Interstate 395 may have noticed in the past few months that land has been cleared on the side of the highway and a gravel road has been built just south of Exit 21.
The clearing and the road are part of a maintenance project being done by Eversource Energy, replacing 121 wooden poles carrying electrical transmission lines with new ones made of 
steel. The new poles are up to 85 feet tall, but are limited to being no more than 10 feet taller than the wooden ones they’re replacing.
Randy Wildowsky, a dairy farmer who owns land in Lisbon on both sides of I-395 that Eversource’s lines run across, is complaining that the utility has caused damage to wetlands there that won’t be easily fixed.
“Anything that irritates the beavers bothers me,” Wildowsky said.
Randy!
A Daniel come to judgment, yea, a Daniel!—O wise young judge, how I do honor thee!
In 12 years of reporting beaver stories I will say that Randy’s objection is a true first – some one who actually proclaims that what’s he’s personally against a thing if it’s bad for beavers. i mean sometimes there are folks who want to SAVE beavers, but the idea of using beavers as a weather vane to see what is good or ill for a landscape, that’s brand new!
Usually things that are bad for beavers are more of a ‘feature’ not a ‘bug’.
The Siting Council approved the project in March 2017, ruling that “this proposal would not have a substantial adverse environmental effect.” The state agency is responsible for overseeing the construction and operation of power plants and transmission lines throughout the state. Eversource has promised that when the work is done, “all disturbed/exposed areas would be stabilized and revegetated.”
“Anything that irritates the beavers bothers me,” Wildowsky said.
I’m sure the beavers would like you to replant the area with willow and cottonwood. Keep an eye out to make sure that really happens because they’ll need that most of all. I know they appreciate Randy’s help but they can fix the wetlands after eversource is done mucking around in it. I know for a fact it’s true because ours survived the installation of a wall of sheetpile right in their front yard.
