Beaver and Beaver Dam Removal in Wisconsin Trout Streams

Beaver (Castor canadensis) dam building activities create many longterm affects on stream ecosystems. Beaver dams may negatively influence trout fisheries by creating physical barriers to spawning areas, increasing sediment retention, and increasing water temperatures. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) Animal Damage Control (ADC) program in Wisconsin, entered into cooperative agreements with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (WDNR) and the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) on the Nicolet National Forest from June through September, 1988, to remove beaver and beaver dams from priority classed trout streams. Four hundred and eight beaver were removed by trapping, snaring and shooting and 668 beaver dams were removed with explosives. Control activities were conducted on fifteen streams and their tributaries. All beaver and beaver dams were removed from five streams with averages of 1 beaver colony per stream mile, 5.6 beaver per colony, and 11 beaver dams per stream mile. Control costs, which included explosives, salaries, and mileage, averaged $495 per stream mile for the 5 streams