Beavers in the UNB Woodlot
Beavers in our Backyard
Urban Beavers
Beavers are the single most important factor responsible for the creation and maintenance of forest wetlands. When beavers live in our own backyard, the presence of these unique animals, and the habitat they create, is richly celebrated. Urban beavers are a big deal for “Smart Cities”. The beavers of Seattle’s Meadowbrook Pond and New York City’s Bronx River have gained international news attention. And in Europe, tens of millions are now being spent to reintroduce the European beaver.
The UNB Woodlot, situated on top of the hill in Fredericton, is a provincially designated wildlife refuge, and, at four times the size of Vancouver’s Stanley Park, is the largest urban forest in Atlantic Canada. It is one of the oldest managed woodlots in North America, used by faculty researchers, students, and the community alike.
Wetlands are Beavers/Beavers are Wetlands
UNB Woodlot is a huge forested watershed within the city limits of Fredericton. Forested watersheds capture, store, and purify water. Their wetlands provide habitat to a diverse group of plants and animals, including migratory birds. They represent the water we drink, the air we breathe, and the outdoor recreation spaces we enjoy. But beavers are critical to wetlands. In Nov-Dec, 2006, the University of New Brunswick authorised the trapping of 24 beavers in the woodlot with the result that all beaver activity suddenly stopped around the Ducks Unlimited Corbett Brook Marsh. By implementing a beaver management plan for the UNB Woodlot, the size and viability of the woodlot’s wetlands could be maintained by a healthy population of beavers. Manage the beavers, and, in turn, they will manage the wetlands.
Flood Control, not Beaver Trapping, is the Answer
The residents of Fredericton and New Maryland are fortunate to have beaver colonies living in their own backyard. Beavers live in very social and peaceful colonies, and can adapt to live in close proximity to humans. In fact, it is difficult to keep beavers out of forest wetlands. As beavers migrate over large distances, guided by their keen sense of smell for water, it is likely new beavers will move back into the UNB Woodlot within a year. "If you have beaver habitat, you're going to have beavers." (Willis, p.2) The University of New Brunswick could try an alternate management strategy where the focus is to simply minimize the flooding caused by beaver dams, not remove the beaver.
A number of humane, non-lethal alternatives to trapping are in common use to prevent road flooding and minimize flooding from beaver dams; these devices are emerging as the most effective long-term beaver damage control solutions (Boyle & Owens, 2007). At Gatineau Park in Quebec, wildlife officers used long pipe devices through the beaver dam to create a slow leak that doesn’t trigger the beavers' dambreak alarm. With over 25 years experience, they have reduced flooding problems by more than 75%, while the beaver population has actually increased 15%. This is a success story where both humans and beavers now coexist by maintaining an acceptable water depth in the park’s ponds. Designing and implementing innovative wildlife and forestry management plans for the UNB Woodlot should not be difficult with the nearby expertise of Maritime School for Forest Technology (MSFT, the “Ranger School) and UNB’s Faculty of Forestry and Environmental Management.
Glaciers and geomorphology are the main creators of wetlands, but beavers have a major role in forest waterways becoming ponds and wetlands. Manage the beavers using humane anti-flooding devices, and, in turn, they will manage the wetlands. Proper road design using arched or gull-winged culverts eliminate much of this work altogether since the beavers can't block them.
The Friends of the UNB Woodlot
Concern for these “wetland engineers” - the animal on the emblem of UNB, and the national symbol of our country Canada has brought about the creation of this not-for-profit organization which first met in November 2007. They have applied to the NB Environmental Trust Fund for assistance to support several colonies of beavers in the UNB Woodlot in a very controlled and sustainable manner using proven man-made structures that control flooding.
Future plans include:
• showcasing the UNB Woodlot and the “Urban Beavers of Fredericton”.
• Producing educational materials about beaver’s ability to create and maintain forest wetlands which in turn enhance plant, insect, fish, bird, and animal habitats
• encouraging the hands-on participation of UNB and MSFT students to design and implement anti-flooding devices around wetlands, road culverts, and bridges as well as undertaking wildlife habitat studies near wetland sites created and maintained by the beaver activity.
