Comments
arthur_taff t1_iybp5ry wrote
Why didn't they just... build a better bridge? Or move it? Why'd they mess with a perfectly natural Beaver colony?
stanmeower t1_iybpa2f wrote
What happened to the beavers? This makes me upset that they just destroyed a natural habitat for they're convenience.
JEP_Metalworks t1_iybt9kc wrote
I vote for leave it to beaver too.
Leemcardhold t1_iyciqk7 wrote
Beaver is probably still around and already rebuilding
ImprintVector t1_iycl2ju wrote
This is just another story of a small entitled group of asshats destroying our state. Leave the fucking beavers alone.
Halfameetball t1_iycpivr wrote
So I've seen this most of my life. I live in a Town with a lot of fire roads and the snowmobile club maintains them for the town. There are many Beaver ponds with the beaver dams built right up against the snowmobile bridges. Every 5 years or so the Beaver dams need to be removed because they get so large. The water goes around the bridge instead of under it. It only takes a year for the Beavers to rebuild and fill the pond again.
It's a cycle. The beavers will rebuild. They always do. Unless they trap them...
RFausta t1_iycqk00 wrote
Resident of bow: the beavers were trapped and killed.
RFausta t1_iycqktp wrote
They trapped and killed them.
RFausta t1_iycqz6e wrote
Resident of Bow, attended the post-destruction town meeting, involved in other town groups as well. The snowmobile club has shown basically zero regrets, posted on Facebook about how awesome they are and everyone should love them, and are basically a pile of asshats who knew what they were about to do, did an endrun around the town and regulations, and have absolutely no respect for anyone.
The town select board was largely unaware of what they were voting on- only the Town Manager said he knew what the work would entail, the other selectboard members did not know it would involve removing the dam entirely, draining the pond, and trapping and killing the beavers. Most people, selectboard and others, were unaware and/or misled that “removing debris” actually meant removing the whole dam and draining the pond.
Halfameetball t1_iycr1vn wrote
Thanks for the info.
RFausta t1_iycr5gn wrote
Their vocal representatives keep trying to argue they were “restoring” the natural environment because it was a stream.. in the 1960’s. 🙄
warren_stupidity t1_iyct1eb wrote
Tinofpopcorn t1_iycv5tp wrote
Not anymore
smartest_kobold t1_iycvqy5 wrote
The beavers have been doing this for a couple million years and haven't poisoned the water with PFAS so far. I say we let the beavers run things for a while.
Pbtflakes t1_iycxffm wrote
After fur trapping had extirpated the native beavers, no less.
gman2391 t1_iycy8p0 wrote
Probably because the bridge is located on a class vi town road. Relocating the bridge would be prohibitively expensive assuming another suitable location could even be found. From the pictures in the article, it is clear the dam had grown higher than the bridge and if it let go during a spring flood it could take out the bridge, part of the road, any people in the area and could cause other issues downstream. There are obviously 2 sides to every story
USA-cubicle-worker t1_iycydxz wrote
These snowmobilers are absolute morons and the town board is filled with dipshits. BUT!!!.....
We killed and scared off all of the beavers natural predators to move in a build our homes around the pond, so human management of the beavers is necessary. "Leave the beavers" alone is not an option, because we didn't leave the bears, wolf, coyote, foxes, snakes, birds of prey alone a century or more ago to manage the beavers themselves. They should have consulted with the State Fish and Wildlife department and requested help to manage the situation for the best of the ecosystem.
I blame the town for this...
Pbtflakes t1_iycyzlg wrote
Slight correction, coyotes didn't come to New England until roughly a century ago, when wolves were killed off.
gman2391 t1_iycz0qy wrote
Pretty sure they did consult with f&g before doing anything
USA-cubicle-worker t1_iyczcg3 wrote
Thanks for the correction! Did not know.
USA-cubicle-worker t1_iycznrr wrote
How are you sure? Would be nice to see the Fish and Game response.
RFausta t1_iyd08q7 wrote
Just to clarify, “downstream” is a protected, Prime wetland and there are no people in that direction.
