Park Board invites expert to discuss beaver management

Hill County Park Board is looking for a new way to address Wildlife Management in Beaver Creek Park, and they will be hosting a member of the Humane Society of the United States Monday to discuss beaver management.

Park Board member Renelle Braaten has invited Wildlife Response Senior Advisor and Policy Dave Pauli to help educate the Park Board on ways to manage beavers in the park.

Ever since trapper John Holms, who used to monitor the beavers for many years, retired, the board has looked for someone new to do the job.

Braaten said she chose Pauli because of “his extensive knowledge and experience in the field.”

Pauli has been working for the Human Society for 30 years, and prior to that he had his own wildlife damage control business for about 15 years, he said. He has also done community animal control for the city of Billings and served as Humane Society director of Washington state before returning to Billings.

“I’m really going to be just an outside resource, and I still have a lot to learn about the unique property that is Beaver Creek Park and the work they have been doing to look at land and wildlife management,” Pauli said.

Pauli added he will be at the Park Board meeting Monday to listen to the community just as much as he will be there to talk. He said he is ready to answer any questions on what works and what doesn’t when it comes to different methods of beaver management. He plans to take a long-term look at lethal and non-lethal control of beavers.

“The main discussion point for this meeting is beavers, but it really is much more about ecosystem, and beavers are generally called a keystone species. They’re a species that, depending on what they do, can dictate what other species are there, what kind of abundance and how the ecosystem works,” Pauli said. “Beavers are both a habitat creator and a habitat destroyer depending upon what kind of habitat you are talking about.”

Braaten said she is looking for the opportunity to see what options might be available for beaver management in the park.

“The purpose of the initial meeting is to have me sharing other beaver projects around the country and to look at some different ways to potentially manage, not just beaver, but wildlife conflicts in general,” Pauli said. “Then just talk about ideas or concepts or programs that other people have used to find a sustainable and publicly acceptable long-term solution to any conflict they may have.”

The Park Board Meeting is Monday, Aug. 5, at the Timmons Room in the Hill County Courthouse at 5:30 p.m.