Letter to the Editor - A response on beavers and trapping

Editor,

This letter is in response to Jeff C. Dibblee’s and Fran Buell’s letters to the editor. I find it quite interesting that someone else’s opinions and facts are unacceptable and open to criticism and ridicule if it doesn’t align with your thinking. I believe everyone is entitled to an opinion, even if we disagree. 

In answer to your questions about Beaver Deceivers and if they work, unlike trapping, they are quite effective and are being used throughout the country with much success. There are different versions depending on the situation. And $12,000 to $15,000 is way off the mark as far as cost. Not sure where you got that information on cost but it is incorrect.  According to one of the beaver device experts, the most complex one he put in was under $5,000 and most are not that complicated.  Skip Lisle — the inventor of the Beaver Deceiver and “the” top expert — said $2,500 to $3,500 depending on many variables.  Lifespan eliminating the conflict and otherwise endless killing and culvert cleaning events: 50 years.

One thing I have learned in the past few years is that we all must be careful where information comes from these days and who you get it from.  There is a lot of false/fake information out there. 

You are correct that I do not agree with trapping, especially as an only tool.  I believe there are many tools in the tool box and trapping (if used at all) should be the last tool used, not the first and only.  That would be like having only a hammer in your tool box and using it for everything.   

Beavers have many attributes and are the best engineers in the world. We need to work with them (as we should with all our wildlife), not against them. Beavers are good for our environment, our ecosystems, and our watersheds. Beaver provide habitat for birds, fish, and including threatened wildlife. They provide forage for big game and cattle, create firebreaks, fight drought, and help mitigate climate change. And they work for free!  Any inconveniences they may cause are far outnumbered by the good they do. That is where beaver deceivers can help. This is an “eco system,” not an “ego system.”  In other words, we are part of it, not the self-appointed ruler of it.  Mother Nature knows more than any of us. As the saying goes, “Mother Nature doesn’t need us, we need Mother Nature.” 

Wildlife is here for a reason, and this isn’t just our planet.

Renelle Braaten   

Havre