Background:

While scientists cannot know for certain, it’s estimated that there were once 60 to 400 million beavers throughout North America until they were trapped almost to extinction in the 19th century. By the early 1900’s, beavers were believed to be extinct in Virginia, but were reintroduced to the state by the Commission on Game and Inland Fisheries in the 1930’s. Today, they are found in every county in the Commonwealth and are considered native wildlife to the area.

As nature’s ‘engineers,’ beaver’s dams can deliver ecological benefits, such as creating new habitats that attract other wildlife and insects, which support increased biodiversity. Beaver wetlands also replenish groundwater, aid in carbon capture, and their dams can also trap sediment and keep nutrients like nitrogen and phosphorus from polluting our streams, rivers and Chesapeake Bay.

Beavers can also cause problems when they take up residence in ponds or streams in developed areas. As they fell trees for food, dams and lodges, they can destroy established and expensive ornamental landscaping. Their dams can also block stormwater drains and culverts, causing flooding of roads, residential yards, and commercial properties. They can cause soil erosion by cutting down trees along the banks of waterways, as well as raise the water temperature along shorelines affecting the existing aquatic organisms.

Relocating beavers is prohibited under Virginia law but options exist to help us coexist with them, including wrapping trees with metal wire, planting beavers’ less-preferred trees, and installing exclusion, water-leveling and flow devices. There are also organizations that offer cost-share programs to help property owners pay for these mitigation measures.

The county’s Wildlife Management team currently provides excellent one-on-one support to private property owners who need assistance in developing a plan to manage beaver activity on their property. Sharing this information more widely through the county’s website and social media channels will help residents learn more about this industrious animal and how to coexist with them.

Motion:

Therefore, without objection I ask that the Office of Public Affairs work with the county’s Wildlife Management team to develop updated educational outreach materials that outline applicable laws relating to beaver relocation or removal, provide guidance and resources for human/beaver coexistence, and describe the county’s role and responsibilities in the guidance as it relates to beavers and beaver activity on private property.