Beavers, salmon thrive together in Tahoe creek

As co-founder of the Sierra Wildlife Coalition working with officials at the U.S. Forest Service's Taylor Creek Center in South Lake Tahoe, I believe that Steve Eakle's letter published April 2 misstated the situation with the beavers here. He is referencing out-of-date information.

Before the coalition got involved in 2014, it is true that staff was pulling out beaver dams almost every day over fears of flooding. Our group installed three flow devices (aka pond levelers) that worked to eliminate flooding, so there has been no need to remove dams since 2014.

We successfully protected dozens of larger trees from beaver chewing with an abrasive mixture of sand and nontoxic latex paint that the beavers don't like. The trees regenerated quickly. They provide excellent bird and wildlife habitat. Please note that park officials never considered trapping beavers for relocation. The California Fish and Wildlife Department does not allow relocation of beavers.

Too many people, including some in the Forest Service, believe beaver dams impede salmon, in spite of the fact that beavers and salmon coexisted successfully for centuries. Beavers taught the salmon to jump, according to an old Northwestern native saying. We have sent photos to the Forest Service of hundreds of salmon above all the beaver dams in the years during government shutdowns, wildfires and the pandemic when nobody could be on-site to destroy dams.

Beavers are very efficient builders of valuable habitat for all birds and wildlife. Working with them can save taxpayer dollars. Before a Marin plan is put in place for Lagunitas Creek, officials should consult with relevant agencies so that possible negative effects can be analyzed and mitigated.

— Sherry Guzzi, Tahoe City