• development of an interpretive centre in the UNB Woodlot could become a large draw for school children, families, tourists, and researchers.
UNB Woodlot to Become a Showcase
Over $103 million of public funds has been invested in capital costs to build infrastructure specifically beside the UNB Woodlot for forestry and wildlife management teaching, including the Maritime Forest Ranger School, the Hugh John Fleming Forestry Centre, and the New Training Sawmill. Big Box and residential development now threaten to eliminate up to half of the UNB Woodlot without preserving any meaningful wildlife areas, except wetland buffer zones that must be preserved under environmental laws. A growing number of alumni, students, and the general public are now engaged to have Fredericton’s UNB Woodlot remain the teaching, wildlife, and recreational jewel of Atlantic Canada.
Friends of the UNB Woodlot can be contacted at friendsoftheUNBWoodlot@gmail.com, www.smartgrowthUNB.ca, and 1-506-454-5119.
References:
BBC News. (2005, October 28). Beavers in 'wild' after centuries. Beavers have been reintroduced to England for the first time in 500 years. Retrieved from http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/gloucestershire/4380276.stm
Boyle, Steven and Owens, Stephanie. (2007, February 6). North American Beaver (Castor canadensis): A Technical Conservation Assessment Prepared for the USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Region, Species Conservation Project. Retrieved from http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/projects/scp/assessments/northamericanbeaver.pdf
Buyukmihci, Hope Sawyer. (1971). Hour of the Beaver. Rand McNally & Company, Chicago, 173pp.
Christie Aschwanden, Christie. (2002, October/November) Leave the Wetlands to Beaver. National Wildlife Magazine, vol. 40 (6). Retrieved from http://www.nwf.org/nationalwildlife/article.cfm?articleId=577&issueId=46
Costanza, R., d’Arge, R., de Groot, R., Farberk, S., Grasso, M., Hannon, B., Limburg, K., Naeem, S., O’Neill, R.V., Paruelo, J., Raskin, R.G., Sutton, P. & van den Belt, M. (1997, May 15). The value of the world’s ecosystem services and natural capital. Nature, vol. 387, 253-260. Retrieved from http://www.uvm.edu/giee/publications/Nature_Paper.pdf
Krieger, Dr. Douglas. (2001, March). Economic Value of Forest Ecosystem Services - A Review. The Wilderness Society, Washington, D.C. Retrieved from http://www.Economic-Value-of-Forest-Ecosystem-Services-A-Review.pdf
Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (2001, Autumn). Solving Human-Beaver Conflicts: Practical Solutions for Local Health Officials and Conservation Commissioners. Boston, Mass., 19pp. Retrieved from
http://www.ashburnhamconservationtrust.org/pdf/beaverhandbook.pdf
The New York Times. (2007, February 23). After 200 Years, a Beaver Is Back in New York City. Retrieved from
http://www.nytimes.com/2007/02/23/nyregion/23beaver.html?ref=nyregion
Owl, Grey (Archibald Belaney). 1935. The Adventures of Sajo and her Beaver People. Macmillan of Canada Ltd., Toronto, 187pp.
Richards, Dorothy & Buyukmihci, Hope Sawyer. (1977). Beaversprite – My Years Building an Animal Sanctuary. Chronicle Books, San Fransisco.
Rue III, Leonard Lee. (1964). The World of the Beaver. 3rd Printing J.B. Lippincott Company, Philadelphia and New York, 155 pp.
True, Kathryn. (2006, August 24). Meadowbrook Pond: A beaver playground. The Seattle Times. Retrieved from
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/outdoors/2003220598_nwwbeavers24.html
University of New Brunswick. The UNB Woodlot. Retrieved from www.unbf.ca/forestry/woodlot/woodlot_unb-woodlot.htm
Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department, Vemont Department of Environmental. (2004). Best Management Practices for Resolving. Human-Beaver Conflicts in Vermont, 28pp. Retrieved from http://www.vtfishandwildlife.com/wildlife_furbearer.cfm
Willis, Kim. Leave It To The Beavers: Tips for a Peaceful Coexistence with Beavers – Haw River Assembly, Bynum, North Carolina. 6pp. Retrieved from http://www.hawriver.org/library/publications/Beaver_Article.pdf
