The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1921-02-19
BEAVERS MENACE
NEW YORK TIMBER
Legislature to BE Asked for Law Per
hitting Trapping in
AdirOndacks.

ALBANY, \. Y, Feb. IS.-There is a
possibility that a bill providing for an
open season on beavers win soon he in
PRODUCED in the state legislature. Gin
ton &. Abbott. secretary of the state
conservation commission, said that he
neleyed that by March or April there
would be legislation in the assembly to
lift the ban on beaver trapping for two
weeks -
The conservation commission advo-
Gated bill last year permitting a short
trapping season for beavers 1t was not
passed. As the law now stands beavers
can be taken only by agents of the COM
mission or by property owners who re-
port they have suffered damage from
the animals.
In 1895 trapping had made the beaver
nearly extinct, and in that year a law
was passed fixing a fine vof $50 and i'm
prlsonment as penalty for killing them
in New York state Subsequently the
fine was increased TO 800. Then the
beaver began to increase. In 1904 the
legislature appropriated $500 for the
purchase of additional beavers for re-
stocking purposes and in 1906. 81 900
more.
To-day beavers are so numerous and
their activity is so extensive as to make
their proper control a serious problem
1t is estimated by Conservation Com
missioner Pratt that there are at pres
ent between 5000 and 10000 beavers in
the Adirondack and Catskill mountains.
An investigation made by forest rang
ers OF the conservation commission last
summer, involving 5S7 dams, showed n
flooded area of S,6Sl acres, on which
merchantable timber valued at S5l. 42j
was being killed by beaver dams Thus
il appears that the average damage
caused by beaver dam is not less than
$50
With increasing number, the
beaver constitute a real menace to prop
erty and scenery in the North woods.
They are telling trees, constructing dams
on state and private property, creating
new lakes, flooding and killing valuable
timber land, and even making highways
impossible. The small outlet of lake
after lake in the heart of the woods has
been damned until the shore line has
been flooded for many feet. Timber is
dead or dying, and the once deep-green
setting of the lake is surrounded by a
deep band of fallen trees that resemble
the path of a forest fire. In other sec
tions handsome trees on private es-
tates are being killed.
In April, 1920. the Conservation com
mission directed Edward Bisland of
to make an Investigation of the activ-
ity of the beaver. He found that about
six years ago Ambrose Mcneil procured
from Canadian trapper eight beavers
which We're sent to 1t Joseph, where
they were liberated on Mr.. Monells
hunting preserve. They increased rap
idly, dam after dam being e~~"+od. Now
their progeny is known to be in sec
tions radiating twenty miles in every
direction from st. joseph. Beavers
built a dam near Monticello, and as a
result the conservation commissions:
was informed that a farmer IN that re-
gion was about to sue the state on the
ground that beavers were responsible
for his wife's neuritis. 1t was shown
that the beaver dam within the corpOr-
ate limits of Monticello had backed up
stream which had in turn flooded the
farmers cellar. The water ruined his
winters supply of APPLES and potatoes
and caused dampness which affected his
wife with neuritis.
Beaver peits are worth from $40 to SIS
apiece at the present rate.