Purpose of this policy

1   To establish a response to beavers that stop-up and dam the agricultural watercourses of the Lowland areas of the City of Abbotsford, namely Glen Valley, Matsqui Prairie, and Sumas Prairie.

Authority

2   Council, Provincial Government, Ministry of Water, Land and Air Protection (MWLAP) – Best Management Practices

Guiding principles

3   (1) Property owners shall be responsible for the primary control of beavers in agriculturally related watercourses

(2) The Dyking, Drainage and Irrigation Committees shall act only when:

(a) the property owner can demonstrate that significant attempts have been made to control the beavers, but all efforts have failed;

(b) the watercourse becomes blocked to an extent that land, property, and buildings are in danger.

(3) Beavers shall be discouraged by one, or more of the following means:

(a) dispersing beavers in late spring and early summer by installing fencing across stream bottoms in small streams and ditches; installing fencing perpendicular to the stream flow and between 60 to 120 metres on each side of the watercourse;

(b) install fencing along watercourses near row crops, trees, agricultural areas;

(c) install fencing around water control structures;

(d) install fencing early and allow beavers to build dams against the fences for easier removal;

(e) wrap trees with hardware cloth, or piping material;

(f) consider scare techniques, scents, electric fences, chemosterilants, live traps and appropriate lethal means after first obtaining the necessary permits.

These techniques will be conveyed to the public using MWLAP handouts and telephone advice.