The Chickasha daily express. (Chickasha, Indian Territory [Okla.]) 1899-current, 1920-05-06
BEA VEIeS. DAMAGE PROPERTY nv WEST
UNDER. .PROTEC TION or H.. S. LAWS

ny .oHtcu lpbS.
Walla Wdlla. Wash, May 5.--Bea-
vers damage the property Of farmers
in the Walla Walla valley to the ex-
tent of $4,000 annually, it is esti-
mhted.
The ranchers who surfer due no
the unrestricted operations OF the
furry little engineers, would kill
them off--if 1t were not for the fact
the beaver carries on under the wing
of the law being protected by fed
eral statute, as well as the state law
The beaver has become such men
ace that the United States Biological
Survey Service will conduct expert.
ments in the Walla Wala valley dur
ing the latter part of June which
win determine the fate of thousands
Of beavers in many middleweSten
states, as wen as Washington. The
animals will be captured alive, If pos
sible. and removed to the national
forest reserves, where they can do
no harm.
If successful the plan will be adop-
ted in other sttaes. If it fails, and
It may-~for This animal is mighty
hard to- trlp--the biological survey
service will petition for legislative
permission to exterminate the bea-
yer.
Certain sections of Michigan, Min.
nesocta, Wiscoisnn, Montana and
other middlewestern states are con
fronted with the Same problem as
Washington although the damage is
most extensive in this state, accord
ing to Leo K. Couch of the rodent
division fthe survey service.
Protected by Canadian law, the
beaver has also made more than a
nuisance OF himself in some parts
Ct Ontario and Alberta In the lat.
Ter province, the last provincial mar
lament lifted the ban temporarily,
and it will be lawful to kill the bea-
yer there for a shore period next fall,
Couch, who has made study of
the beaver and his operations in the
W4lIa Walla valley, says the most
perfect bever dam he ever saw
crosses the Walla Walla river near
this city.
It is perfect specimen of engl-
neerng skill and is more than 10
feet long. 1t raised the water in
the river four feet, forming a "bea
Yer pond" Of large proportions. It
lad been made of sticks, small
stones and, in same instances. tree
trunks from three to five inches in
diameter and from three to five feet
long, and was plastered together
with wonderful skill.
In this work the beaver makes ex-
cellent use of his flat sacle-coverad
tail. With il le digs the mud, car
ries it to the dam and there it an
swers well the purpose o. the ma
sons trowel The mud is pressed
into the creyices. The dam is Sc
curely anchored to trees on the riv-
er banks to withstand spring floods
Fruit trees near small streams in
the Walla Walla valley have either
been girdled or cut down and
dragged into the streams by beavers.
Forty prune trees in one orchard
We're completely cut down by the
powerful chisel-slaped froat teeth of
these animals The bark of these
trees is sweet, and as such barks
form a pait of their regular food,
the beaver stores them fer food
against the time wAen their ponds
and streams are covered with ice.
One Of the greltest noticeable
achievements CT beavers in this vi
cipity w4s their success in Telling a !
2Iineh cottonwood tree by their re
peated nig-ily attacks The tree was
shilfilly brought down 50 that it fell |
across a stream and formed an an
cAor timber for a dam.
Beabers cause much damage to
bitches, damming the ca
n us and stopping the flow of wa
ters. Repeated tearing out CT these
dams only mcite the little engineers
q greater effort to replace them.