麻豆视频

Conflicting views on beaver management in the Moose Mountain Provincial Park have been issues for many years, but issues surrounding the actual workings of the watershed and Kenosee Lake are the underlying driving force of the concerns regarding water levels in Kenosee.

Community members and the provincial park both have vested interests in Kenosee Lake and ensuring it has a considerable amount of water in it, but the ultimate question becomes, "What is full?"

On Thursday, April 3, the Moose Mountain Provincial Park presented a community information night with their consultant, Dave Phillips, on the best beaver management practices for the park.

He was joined by Terry Minter (Park Area Manager), Glen Longpre (Manager of Landscape Protection Unit within the Parks Division), Joan Adams (Park Manager), and Rob Stolz (Conservation Officer).

Phillips spoke to his research which pointed towards the park's topography as being nearly saturated by beaver, with 2.13 colonies in every square kilometre which is a considerable density. However, despite there being numerous beaver in the area Phillips wasn't hesitant to suggest a drastic beaver management plan, thus his recommendations following his studies included looking into flow devices in certain areas to prevent beavers from damming these spots and to refrain from much blasting of beaver dams until a hydrological study could be performed on the area.

Thus, selective removal of beaver dams will continue in 2014, but it will not be an extensive practice as many people in the area were hoping for. Essentially the removal of dams in the back country within the watershed this year will simply be focused primarily on preventing flooding.

In 1969 a study showed that water moving underground was able to adequately keep Kenosee Lake filled, but people living in the area with historical knowledge of the watershed disagree stating that the lake fills when spillage from the pockmarked back country comes forward which is prevented by beavers in certain instances.

The meeting lasted two hours although the majority of time was taken up by discussion amongst the amassed crowd regarding the flow of water which are hydrology questions that Phillips was unable to answer as it was not part of the study he performed.

The proposed hydrology study, however would finally give answers as to how the lake fills, whether through overland flow or groundwater flow.

With a multitude of different viewpoints it is important to perform the next step as Kenosee Lake is integral in attracting tourists to Moose Mountain Provincial Park and the area.

A few points the Moose Mountain Water Management Corporation made through Bob Brickley included the introduction to beaver to the area in 1932 and a trending loss in water within Kenosee Lake ever since. Though it fluctuates year to year, the overall height of the lake has dropped over the years.

The increase in beaver productivity and decrease in height of the lake may be intertwined, but there are other possible factors as well. Thus, Phillips suggested looking into these various avenues before attempting to reduce beaver populations.

Phillips' detailed proposal to the park will be posted this week at www.saskparks.net as a PDF file titled MMPP Beaver Management Plan for the community to further read and understand Phillips' findings.