Beavers removed from below Cannon

[gram]

My husband and I usually do a yearly stroll up the Pemi Trail from Lafayette Campground to Profile Lake. Mid-section there has been beaver activity with a large area of dammed up water.

To our surprise, the area is now "drained." We stopped in at the campground store to inquire what happened. The woman said the beavers were trapped and removed elsewhere. The area with the beaver activity in no way impacted the campground. It seemed odd that they would do this in a state park.

What do you think? Where would they relocate the beavers to?

 

[RoySwkr]

What do you think? Where would they relocate the beavers to?

Beavers are more adaptable to relocation than many species, it is customary for the young to be kicked out and forced to begin a new colony elsewhere. When suitable food gets scarce,a whole colony may abandon a pond and move. Presumably they were put in suitable habitat farther from developed facilities.

 

[SkierSteve]

First the trail blazes are removed and now the beavers. What the heck is going on? These beavers should have taken up housekeeping in a Wilderness area, then it would have taken an act of Congress to get them removed.
Seriously, I remember seeing the dam in years past and can't imagine what they could have been hurting, in fact I loved seeing them there. Governing bodies do some weird things!!

 

[darren]

Trying to keep moose away from the highway?

Just a guess...

- d

 

[ColdRiverRun]

The woman said the beavers were trapped and removed elsewhere.

That would explain the weird article I read that said two furry kids were caught blazing near Owl’s Head, one of which was carrying an "OWSHEAD" sign?! And the fact that they were caught after trying to flee the scene by swimming away from authorities?!

What do you think?

Beaver removal is quite common, although I agree with your statement, "It seemed odd that they would do this in a state park". Common reasons;
If there damn breaks it could flood our campground.
They are diverting a water flow source to something.
Possible water contamination.
Large standing slow moving water body is causing bug infestation, driving away campers.

Considering you would think most campers would like the idea of a beaver pond near there campground a legit reason may have been had. I guess that you can't rule out that they were "removed" without proper permission either.

 

[ColdRiverRun]

Trying to keep moose away from the highway?

Just a guess...

- d

A very good one too.

 

[DougPaul]

That would explain the weird article I read that said two furry kids were caught blazing near Owl’s Head, one of which was carrying an "OWSHEAD" sign?! And the fact that they were caught after trying to flee the scene by swimming away from authorities?!

I thought they were caught chewing trees down...

Doug

 

[dvbl]

Trying to keep moose away from the highway?

Just a guess...

- d

Exactly. I camped at Lafayette a few months ago, and one night a ranger took me right over to where the beavers did their thing. It was too dark to see at the time, but she said the area was loaded with moose tracks...these moose had just found a great new feeding ground...dangerously close to the highway, where of course everybody drives the posted 45, right?

 

[Paradox]

Amazing animals. A few years back our town "asked" a friend to remove a beaver dam on his property as the pond was threatening the road. I gave him a hand a few times. As soon as we took a pick axe to the dam a beaver or two would show up and bang their tails with a loud "pop" on the water. They would swim back and forth looking at us and popping their tails until we had finished. They started to work as soon as we would leave, and by the next morning the dam would be functional again. Hard working animals... I guess that is why they call them beavers.

 

[Fisher Cat]

Surprised they didn't try dynamiting the dams like they did years ago. Of course when they did one of two things happened. 1-it was ineffective, those dams can really surprisingly absorb a lot, 2-other beavers moved into the site when the originals were removed and repaired the damage and lived quite contentedly. Traditionally when the young beavers are forced out they have a tendency to head upstream and uphill from their birthing area. One time one wandered onto the top of MT W and they had to catch with what thry had available-a trash can-and drove it down the Auto Road.

 

[Paradox]

... those dams can really surprisingly absorb a lot,....

To be sure! My friend pulled parts of that dam apart about twenty times, over the course of two summers, before the beavers moved on. It is very hard work to pull them apart which I can attest to.

 

[Kevin Judy and Emma]

Beavers

In most instances, it seems, the beavers are much smarter and much, much more industrious than humans. So, how does one overcome a beaver problem? Tear down the dam? They just rebuild. Kill them? More just come along. They are rodents and breed as such. Move them? Same effect as killing them.

So, what to do? Well, man has a much bigger brain than a rodent, usually. So, with a little thought and effort, a solution can be had. There are several ways of mitigating flooding behind beaver dams without killing, moving or blowing anything up. A fine example is along the Livermore Road about a mile from the west trailhead. A long plastic culvert surrounded by concrete reinforcement mesh allows the water to flow under the road and the beavers can do nothing to block it.

Communities need to start using their heads instead of wasting money trying to remove dams and beavers. Beavers are a "keystone" animal, which create wetlands upon which many, many other species rely on to survive. We know what happens if we remove the keystone in a stone arch. Remove the beavers and the rest will crumble.

In this case, I think Darren is right. The moose were getting too close to the highway. You can't remove the moose, so, remove what is attracting them, the wetlands the beavers have created. I think this will continue to be a problem for some time to come. Moving these beavers will just allow others to move in.

Personally, and this is just my own opinion, I wish there were no roads through any notches in NH. I wish the only way you could get to see any of these areas was by the same grit and determination it takes to see the rest of the WMNF.

KDT

 

[Nutsosa]

Attack-Beavers?

Maybe they were moved because they were a direct threat to campers.

When Beavers Attack

 

[Hillwalker]

Beavers and Giardia

Many years ago there was a beautiful chain of ponds running up the valley to Zealand. Many trout...... Then when Twin Mountain started having a problem with Giardia in thier public water supply the beaver dams were removed since that is the water supply for the town. Beavers are a known vector for Giardia and maybe the park authorities were concerned about that.

Incidentally, after twenty years the ponds are slowly coming back into the Zealand valley once again.

 

[4000'er]

...these moose had just found a great new feeding ground

Please forgive my ignorance, but are you saying that moose eat beaver?

 

[MichaelJ]

No; they're saying that moose like beaver ponds. They like ponds and swampy areas in general.

 

[DrewKnight]

I love that mental image...

Please forgive my ignorance, but are you saying that moose eat beaver?

I can just see the stand-off: at thousand pounds of bull moose, antlers down, and the a big male beaver, balanced on his tail, giant yellow incisors bared for the fight.

Turns out, no... but beaver create an ideal feeding habitat for moose:

"Pondweed, water lily, arrowhead and such underwater delicacies [which] provide moose with nourishment and minerals that are important to both antler growth and milk production... Moose are not carnivorous [they don't even eat beaver]." (Nature Photographers Online)

That's why you see them hanging out in the bogs all along Moose Alley, the Kancamagus, etc., hock-deep in mucky water.

 

[4000'er]

No; they're saying that moose like beaver ponds. They like ponds and swampy areas in general.

That make more sense...
I had this picture in my mind of a moose chasing a beaver around for a late night snack.