Oh my, there may not be a vaccine for the virus yet, but last night was an innoculation against despair. Which we all need. Anna Kolosky of Vermont has another big helping this morning. Enjoy.
The beaver – our ally in fighting the effects of a warming planet
As a student who has an interest in environmental justice, I wanted to learn more about beaver management in Vermont, given that they are a keystone species that are crucial to the health of many types of wildlife. After viewing a June 2020 beaver webinar presented by Vermont Fish & Wildlife, I was left with outstanding questions about some of the information presented.
We can all agree that beavers are a keystone species that are crucial to the health of many types of wildlife. Beaver-created wetlands serve as diverse ecosystems and habitats for threatened and endangered species. With our planet facing the very real effects of climate change, including drought, we should be protecting beavers, not trapping them for “recreation” and “tradition.” Beaver created habitat reduces erosion, removes harmful pollutants, and moderates stream flow during times of flooding and drought. Tragically, these ecosystem engineers are trapped throughout Vermont in unlimited numbers. Trappers can’t claim they do it for money, since beaver pelts are worthless on the fur market.
Excellent letter Anna! She is using these arguments to combat some negative press about how Massachusetts failed when it banned beaver trapping. But that’s okay. We can enjoy her letter for our own selfish purposes.
Twenty years ago, the town of Billerica, Mass. addressed beaver concerns by employing Beaver Solution LLC to develop and implement non-lethal, humane, long-lasting, and cost-effective plans. As of 2019, the town has a total of 55 beaver management sites; 43 managed with humane flow devices and 12 managed by trapping. Non-lethal management has allowed 38 beaver colonies to create over 380 acres of wetland area and has subsequently provided Billerica with approximately $2 million in ecological services annually. There are easy ways to prevent other types of beaver damage, such as the felling of trees, by wrapping the base of trees with wire mesh or painting them with a gritty paint mixture.
In addition to Billerica’s efforts, the town of Templeton, Mass. implemented five flow devices that have an annualized cost of $163.25 distributed over a 20-year life space. Templeton’s animal inspector has found that “the flow devices are a very cost-effective way for towns to deal with beavers,” “they save towns a lot of money” and “they are very effective in keeping down the cost for the DPW.” By correctly installing non-lethal methods of management, living alongside beavers has proven to be ecologically and economically beneficial.
The way I see it, I don’t much care whether beavers are trapped or depredated, which is a matter of semantics. I want everyone in the country to understand that a dead beaver is an uncashed check: an unused resource. It is theoretically possible that there are checks it is in your interest not to cash, like that birthday card from your uncle the mobster, but the vast majority of them have work to do.
And, by golly, we should let them do it.
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