Beaver trapping and alternatives discussed at park board meeting

Hill County Park Board discussed possible alternative beaver management options on Beaver Creek Park and heard a report from the Montana Trappers Association during its monthly meeting Monday in the Timmons Room of the Hill County Courthouse.

Fran Buell of Gildford read a Montana Trappers Association report that said, to date, three association members within a 21-day period removed 20 beaver which were causing damage within the park.

“If you add the 20 beaver that he has already removed, the youth trapper camp removed 16. So we’ve removed, free of charge to the park board and to the county, (36) beaver,” she said.

“Very good,” park board member Ursula Brese said.

The report said the association set aside funds to pay mileage and per diem reimbursement to association members willing to trap beavers on the park. The report said, once the Montana Trappers Association funds set aside are exhausted, the trapping may end.

“One member, who lives locally, has suspended trapping until late December early January because he is waiting for safe ice formation on ponds which will enable him more flexibility that will allow a larger number of beaver being removed,” the report said. “When the funds provided by the MTA have been exhausted, it is questionable this assistance will continue.”

It added during the associations’s discussion with local people engaged in the removal of problem beaver some options to compensate those willing to help were presented: The county include in the park board budget funds for beaver removal, provide those willing to help remove beaver with a yearly park use permit and approach the public who use the park to raise funds to help with the problem

The association’s participation in beaver removal on the park will be discussed at its regular board of directors meeting Sunday, in Great Falls at Golden Corral at 9 a.m.

Buell said she has been talking to a trapper who has been working along with Beaver Creek Park Superintendent Chad Edgar and he said he has removed mostly very large adult beavers which means there are big beaver out there and they will keep growing and continue having young.

“We want to continue to use the park, it’s a gem, and the trappers that went out there said, and we all know this, that have been out there, that if this beaver overpopulation isn’t taken care of it’s going to be a disaster for the park, because they are going to continue cutting down the trees and everything,” she said. “I know that the word trapping, trapper, is a bad word, but it’s one of the ways they are controlled, especially if the population has gotten out of control, which it has out there.”

She said that she is still working on bringing someone who will educate about the trapping process and bring in their equipment by setting up a meeting prior to the board meeting and then report back.

Hill County Park Board chair Steve Mariani said he would be happy to go and learn more.

The board also discussed possible alternative beaver management options with park board member Renelle Braaten.

Braaten said she has been talking with Humane Society of the United States Senior Advisor Wildlife Response and Policy expert Dave Pauli, who she brought to a prior park board meeting in August to talk about managing beavers and the ecosystem. 

“He has some really viable ideas and he said everything is looking good. He just doesn’t have anything concrete yet. He has feelers out, not just for a person who can come up and do something, but also for money as well which would pay for the whole thing,” she said. “He said he has some good options and should know something soon.”

Edgar said no report was available on the Folf Course proposed for creation on Beaver Creek Park. Edgar said the board is looking for group to host it for the park

He said the number of people on the park has dropped.

“Park usage for the most part has been slow as it leaves November,” he said. “We’ve had some groups of hunters camping on the park. Park conditions have been snowy, several cold snaps and the park is going into December very wet.”

The number of cattle which are still grazing in the park is 1,558 and no car-cow crashes have been reported since last month’s meeting.

The next park board meeting is Monday, Jan. 6, at the Timmons Room in the Hill County Courthouse. The deadline to submit items for the agenda for the next meeting is noon Dec. 27.