Relocation a humane alternative for beavers

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A few years ago, two beavers took up residence at Red Lake near Tum Tum, Wash.

Each spring, they produced kits, until the small, spring-fed lake was home to nine of the industrious rodents. Neighbors watched with concern as the beavers chewed their way through stands of cottonwoods and alders, and started girdling pine trees.

"The lake had been surrounded by trees," said Les Smith, who lives nearby. "They were altering the look of the land."

Calls to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife resulted in a humane solution. The neighbors were referred to a beaver relocation program.

The nine beavers were live-trapped by The Lands Council, a nonprofit based in Spokane, Wash. They'll be released on private property near Priest River, where the landowner wants beaver dams and ponds for wildlife habitat and water storage.

Most nuisance beavers are euthanized, so relocation is "a nice option to have," said Madonna Luers, a Fish and Wildlife spokeswoman. "Some people have too many beavers, but they want alternatives. They don't have to kill them."

A $50,000 state grant through the Spokane County Conservation District is funding The Lands Council's beaver relocation program.

Once trapped to near extinction for their luxurious pelts, beaver populations are on the rebound. Pests in some settings, North America's largest rodents are welcomed in others.

Researchers view beavers as natural allies in stream bank restoration. In the arid West, beaver dams could help mitigate the impact of climate change's hotter, drier summer by creating natural water storage.

"I think they're going to save the West," said Mike Petersen, The Lands Council's executive director. "If there were millions of beaver around, it would be a different place."

Through Craigslist, word-of-mouth and communication with wildlife agencies, the council's staff is working to find new homes for beavers deemed nuisances in their existing locations.

The Lands Council has identified 10,000 miles of Eastern Washington's creeks and streams where beaver could be re-established. Beaver dams connect streams to the flood plain, storing water and slowing a river or creek's velocity. Their ponds also create rich habitat areas for other wildlife.