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charlene · 12-06-2004, 09:45 AM

problems on the trail:

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Jim Wilson
Mairposa Folk Festival

Mariposa Gymnastics
Rad Shop

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Beavers wreak havoc on trail
Dam removed on Lightfoot Trail after flooding concerns along Drinkwater Drive

Chris Simon
Local News - Saturday, December 04, 2004 @ 08:00

Protect the beavers.

That’s the message of an Orillia resident who is worried for the safety of a couple of the bucktoothed mammals, which built a dam in a stream running parallel to the Lightfoot Trail along Drinkwater Drive.

The city’s operations department sent a backhoe into the trail to remove the dam because of flooding concerns along Drinkwater Drive yesterday, said parks and recreation director Cliff Turner.

“The backup of water was such it was threatening Drinkwater for flooding,” he said. “(The beavers are) creating a lot of flooding of the trail and the area as the dam (is) built up.”

The beavers have also been destroying several trees in the area, he said.

However, the removal has left the beavers vulnerable to predators and the weather, said Tom, who asked that his last name not be used.

“They need the water for protection,” he said. “It was the roughest solution there could be. The public should be made aware it was an unnecessary act.”

Tom has been walking the trail since it was built. This is the second time since September that he has seen a beaver dam removed by the city.

While Tom doesn’t have a problem with the removal of the beavers from the stream, a live trap should have been set during warmer weather so they could be humanely relocated, he said.

And naturalists agree that a well-monitored live trap should have been set before the dam removal.

“There’s nobody in (city) staff who has any respect or regard for wildlife,” said Orillia Naturalists’ Club president Jim Woodford. “It’s the principle, there are lots of beaver around. You should at least make efforts to get rid of them.

“It’s a bad principle not to try and protect things first.”

Woodford does expect the beavers to build another dam quickly, possibly within 24 hours. And the beavers should be safe from the weather, he said.

“They’re amazing architects,” said Woodford. “My bet would be they’ll build another dam.”

The city has had discussions about live trapping beavers. The removal of dams continues to be an expense for the city, however there is no decision on the relocation of beavers, said Turner.

“It is an issue for parks and recreation because we’re responsible for the (trail) maintenance,” he said. “The dam is broken. Now what happens to the beaver with the onset of winter? I can’t really answer that. I just know they’re creating major problems with flooding (and) we have to manage that.”

12-06-2004, 09:45 AM	#2
charlene Moderator Join Date: May 2000 Posts: 16,001	problems on the trail: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Jim Wilson Mairposa Folk Festival Mariposa Gymnastics Rad Shop -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Beavers wreak havoc on trail Dam removed on Lightfoot Trail after flooding concerns along Drinkwater Drive Chris Simon Local News - Saturday, December 04, 2004 @ 08:00 Protect the beavers. That’s the message of an Orillia resident who is worried for the safety of a couple of the bucktoothed mammals, which built a dam in a stream running parallel to the Lightfoot Trail along Drinkwater Drive. The city’s operations department sent a backhoe into the trail to remove the dam because of flooding concerns along Drinkwater Drive yesterday, said parks and recreation director Cliff Turner. “The backup of water was such it was threatening Drinkwater for flooding,” he said. “(The beavers are) creating a lot of flooding of the trail and the area as the dam (is) built up.” The beavers have also been destroying several trees in the area, he said. However, the removal has left the beavers vulnerable to predators and the weather, said Tom, who asked that his last name not be used. “They need the water for protection,” he said. “It was the roughest solution there could be. The public should be made aware it was an unnecessary act.” Tom has been walking the trail since it was built. This is the second time since September that he has seen a beaver dam removed by the city. While Tom doesn’t have a problem with the removal of the beavers from the stream, a live trap should have been set during warmer weather so they could be humanely relocated, he said. And naturalists agree that a well-monitored live trap should have been set before the dam removal. “There’s nobody in (city) staff who has any respect or regard for wildlife,” said Orillia Naturalists’ Club president Jim Woodford. “It’s the principle, there are lots of beaver around. You should at least make efforts to get rid of them. “It’s a bad principle not to try and protect things first.” Woodford does expect the beavers to build another dam quickly, possibly within 24 hours. And the beavers should be safe from the weather, he said. “They’re amazing architects,” said Woodford. “My bet would be they’ll build another dam.” The city has had discussions about live trapping beavers. The removal of dams continues to be an expense for the city, however there is no decision on the relocation of beavers, said Turner. “It is an issue for parks and recreation because we’re responsible for the (trail) maintenance,” he said. “The dam is broken. Now what happens to the beaver with the onset of winter? I can’t really answer that. I just know they’re creating major problems with flooding (and) we have to manage that.”