february 10, 2021
News Advertiser PAGE 9
www.NewsAdvertiser.com
Beaver Harvest Incentive Program Underway in County of Minburn Michelle Pinon News Advertiser Flooding and beavers seem to go hand in hand and there were plenty of both in the summer of 2020 throughout the County of Minburn. Darwin Ullery, Director of Agriculture and Utility Services, said the bulk of his time was spent cleaning out beaver dams from culverts and bridges to move water that was damaging those key pieces of infrastructure. Ullery said, “We had to drop a number quite a few other things and focus on moving water, and it seemed to go on all summer long. We had a lot of significant rainfall last year as well. So, it was a field day for the beavers that’s for sure.� Even though they blew up a number of beaver dams and trapped many beavers, Ullery said he did not keep track of how many or how costly that was to do, but the bulk of his time was spent on that. “It’s unlike anything I’ve seen in my 30 years. It was a whole new experience. We had lots and lots of flooding problems, the most in my career for sure.� As a result, council asked Ullery to look into the issue and the possibility of having a beaver harvest program in the county. “When I was researching it there’s about four or five in the province with the closest one being Beavery County, which is right next to us.�
“The last two, maybe three years, it’s been historically the wettest in my career. And so that brings with it a lot of beaver problems and a huge increase in the beaver population. So, we had a lot of infrastructure problems this year with flooded culverts and bridges; water coming over the top of the roads, and that kind of thing.� With roughly 450,000 acres of land in the municipality and plenty of water bodies and drainage systems, Ullery said there is plenty of slowmoving water in the county which is what beavers prefer to inhabit. “We don’t expect a huge uptick, but hopefully, it will A beaver dam exploding north of Mannville in July of 2020. (County of Minburn/Submitted Photo) help with our efforts this summer. No doubt, this summer will hopefully, not be very bad. Our snow pack has been considerable the last two or three years. There’s lot of variables, beavers are part of the issue, but environmental conditions are a bigger part in my mind.� Under the program, county ratepayers or residents are eligible to receive $20 for each beave tail within the municipal boundaries of the County of Minburn. The tails must be presented to the Agricultural Service Board office and the ratepayer/resident will be asked to complete an affidavit. The ratepayer/resident is responsible for disposal of the tails.
Hunters and trappers are also responsible to ensure landowner permissions have been received and that all applicable provincial regulations are being followed. Since the program began, they have received a total of 24 beaver tails from two local landowners. The Beaver Harvest Incentive Program Policy was officially adopted at the December 21, 2020, Agricultural Service Board meeting.
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