By paNOW Staff

Province to compensate for beaver damage

Nov 9, 2010 | 4:16 PM

Saskatchewan farmers and ranchers say, thanks to growing populations of beavers, it’s just one dam problem after another.

“We have beavers everywhere blocking culverts, flooding yards, flooding farm land,” said Saskatchewan Agriculture Minister Bob Bjornerud. “That’s why we made some of the changes to the Wildlife Damage Compensation Program.”

The program, which starts for the 2011 crop year, extends compensation for crop and forage damage caused by any wild animal, including beavers and blackbirds. The damage in concentrated in flood-ravaged areas of the province.

“The wet weather this year has caused a significant increase in beaver damage in many RMs,” Saskatchewan Association of Rural Municipalities President David Marit said. “Probably the big thing is no one is trapping them anymore. So, their populations are just growing and growing.”

Some RMs feels the solution is a beaver bounty similar to last year’s bounty on coyotes. Bjornerud says he isn’t prepared to go that far “at this point”.
When asked if a beaver cull is off the table, Bjornerud said he’s “not ruling out anything”.

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