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Published Aug. 11, 2022 1:24 p.m. CDT
Tom Summer
Work is expected to ramp up this fall on logging the Watson Slough to make way for the Site C dam reservoir, but BC Hydro says it will first need to breach beaver dams and cull the animals from the wetland before crews can begin.
The slough was given a reprieve from logging in 2017 after pressure from the regional district to preserve it for as long as possible. With reservoir filling slated to begin as early as next year, BC Hydro says it will begin lowering water levels in the slough this fall so that standing trees can be safely cleared over the winter.
Spokesman Greg Alexis says work is being timed to “minimize the risk to amphibians and migratory birds” but that the beavers first need to be removed from the wetland so they don't repair the breaches of their dams.
He says euthanizing the beavers was determined to be the most humane way to remove them from the slough as the animals are known to be aggressive and territorial, and “very susceptible to predation” without a lodge.
... This is problematic because beavers are very territorial and will fight to defend their territory.”
An estimated 90 hectares will be cleared at Watson Slough, though there is no estimate on the number of beavers to be removed. Alexis says meat from the beavers will be shared with local First Nations.
“The trapper doing the work will be making use of the fur pelts and sharing the meat with local Indigenous groups,” he said.
Tom Summer
Work is expected to ramp up this fall on logging the Watson Slough to make way for the Site C dam reservoir, but BC Hydro says it will first need to breach beaver dams and cull the animals from the wetland before crews can begin.
The slough was given a reprieve from logging in 2017 after pressure from the regional district to preserve it for as long as possible. With reservoir filling slated to begin as early as next year, BC Hydro says it will begin lowering water levels in the slough this fall so that standing trees can be safely cleared over the winter.
Spokesman Greg Alexis says work is being timed to “minimize the risk to amphibians and migratory birds” but that the beavers first need to be removed from the wetland so they don't repair the breaches of their dams.
He says euthanizing the beavers was determined to be the most humane way to remove them from the slough as the animals are known to be aggressive and territorial, and “very susceptible to predation” without a lodge.
... This is problematic because beavers are very territorial and will fight to defend their territory.”
An estimated 90 hectares will be cleared at Watson Slough, though there is no estimate on the number of beavers to be removed. Alexis says meat from the beavers will be shared with local First Nations.
“The trapper doing the work will be making use of the fur pelts and sharing the meat with local Indigenous groups,” he said.
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