Beaver under my Dock??
Flex Design LLC
12 years ago
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adriennemb2
12 years agoRelated Discussions
Hubby's latest project: my new 'dock' skimmer cover
Comments (16)Thanks for the compliments everyone. My husband didn't use any plans or pattern. He just copied what he had seen in the past on regular docks. He grooved out the frame underneath to make it securely fit on the skimmer (I had asked him to somehow keep it secure so that it wouldn't accidently tip if our cats stood on the edge to drink or look down at the water). Basically, the 'dock' is just a nicer replacement cover and is very light and easy to remove. The original plastic cover has been removed (its not underneath) and is now stored in our shed; I will switch them around when the snow and ice arrives in the winter, this way protecting and preserving the nice cedar color of the 'dock' instead of leaving it buried under deep snow....See MoreDam!!!!! As in beavers!
Comments (23)I am in NC and it is legal to shoot OR use a variety of traps without a permit. I was surprised at this information, but I can't imagine watching them doing all that damage and being powerless to stop it, but I guess its just something they hope you consider before buying such a property in other areas! I think there are limits on the time of year you can kill them, but if they are doing damage to your property, those limitations are lifted. The parcel I am buying is being surveyed off and will show that I own the creek at least half way across if not totally. Truthfully, I don't delight at the idea of killing living creatures. I don't even own a gun- YET! But, I'll do what I have to. I'm sure I'll see a rabbit or two, but I expect to lose a few emerging culms each year anyway. That's different than watching mature culms being felled before your eyes! I'm more likely to give the Beavers a quasi-Christian burial than I am to try to eat the things especially given the mixed reviews here, but maybe I'll work up the nerve. I've been told I have some Cajun ancestry and I KNOW I have some French so maybe I'll get back to my roots. Lol! As to deer- it's odd, but I rarely see them anywhere in the area. I've always been thankful of that. This will be the most urban area I will have lived in the last 6 years, so I'm hoping my luck will continue in that respect. Kentuck, too funny about the cajuns. That might explain certain urges I've had lately. LOL! Before Katrina, I actually would consider from time to time reinventing myself in cajun country. Do you think the estate of Justin Wilson will be auctioning off his phoney accent anytime soon? Thanks everyone for the entertaining thread. Certain aspects of this real estate deal have been working my last nerve, so it was a welcome distraction....See MoreEager Beaver marking her calender
Comments (4)In early April, I usually lay them out under lights as shown below: Then in a week or so, we start to get sprouts. Sometimes, it takes a lot longer than a week or so to sprout, to which many of us will attest. Once they have sprouted, you can pot them up, and place in a bright spot. If putting them outdoors, you will have to acclimatize them to the stronger light, but they won't get as "leggy" as they will indoors in a window. This whole process can be started in late April as well. Patience is a virtue, triple_b, which we must all learn. Mother Nature won't be rushed by us or any other mortal. LOL...See MoreNow it's beavers
Comments (15)You won't lose 30 acres permanently, you'll just have a short term (could be anywhere from 2 to 6 or 7 years) period of waterworks, until the nearby food resource (trees) is exhausted. Then the beavers will move on and the land will undergo another transformation which I found was quite interesting in it's own way. Diversion devices are very cheap to install (less than $200 worth of supplies) but sometimes time consuming to maintain as the beavs are determined critters and you're basically thwarting their intentions to keep the water level rising. But in order for them to work you have to install them in the correct place and I don't know if you will own the land where the correct place exists. One good thing about beavers is that they make wetland areas more obvious so that may stall some nearby development for a few years. You can also save a bit on your property taxes if you work with your assessor to have that portion of your land noted as wetland (even if it doesn't have DEC regulated status, it will likely have Army Corps jurisdiction). Just make that change before March 1 (in NY) in order to have it affect the next prop. and school tax cycle. I hope you will enjoy the book. It's likely your library has a copy. I checked my local interlibrary system (Upper Hudson) and they have several. It's a somewhat dated take on wildlife appreciation, but it is also a very interesting read, especially if you've got 'em in your backyard already. This weird warm winter has probably delayed the beavers' retreat to their den for the winter, but when it gets cold enough (and frozen) they will "disappear" for a few months only to reappear with their adorable kits in mid-spring. There is a big tree gnawing push before "hibernation" because they need to amass a huge depot of food near the den to tide them over until warm weather begins again. They are very vulnerable to predators on ice, and of course being air-breathig mammals have to surface which is impossible when there is thick ice. You should get a bumper crop of wood ducks next spring if you put out nest boxes over the winter, along with all kinds of birds that need more water than just a stream. If you don't already have them you may begin to hear barred owls calling at night ("Who cooks for you; who, who, cooks for you-all?") My beavers flooded a mostly open meadow so I had different birds than you will get, but yours will be very interesting none the less. My normal pond is only about an acre, but when the beavers temporarily enlarged it to nearly thirty I had migrating ospreys visit, and the odd pass by bald eagles who normally stay closer to the rivers. (I live in the Hoosic/Hudson watershed.) I was relatively new here then and I was flabergasted with the bird life I saw. When the beavers left, the extraordinary number of species dimished somewhat because I lost a unique habitat. Enjoy your temporary boost while you have it. You may find (to your relief, it sounds) that canoeing is out as the water probably isn't very deep and will be occluded by many hidden tangles of branches and stumps under the surface. It takes many years to decay away all that stuff to create clear water, prbably longer than the beavers will be there keeping the water levels up. If it freezes completely, you can venture out on the ice and look down to see what's there. The beavers will have cleared quite large channels to move their tree harvest and to get material for dam-making. Watching them at work is very amusing. Some of their structures will be transitory, but some of the main ones will last long after they leave. I haven't had beavers for more than 15 years and their lower dam is still visible and slowing water that flows down my creek. That's the significant benefit of beavers to an ecosystem: they transform it and make it much more productive, and water-cleansing for a long time afterward. One of the things to keep in mind when reading the book is that it was written about the 30s and 40s. At that time beavers were almost completely extirpated from NY and seeing one was a rare treat. COnsidering the role of the beaver in our state's history, it was a very lucky thing that we have retained enough of them, and temporarily protected them, in order to maintain the big benefit they are to managing our wild areas. They, like white tail deer, have recovered enough that now they are often a nuisance to our increasing suburbanization, but I believe they still have a vital role to play and it's important that we support and make accomodations where possible to keep them "beavering away" (LOL) on our behalf. Enjoy your thumpers! Molly~...See Moresleeplessinftwayne
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