Beaver Dam Blues - time lapse

In the city parks, beavers can present a problem. Since there are few, if any, predators to keep the beaver`s population in check their numbers can get quite high. As a result, they can do a great deal of damage to trees by either bringing them down or by flooding the areas in which the trees grow. One beaver dam was causing enough of a problem that it threatened a significant portion of a forest. An experiment was attempted which allowed the beaver to remain and protect the trees from flooding. The idea was to install pipes into the dam which would act as overflows preventing the water behind the dam from getting too high and drowning the tree roots. This involved tearing apart a portion of the dam by hand, installing the pipes, and allowing the beaver to repair its dam. So one afternoon three of us, Ken L., Josh K. and I, set to work taking the dam apart by hand. Once the we dug down enough we were able to install the pipes and attach them to stakes set into the mud behind the dam. In the photos included from a few days after the installation, one can see that the beaver began to repair the dam. So the technique appeared as if it was effective. However, shortly after the pictures were taken, a heavy rainshower burst the dam altogether. We will probably try the technique again this coming summer.