County officials say beavers are causing safety concerns

MECKLENBURG COUNTY, N.C.,None — Mecklenburg County is going on beaver patrol.

The rodents are causing safety concerns across the county.

In Park Road Park, the evidence is clear: teeth marks left on the bark of trees all over the property.

Some people might call them cute, but Mecklenburg County Natural Resources Manager Chris Matthews said the beavers are a big problem.

He said the group living in the park -- possibly up to six but more likely fewer -- is causing serious damage.

The beavers set up their home there last spring when the county renovated the pond in Park Road Park.

But it was around the beginning of 2012 that Matthews said they started taking a big bite out of trees and vegetation, causing trunks to collapse and the shoreline to erode.

Matthews said the county is also concerned about safety risks the beavers are creating. He's worried beavers will gnaw on bigger trees close to trails and public buildings in the park, sending those trees crashing onto the roofs or hikers walking along the paths.

So in the next few weeks, the county is taking a more serious step.

"What we're going to have to do is get rid of the beavers," Matthews said. "It's really gotten to the point where it's a big problem and unfortunately we're going to have to take care of their population."

By acting now in Park Road Park, the county is trying to avoid the same level of damage it's already seen in Colonel Francis Beatty Park in Matthews.

There, county officials found 196 hardwood trees damaged by beavers. They tried fencing around the trees, but Matthews said the beaver simply turned to other trees in the park, so it hasn't helped the problem.

In the next few weeks, the county will hire a wildlife damage control agent who will trap the beavers and kill them.

Matthews said putting down the animals is a last resort, but their only choice. He said beavers don't do well when they're moved to new territory and if they build a dam, they could flood other property.

"From a public safety perspective, it's something we need to address," he said.

WSOC