Beaver Control

CCT’S PROJECT TO CONTROL BEAVERS
A group of resident beavers decided CCT’s Rattlesnake Preserve would make a lovely pond and would give them an opportunity to enlarge and remodel their homes. Over the past year they constructed a high dam which has flooded the swampy ground near the corner of Rattlesnake and Cogswell Roads in North Cornwall. On the downside, fields were partially inundated -- but the upside tradeoff was an exponential increase in bird life (see article in the June ‘08 Cornwall Chronicle).

However, the dam eventually grew so high that the water began to impact the structural integrity of the nearby town road, and something had to be done. We had to find a way to lower the water level without constant attention and monitoring.

Research led to Michael Callahan and his design for a system that uses two 8-inch perforated pipes with their ends in the pond protected by a wire cage. The cage also keeps the pipes off the pond floor.

"The beaver flow control device was installed by Humane Society consultant, Skip Hilliker, with help from CCT Board Members. The system is comprised of two cages with four pipes, at a total cost of less than $1,000 and in just a few hours’ time.

Now, a couple of week’s experimentation and adjustment has lowered the water level to a more reasonable height with little apparent effect on wildlife. Although still a work in progress, we hope the system will be effective for the foreseeable future or until the beavers move on. And if this demonstration project works, we will have achieved the best of both worlds -- beaver control and enhanced wildlife habitat.

The following web sites illustrates solutions and a system similar to ours:

http://www.beaversolutions.com/flexible_pond_levelers.asp

http://www.wildlifehotline.org/beavers.html

Click here for a PDF brochure from the Humane Society that is very well done. Our design is illustrated in this brochure.





	Photos by J. Bouteiller