The daily star-mirror. (Moscow, Idaho) 1911-1939, 1919-11-18
BEAVERS THREATEN
TOWN OF JUL|AETTA
STATE GAME WARDEN MAY
GRANT PERMISSION TO DE-
STROY BIG COLONY

An urgent appeal Tor help TO save
the city from serious injury by beav-
ers came to L. E. Brooks, deputy
state game warden, from Juliaetta,
a small town at the extreme southern
border of Latah county, on Potlatch
creek, and Mr.. Brooks will ask the
state game warden, Otto M. Jones,
to grant permission to the citizens of
Juliaetta to destroy large colony of
beavers that are threatening serious
damage to the little city. Mr.. Brooks
has just returned from Juliaetta,
where he made a careful investiga-
ton of the situation and found that
beaver are really threatening de-
struction to the city park and the
towns water system as well as to the
flour mill which is operated by water
power. He says the complaint of the
citizens of Juliaetta has real merit
and he will at once prepare petit
tion to the state game warden who is
the only person who can grant per-
mission to destroy beaver in Idaho.
About two years ago a colony of
beaver took up headquarters in Pot
latch creek, above Juliaetta, and be-
gan operations. They cut down trees,
built dam and formed a lake. Julia
eta citizens were very proud of what
the beaver had done and guarded
them closely. Under this protection
they increased in numbers and in
dustry until they have become a
nuisance. They threaten the fine
city park with destruction by cutting
down the trees. They have already
cut several trees 10 inches in diam
eter in the park
The beaver dug burrows in the
banks of the mill race and let out the
water. They cut limbs and twigs
which floated down the flume and
every morning this had to be cleaned
in order to keep the mill running.
They cut trees, damned the creek
and made lake that covered the big
spring from which the city gets it's
water supply. At last an appeal to
the state game warden was made and
Mr.. Brooks spent "a hours in Julia
eta. He said:
II found conditions really worse
than had been represented. The
beavers will build a dam in the night
and it will be torn out by the citizens
the next day and the following night
the beavers build better one. A
dam had just been torn out when l
reached Juliaetta. There were great
piles of timber, twigs, limbs and fair
sized trees that had been taken from
these dams. | remained all night and
the next morning a fine, new dam was
found across the creek The trees had
been cut to make the main part of the
dam and twigs and sticks woven be-
tween the logs better than a man
could have woven them. The work |
was splendidly and artistically done. |
The beavers never use old material |
for building dams. The materia.. . .0rn |
out by the citizens . never used
second time by the beavers. They
have cut down many fine trees in
the park and if allowed to continue
will not only ruin the park by flood
ing it, but will have all of the trees
cut down. They made a lake that
overflows the spring supplying the
city with water and interfere with
the electric light and power system,
the water system and the flour mill.
81 will ask Mr.. Jones, state game
warden, to grant permission to de-
stroy the beavers at Juliaetta. 1t is
hard to guess how many there are
there but | saw number while | was
there and would say there is a big
colony probably from 25 to SO and
maybe more than that, and they are
increasing. They have undermined
d CeIIlellI DTluSe anu threaten IL WITH
destruction. The law permits beaver
to be killed if they are damaging or
serious damage to prop
erty. The skins must be sold and the
state game fund gets half and the
trapper half of the receipts from the
skins"
If permission to trap the beaver is
given, as Mr.. Brooks says he is sure
It will be, a number of SportSmen will
probably rush to Juliaetta to take
part in the destruction of the colony
as beaver skins are very scarce and
now.
Mr.. Brooks says another colony is
near the county bridge be-
tween Juliaetta and Kendrick and
cut a tree 16 inches in diameter near
this bridge and felled it across the
creek. He thinks there are scores
Of beaver along the creek within a
distance of a few miles.