What is the big deal with beavers anyway?

Why are beavers a problem to cottagers?

     If you have beavers near your property, you may have an all too familiar understanding of the term "nuisance beavers," but if beavers have not colonized near your property it may not be so apparent why they could be such a major problem. The most obvious issue with neighbouring beavers is the danger and damage from falling trees; however, the more pressing issue is actually flooding!

Could a beaver dam lead to this?

     Beavers are very efficient and thorough at maintaining their dams and repairing leaks, but eventually they may abandon their dam and over a few years the dam will decay, collapse and release all of the reservoir water it was holding back. Additionally, there are the rare occasions where occupied dams collapse; something goes wrong and the beavers are unable to repair their dam in time.

      These floods have potential to cause major damage. For example, in 2009 a dam collapsed, caused a train derailment and resulted in more than 15 000 L of fuel to be spilled into the Ottawa river. The story is outlined in this CBC article. Although this disaster was the result of a collapsed dam, the environmental damage is the result of more complicated circumstances than merely some pesky beavers living in the region. The disaster is ultimately the result of a failure to develop effectively along with nature. As we have outlined in previous posts this blog is about how humans and beavers can cohabit effectively. This requires proper ecological knowledge and management.

      In this case, the flood hit a train, but "train" could easily be replaced with "cottage". Beaver dams should not just be taken with a grain of salt, and beavers must be managed effectively. If you are concerned about potential flooding, remember that the lifestyle of the beavers does have positive a effect on the ecosystem, attracting nature and allowing it to flourish for you to enjoy. Therefore, the best solution would be relocation to suitable habitat that is just outside the range where floods could be damaging, but close enough for you to reap in the rewards. This is best done as non-intrusively as possible, but of course relocation is by definition fairly intrusive. Ways to do this are through traditional trap and release, or by use of the beaver baffler outlined here.