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E-mail StoryTree-felling rodent returns!
| Tuesday, Jun 17 2008 5:31 PM
Last Updated: Thursday, Jun 19 2008 7:27 AM
The beaver is back.
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Trees along a stretch of the bike path near the Park at Riverwalk have again been wrapped with orange construction fencing to ward off the wood-loving animal after another cottonwood was lost in recent days.
Park crews were notified Monday that a tree along the bike path had been badly chewed by a beaver. It was still standing but crews cut it down for safety reasons, said parks superintendent Darin Budak. The tree top was left on the ground, however, so the beaver could harvest whatever twigs and limbs it wanted, Budak said.
The orange mesh now covering other trees “is not really aesthetically pleasing but it discourages the beaver,” Budak said.
The tree fellings have occurred just west of the Park at Riverwalk where a gully of water runs beneath the bike path and out toward the Kern River. Numerous other trees beyond the bike path were observed with fresh chew marks Tuesday. A small dam about three feet wide was also visible near the end of the stream.
The most recent incident is the first signs of beaver activity in the area since last December when nine cottonwoods valued at about $500 apiece were chewed down over three weeks.
The situation sparked local outrage and drew national attention after The Californian reported state wildlife officials planned to kill the rodent after the city requested help preventing further damage to trees.
Following the outcry, the city immediately asked the California Department of Fish and Game to rescind the kill permit and relocate the beaver.
Relocating beavers is not part of Fish and Game’s policy but an exception was made and a new home was being scouted in Tehachapi. But there were no further signs of the beaver being active by then and a memo from City Manager Alan Tandy indicated the animal had naturally relocated.
City officials don’t know for sure if the most recent incident is the work of the same beaver. Nor do they know if the beaver is working alone or with others.
But so far there have been no further discussions about relocating the animal, Budak said.
For now, the city’s taking measures to prevent further tree losses.