Plan for beavers needs careful consideration

I read the article published in the Marin IJ on March 28 with the headline “Creek advocates eager for assist from beavers” with interest.

Before officials import beavers to Lagunitas Creek, they should do their homework as to possible undesirable consequences. About three years ago, I visited the Taylor Creek Visitors Center located about three miles from South Lake Tahoe. I learned that, every October, Kokanee salmon run up the creek from the lake to spawn. Beavers living in the creek destroy many trees surrounding it to build their dams and lodges.

Rangers from the U.S. Forest Service I spoke with were perplexed by the problems the beavers were causing. In some locations, the dams were impeding the salmon’s ability to swim upstream and were causing flooding in areas around the creek.

Rangers are forced to break up some of the dams frequently. They considered trapping the beavers to relocate them, but received resistance from local environmentalists who support the animals.

I suggest that the groups involved in the Lagunitas Creek plan — including the Marin Municipal Water District, the California Department of Fish and Wildlife and the Marin Resources Conservation District — contact officials from the Forest Service and the Great Basin Institute, which run the Taylor Creek Visitors Center together, to get their take on the potential problems with beavers.

They may find they will be better off creating their own habitat in the location and size that is ideal for creek conditions rather than getting an unpleasant surprise from the beavers.

— Steve Eakle, Novato