We have just experienced one of the driest summers in recent history. It is still very dry even though we have recently received a few very good showers. We have not received enough rain to bring the water table back up. Most of our streams, lakes, and ponds, as well as the Lumber River, are still well below normal water levels.

Thankfully, we have dodged all of the hurricanes this fall. In fact, we have not even had a major tropical depression to travel through our area. In some respects this is a blessing. But too often, we need a tropical depression to bring a large amount of rainfall to break the drought cycle.

Since we have had so little rain this summer, there have been very few complaints about beaver problems. Except for a few isolated low-laying areas in the county, most areas have actually been benefited by the beavers when they blocked up canals and small streams and keep the water from flowing away.

If we do have a tropical depression, or even a hurricane, with large amounts of rainfall, we will probably have a lot of problems from water not properly draining because of beaver dams. We will probably have these problems if we just receive normal rainfall through the fall and winter months.

This is a good opportunity for me to remind local citizens that Robeson County is a partner in the Beaver Management Assistance Program. This county, along with about 40 other counties primarily in eastern and southeastern North Carolina, contributes $4,000 each year into this program. The state government, the North Carolina Department of Transportation, and the USDA Animal Control Division also contribute into this program each year.

From these funds, trappers are hired to work each of the participating counties. In large counties like Robeson, one trapper is responsible for a single county. In smaller counties, a single trapper is often responsible for more than one county.

Landowners in participating counties are asked to contact the local Cooperative Extension Center if they are having beaver problems. A request for assistance form is completed with information provided by the landowner. The trappers who have been hired then pick up the request forms on a regular basis.

Once the trapper has received the request, they contact the landowner or the person making the request and make arrangements to meet that person at the property site where the beaver problems exist. After assessing the problem, the trapper will then describe to the landowner what methods can be used to remove the problem beavers and, if necessary, to remove any dams constructed by the beavers. If the property owner elects to do so, he can carry out the recommendations himself and there is no charge for the services provided by the trapper.

Most property owners do not feel comfortable in swampy environments or do not have the time to do the needed work. In this case, they can enter into a contract with the trapper, actually with the state of North Carolina, to remove the problem beavers and, if necessary, to remove the dams with explosives. If the landowner selects this option, he is then charged a nominal fee for the trapper's time and for the cost of explosives to remove the dam.

One of the major obstacles of this program is that many times the beavers that are causing the problems are not located on the property where the most severe damage is occurring. Beavers may be obstructing the flow of water in a stream or canal on property downstream from the damaged area. The water then backs up on someone else's property.

In this case, the trapper must have permission from the property owner where the beavers are located in order to go onto that property to remove them. Most times, these property owners are very agreeable to allow this trapping in order to help solve their neighbor's problems. Most often, both property owners will share in the cost of removing the beavers, but sometimes the property owner with the most severe damage will agree to pay the cost if the other property owner will allow the trapping.

If you are a landowner in Robeson County and have problems with water not properly draining from your property because of beaver problems, you are encouraged to call the Cooperative Extension Service at 910-671-3276. The beaver trapper will then call to make arrangements to visit your site.

If the apparent damage or location of the problem beavers extends beyond your property boundaries, it would be helpful if you would make some effort to determine who owns adjacent properties. Even better, if contact were made with this landowner(s) and some agreement made about how property owners will assume responsibility, this will make it much easier for the trapper to handle the problems pretty quickly.

Just like with fire ants, it will be virtually impossible to eradicate beavers from this area. However, good management and quick response to beaver problems can prevent them from being costly and inconvenient.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 10/18/02