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WHAT'S THE BEST WAY TO HANDLE BEAVERS IN MONROE?
By Caitlin Landers | February 21, 2018 @6:48 PM
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When you look at Mombasha Park's walking trail area, you can see the work of some resident beavers, like sharp stumps they gnawed on.
Monroe Town Supervisor Tony Cardone says if walkers fell on the stumps, they could get severely hurt. And Cardone says more than 100 trees have been taken down on one side of the park, and could cause problems for locals.
"There were safety issues for the residents using the walking trail, and there was an issue concerning the back of the ball field," Cardone said, "which could have been compromised if further brush and trees were taken down. There was a possibility of major erosion there."
The supervisor says a local licensed trapper plans to capture and kill about three or four of the animals, with the DEC's open season running from November to April in the region.
"I'm not saying beavers aren't little stinkers. They are," said Monroe resident Sharon Scheer. "In this case, they are not clogging up any waterways; they are not causing any damage in that way. This is solely one thing, trees that are being girdled by the beavers."
Scheer wants to try non-lethal methods first. Scheer suggests planting trees beavers don't like, or making a mixture to paint onto trees that would deter the animals from chewing on particular trees. She has a petition with about 65 signatures to get town leaders to consider alternatives. The town supervisor says options like re-location are not viable choices, and wants to make sure locals are protected.
"I just think it's something that we have to do in order to manage our park, and we have to manage the beavers to manage our park. In no way, shape or form do we want to totally eradicate them from the park," said Cardone.
What's the best way to handle beavers in Monroe?
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