Beaver dams draw ire of residents

(10/15) During the public comment period at the October Town Council meeting, residents asked if the Town could do anything about the "swamp" on the south side of Coppermine Road where it crosses Israel Creek.

Residents claimed that the swamps were unsightly, a breeding ground for mosquitoes during the summer and the area "was just nasty" in appearance.

In response, Commissioner Rittelmeyer clarified that the "swamps" were not in fact swamps, but beaver dam pools.

"We have three beaver dams. There is one just south of there [Coppermine Road]. If you go 100 yards down stream, just before you get to the pedestrian bridge that runs along the creek behind the homes [on Copper Oaks Place] going north to south, and if you stand on the pedestrian bridge, you can really see them. Then, if you go 50 yards south of Route 550, there is a third one.

"If you stand on that bridge [over Route 550], I went out and looked at it a few months ago, it’s [the pond created by the beaver dam] huge. But if you walk out onto the bridge carefully, you can see them [the dams]. The one along the pedestrian path you can see from the path; it [the pond] comes literally within five feet of the path."

In response to a question concerning the dams preventing that stretch of the creek from draining, Rittelmeyer said that "was misinformation that was printed. Israel Creek does not run into Woodsboro Pond and has nothing to do with the water level in Woodsboro Pond."

But when pressed on the effect of the dams on the draining of Israel Creek, Rittelmeyer said, "Yes, it’s ponding in the creek. Yeah, that’s what beaver dams do. I mean they [the beavers] build it, the water can’t flow freely, the water backs up, the beavers build a den under the water." Rittelmeyer noted that when the water level reaches a certain height, the water then runs around the dams and continues to flow downstream.

When questioned on the Town’s ability to get rid of the beavers, Rittelmeyer said, "We can’t. No.

"When the first beaver dam appeared south of Route 550, this is going back in late December or January, I called the SHA [State Highway Administration], because they are the ones who did the creek project, and someone came out and looked at it. Then, a few weeks later, I saw a DNR [Department of Natural Resources] cop. They like beaver dams, so they are not inclined to get rid of them.

"They like beaver dams because it builds marsh, and marsh is good for other wildlife and plant life. They would not take any action [back in the earlier part of the year] on the one south of Rt 550 because, when it was first built, what drew my attention to it, was that in the whole area of the park between 550 and the long bridge, the water rose probably 12 to 18 inches. It [the water level] was getting up to a level where it was going to almost flood the park, and that’s why I called. A few storms later, the beaver dam got knocked down a little bit and they didn’t rebuild it quite as high."

Rittelmeyer also remarked that over the course of their dam building, the beavers had chewed down some of the young trees that had been planted around the pond in the community park for their building material.

So, while residents nor council members are happy about the dams, nothing can be done at this time to remove the beavers and their homes.