Community News

PROPERTY OWNERS MUST PAY FOR DAM DAMAGES

BRENT COOPER

Cliff Samson has a love-hate relationship with his "neighbours" along Pigeon Creek.

"Behind my property here, I've got a nice pond creek that's running all year, and I've got all kinds of animals and whatnot for the past, probably seven years."

Then one day in the past few years, his "neighbours" moved in ... or more precisely, beavers began to build homes and dams on the creek, and according to Samson, there are some good points of having these industrious critters nearby.

"What ends up happening is that there's a natural waterfall down at the other end and in the

summer months, when it's dry, there's no water coming over that. Without the beaver dam at this end, all my water would drain out, and I would basically have a marsh behind my house with no water in it. But because of the beaver dam, it keeps water here all the time. And as a result, I've got wildlife here all the time."

While the beavers do allow Samson and his family to enjoy regular visits by various wildlife caused by the flowing water, the situation does come with some overflow issues.

"It's never going to be high enough that to flood my house, I don't think, because the water would just pour out, but high enough that it floods my paths and my dock and stuff like that. So interesting thing was, is that I've gone a couple of times and just taken a couple of like the top layer off the dam to get the water flowing again. And if I spent an hour doing that overnight, they've rebuilt it again," he said with a slight laugh.

However, while there is no risk of damage in Samson's situation, other landowners should be very careful when considering removing a beaver dam on their property, as private property owners may be held responsible for damages that could occur downstream.

According to the Ministry of Northern Development, Mines, Natural Resources and Forestry, it is illegal to damage or destroy a beaver dam unless specifically exempted through the Fish and Wildlife Conservation Act, such as for the removal of dams to protect private property.

"When a landowner elects to remove a beaver dam, the landowner or agent must exercise extreme caution to prevent downstream flooding, damage to natural habitats and property damage," said Amanda Vincent, resource management co-ordinator for the ministry.

Landowners are permitted to hire a registered trapper or remove the dams themselves if property or infrastructure on private lands — or neighbouring properties — are at risk due to a dam.

So what should a property owner do if they spot a beaver dam on their property that could cause infrastructure damage?

The ministry said property owners can make the area uninviting for beavers by planting vegetation that beavers don't like, such as elderberry, ninebark and twinberry; wrapping individual trees in metre-high, galvanized welded wire fencing, hardware cloth or multiple layers of chicken wire; or painting tree trunks with a sand and paint mix to protect trees from beaver damage.

One can also hire an experienced trapper or wildlife technician to properly remove the beavers from the region.

In cases of flooding due to a blocked waterway or culvert, some experts recommend using a beaver deceiver, a structure that utilizes a plastic culvert and heavy-duty fencing installed in the beaver dam, allowing water to drain to a lower level.

Scott Sears of Saps Nuisance Wildlife Control is a trapping instructor with the ministry. He said once the beavers are removed from the pond or creek, you must take a methodical approach to dismantling the dam. "You have to do a little bit at a time. You need to start with a little hole to get the water flowing over the beaver dam, maybe 24 inches in the middle of the beaver dam ... and then come back the next day and do the same thing again," he said.

"I've got wildlife here all the time" - Samson

– With files from Sarah Cooke STORY BEHIND THE STORY: Property owners in Muskoka often have to deal with beaver dams, and it's important to know what is at risk from many angles.

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2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

2023-03-23T07:00:00.0000000Z

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