Wanna see another episode of “Pennsylvania: not solving problems”? Here it is in all its not-quite-glory.
Beaver dam could pose problematic for Mather road
At least once a month, Dan Foster of Clarksville travels through Mather and along Stony Point Road (Township Road 855) to attend Wing Night at the Stony Point Restaurant.
For the past two months, as he drove to join others of the Jefferson Baptist Church men’s group, Foster noticed a rise in the water level at the Brown’s Run Reservoir. Turns out the reason behind the rising water is a beaver lodge built on top the overflow of the reservoir dam. Foster pegs the structure at around two feet in height.
Ooh this is a good episode. They can’t even tell the difference between a LODGE and a DAM. Get the popcorn and let’s watch.
On Friday, January 17, Bence made a site inspection and determined the dam wasn’t an immediate problem. However, he said he would monitor the water level periodically to make sure it doesn’t rise to a level that will impact traffic or threaten the road.
Because this time of year is smack in the middle of beaver trapping season, which extends from December 26 to March 31, when the fur is thickest, Bence said some trappers may come along and remove the beavers from the reservoir.
If the beavers remain after the close of the trapping season and pose problems, he said he’d catch them in line traps that don’t kill them and move them to an area where they won’t be an issue for humans.
“There’s no telling how many there might be,” Bence said. “Usually beavers don’t live in large numbers. It’s mostly a male and female with this year’s pups. After a year, the pups disperse to look around for a mate.”
Got that? Trappers “REMOVE” the beavers when the fur is valuable and just move them around when its not. Pretty darn thoughtful of them isn’t it?
According to Bence, beavers are nocturnal and crepuscular, meaning they’re more active at dusk.
“This time of year, I walk along the waterways looking for traps to see if they’re set legally,” Bence said. “For one, you can’t trap on private property or 15-feet from a beaver lodge because you can’t trap them near where they live. Trappers must also check their traps every 30 hours to make sure a trapped beaver doesn’t starve or suffer.”
Oh okay. I admit you have three full ounces more compassion than most trappers I read about. I’ll spare you my full onslaught.There are a few beaver friends in Pennsylvania. Not many, but a few. One is following the website and attending BeaverCon2020 as our correspondent. Let’s hope he talks to his neighbors.
What are your plans in March, Bence?
Got a note saying Vista Print 50% off sale today. I try to keep things in my portfolio ready to go and just waiting for the big ones. Got 100 of these 4 x 6 suspect cards for 16 bucks. Not bad.
So each child gets one of these at the festival in a manila envelope marked top secret to begin their hunt for clues. Seems kinda fun. They have to identify each footprint to rule out suspects and solve the mystery.
What do you think happened to the missing salmon? My money’s on the otter.