Most_Expert_8080 t1_iyd17hm wrote
The beavers are dead because they killed them
Leemcardhold t1_iyd1gyv wrote
Well a juvenile beaver will probably move to pond in the spring and the cycle will continue
gman2391 t1_iyd1tup wrote
The club said they did, I have no reason to believe otherwise. They did share a name or 2 somewhere of the people they were in contact with but I don't feel like digging for it
Most_Expert_8080 t1_iyd2vck wrote
Maybe, but they will obviously kill them again. Whenever a place has decided that beavers are a menace to their society then its over for them. Especially when it is a thing like a snowmobile club.
gman2391 t1_iyd2xs5 wrote
There are house abutting the downstream wetland only a few hundred feet from the dam. Not saying they're at risk necessarily, but a dam suddenly letting go does have the potential to cause issues downstream.
My comment about people was intended to be primarily directed at the bridge and the immediate area though. The bridge and trail are used by a lot more than just snowmobilers.
RFausta t1_iyd38pw wrote
RFausta t1_iyd3cgx wrote
I think the houses are elevated such that a pond the size that it was would not inundate them in any way.
RFausta t1_iyd3ftp wrote
The president of the snowmobile club has declared there will never be beavers there again.
Key-Gold9547 t1_iyd4ow6 wrote
dilznoofus t1_iyd5ezd wrote
coming here from MN, why do you need to make bridges and stuff to get to trails in the winter - is it because the water doesn't freeze solid? you don't get enough snow? I don't get it.
either way those are both bad signs for any hope for happy snowmobiling.
spent my childhood zooming across frozen lakes and streams on a sled, I can't imagine us blowing up a beaver dam... that would just make more frozen flat space for cruising.
100% support putting the beavers back and letting the snowmobilers figure out another path, they are the smart apes with opposable thumbs... if we can put people on the moon you can probably figure out how to get to your trail without destroying the beaver habitat
Maldonian t1_iyd5i48 wrote
You might not want to state what town you live in… but I’d love to hear more about the fire roads there.
SillyIce t1_iyd6cgb wrote
That’s really bummer, so they killed the beavers because snowmobiles.
roborob11 t1_iyda3rw wrote
There’s a short article in the December issue of the Scientific American reviewing “Beaverland: How one rodent made North America” by Leila Philip. It describes the vast continent as a “lush, wet world … diffuse, messy, spread out … incredibly dynamic … hydrating everything.” (Except the deserts). Here’s to loving beaver(s).
[deleted] t1_iydcw6b wrote
[removed]
Cullen7777 t1_iyddaeb wrote
beaver is delicious
Most_Expert_8080 t1_iydgzoc wrote
For the suburban east coast, the destruction of all natural things is the endgame.
A-Do-Gooder t1_iydi3cb wrote
It's absolutely outrageous! To wipe out a keystone species that supported and entire ecosystem, causing death and devastation to much of the local wildlife, negatively impacting the cultural experiences of local community residents, and likely harming local property values, simply because a group of snowmobilers wanted to protect their precious bridge. 🤦🏻♂️ I would be incensed if I were a community member.
There were so many mitigating actions they could have taken to address their concerns, such as clearing the previously existing drain, putting in a new drain, raising the bridge, or some other solution to address their concerns. It's called "maintaining" for a reason. Instead, they went DEFCON 5 and destroyed and killed everything. It's completely asinine. That would be like going to the dentist for a minor surface cavity and asking them to remove all of your teeth so that you never have a cavity again. It's preposterous!
Able_Cunngham603 t1_iydisdl wrote
Speaking from experience as a landowner, snowmobile clubs tend to be run by entitled douchebags.
Snowmobilers are going to see their trail network start to dwindle if their clubs don’t smarten up.
WillieDogFresh t1_iydvjdb wrote
Northeast megalopolis is hungry
Cantide756 t1_iyekzrr wrote
I didn't think that was legal? I thought they were protected in this state. I know DOT has tons of issues with them mucking stuff up, but can't do anything to the animal.
Cantide756 t1_iyelau0 wrote
Fuck em with a rake
Neighborhood_Lesbian t1_iyfd5wj wrote
Looking at fish and game's website, there is a trapping season for Beaver and no bag limit.
DethKnotWurst OP t1_iybn31y wrote
Personally, I would probably side with beavers over snowmobilers just about every time. This is sad.