In the battle of beavers versus humans, the beavers have been showing up, digging deep and giving 110 per cent.
Team Beavers’ work ethic is evident to anyone who has walked the Foreshore Nature Trail along Salmon Arm Bay recently.
In a league of their own, the toothy rodents have set their sights on a lofty goal – creating a new pond.
Unfortunately, their goal entails flooding the trail and, potentially, destabilizing the railway tracks.
The beavers have been building a new dam on the railway side of the trail, which humans have had little success in dismantling.
“Whenever someone makes a hole in the dam, they rebuild it the next night,” says Joyce Henderson, a member of SABNES (the Nature Bay Society), who walks the trail regularly.
Although she believes the beavers are fighting a losing battle, she’s enjoying the contest just the same.
“From my point of view, it’s an entertaining situation. Today, the path across the trail is the deepest it’s been,” she said Thursday. “You have wet feet. They’re winning – until other forces prevail.”
Meanwhile, members of SABNES have put their heads together to formulate a plan of attack.
President Janet Aitken summed up the problem Friday.
“The beavers work harder than we do, that’s part of the challenge.”
Although the plan wasn’t finalized, she said the idea is to lower the water on one side with the help of a pipe or pipes.
SABNES will also be wrapping some of the trees to prevent the beavers from downing them.
Rob Niewenhuizen, the city’s director of engineering, said the city won’t intervene unless asked to do so.
He said CP Rail is aware of the situation.