At the beginning of 2020, a pair of beavers moved into Farrell Marsh Park in Steilacoom, WA. The first evidence of their presence was two trees in the north end of the marsh that had beaver damage. Over the course of several weeks, the trees were chewed until finally they fell into the marsh. 

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At about the same time, the beavers began damming up the outflow of the marsh at the location of the footbridge on the West Trail. With evidence of the presence of beavers, Mayor Lucas contracted a local trapper to remove the beavers with the intention of removing the dam afterwards.

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The reason the mayor gave for this decision was that a 2017 beaver dam breach caused flooding, property damage, and a sinkhole. The town attorney advised that removing the beavers was the best way to protect the town from liability.

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Unfortunately, the live traps that the trapper set were ineffective, and he applied for permits for kill traps. These were installed without notice to the people using the park, and when they were discovered, someone removed them and turned them in to the Steilacoom Parks Department. There was a concern that if someone's pet was off-leash and exploring the marsh, they could be injured or killed. 

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Over the summer, the beavers built up the dam, and the water level began to rise. They could be seen patrolling the dam near sunset, and in June, two kits (baby beavers) were spotted playing in the reeds.

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In the fall and winter, heavy rains raised the water level to a height not seen in recent history. Several trails were flooded, and the roots of many trees were now underwater, risking their health. The town had other priorities (a collapsing sea wall at Sunnyside Beach, for example), and the trapper seemed inactive.

 

More rain in February of 2021, and the trapper was photographed entering the marsh with a backpack that was the size of conibear-style kill traps, so there is a renewed urgency for the welfare of the beavers.

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Current thinking is that beavers are a natural part of the Pacific Northwest, and despite their near extinction in the 1850s, they are making a comeback. They are considered a "keystone species," meaning that their presence in a habitat will benefit many other plant and animal species. This seems to be the case in Farrell Marsh, as many people have observed increased bird activity, and other water mammals (muskrats) have been spotted as well.

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Hopefully, the Mayor and the town can find a compromise that allows the beavers to remain in the marsh, while still minimizing flooding risk to the downstream residents, and also to control the water level so that the trails are not flooded, and the risk to the trees is minimized.

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The petition linked above asks the mayor to temporarily stop the trapping and to form a task force that will study the complex situation before any further action is taken.