Re: Beaver bounty

Marlene Ambler | Dec 09, 2015

In response to the Dec. 3 letter by Tom Hughes, “Re: Beaver Bounty”, I would like to comment on his lack of information. Obviously he has not had a problem concerning water levels caused by beavers on a property. Our property is abutting a body of water in Central Frontenac. The beavers are controlling this lake; they have the exit from it blocked.

I have contacted Mississippi Valley Conservation several times. The first response I received from them was, “When your cottage goes floating out into the lake, phone and report it to your lawyer.” Our cottage by the lake is now on an island. It is surrounded by water, in some places 6 inches deep. In September I was told that the lake is not at its highest level; they are monitoring the water and it supposedly was higher a few years ago.

I have lived here for over 20 years and have never seen it this high before. It is almost ready to run over Highway 7 below the picnic area. The water is flooded almost to the smoke shack building across from Silver Lake Park, which I have never seen before.

I was told the beavers have as much right to live in this world as humans do. We don’t allow humans to be a nuisance and cause this much inconvenience to others.

I was told by the Ministry of Natural Resources and MPP Randy Hillier that it was our responsibility to trap or control the beavers. How are 73-year-old residents capable of trapping these rodents, when they have never done this before?

We have contacted the reeve of Tay Valley Township, left messages and never received a response in this last episode. Our complaints have fallen on deaf ears – I didn’t think that one was supposed to be permitted to have water flooded up onto their property, eroding shoreline and causing trees to fall into the lake. This has happened to us and the beach on our shore is totally covered now with water.

The lake association have washed their hands of this problem; their complaints have also gone unanswered with no response from anyone. Who is a person to look to for help in a situation like this?