Now this is a delightful read about our old friend Skip Lisle in Halifax Vermont. Enjoy every paragraph because you don’t wake up to this every day.
Bothersome beavers bedevil Halifax
HALIFAX — Keystone species are those that have a disproportionately large effect on their habitats. “They help maintain biodiversity and there are no other species in the ecosystem that can serve their same function,” wrote Amy McKeever, for National Geographic. “Without them, their ecosystem would change dramatically or could even cease to exist.”
When a keystone species is removed from its natural habitat, the result is known as a trophic cascade, a disruption of a natural food web in a particular ecosystem.“Beavers are a keystone species that help with flood resiliency and create environments for a full range of creatures from salamanders up to moose,” said Stephan Chait, the chairman of the Halifax Conservation Commission. “They are important neighbors we need to learn to live with.”
“Their dam building prowess traps sediments, processes nutrients, and creates lush wetland and floodplain habitat which not only filters water but provides incredibly diverse habitat for other wildlife,” states information from the Maryland Department of Natural Resources.
Now isn’t that a GREAT WAY to start an article about beavers? I swear I didn’t change or add a thing.When I read a good article on the subject I like to check whether it’s a Onrsy – One person speaking wisely about beavers or sometimes maybe a Twosy – Two people who know the truth and can defend them together. How many can you count in this article?
“You can’t just kill some beavers,” said Skip Lisle, of Beaver Deceivers, located in Grafton. “You have to exterminate them all.”
Lisle, who spoke with the Reformer from Florida, where he was installing one of his “Beaver Deceivers,” said humans and beavers can live together if the right steps are taken.
“If you have more beavers, you have more flood resiliency,” he said, and considering the effects of Tropical Storm Irene and one-time drenching thunderstorms that have become more common, beavers can actually protect human life and prevent property damage.
“Wetlands are a sponge that release water over time,” said Lisle.
An installation in FLORIDA??? Skip be careful! There are more than beavers in that water!
Beaver Deceivers and devices installed by the state can help prevent damage while preserving the ecological niche created by beavers.
For instance, the Castor Master, invented by Lisle, is a double-walled pipe and round fence that serves as a filter. The system is used to prevent flooding by lowering the pond height. Near roadways, such a device will move the dam back from a culvert. If the top of the device is lower than the top of the culvert, then spillover can drain into the culvert instead of flooding the road.
An example of such a device can be found on Adams Crossroad in Marlboro.
In Halifax, the Select Board is looking for solutions to beaver dams on Hatch School Road, Amidon Road and Pennel Hill. Chait said while the Conservation Commission is interested in protecting beaver habitat, it’s also a question about how best to utilize the town’s resources and money.
“What’s the most economical, cost-effective solution?” he asked.“The road crew could keep going back every few years and doing the same thing over and over again,” said Chait. “How does that expense compare to the cost of installing a flow device?”
So we have select board member Chait, and Skip in this article speaking the truth. Anyone else?
Patti Smith, a naturalist at the Bonnyvale Environmental Education Center, said beavers have been shaping the landscape of New England long before any humans arrived.
“They had a tremendous influence on the structure of our ancient forests,” she said. “They were one of the forces that created openings and meadows and shrubland. There is a whole mosaic they create.”
Beavers create beaver ponds that eventually fill up with sediment. Beavers eventually move on, but the habitat they leave behind is rich with sphagnum peat moss that absorbs water.
“By creating dams they raise the bottom of the stream level to be in a better connection with the flood plain alongside,” said Smith. “High water can then spread out rather than charging off downstream.”
THREESY! That almost never ever happens! Beavers in Vermont are SO DAM LUCKY. I expect great things for Halifax. Carry on team. Keeping setting the gold standard for the nation. I have every faith in you,
