Bow residents have once again found themselves entangled in an issue over beaver dams, following the construction of a dam at a town-owned pond, this time not by beavers but by local residents.

This comes after a beaver dam removal last year on town-owned land between Page Road, Pepin and Pine Crest Drive caused frustration among residents, leading to the formation of a subcommittee to address future beaver pond management in town.

At Tuesday’s select board meeting, Mark Dube, a member of the Bow Pioneers Snowmobile club said that someone is trying to build a new dam at the pond. The club received criticism from pond abutters for removing a beaver dam last July to protect a bridge from damage due to the pond’s increasing water levels.

“There’s no appearance like a beaver did this – just logs there and there’s large-size debris,” Dube explained. “It’s illegal to do this and we want it stopped, we want it removed.”

Selectmen deemed the issue to be the town’s responsibility and advised the Bow Pioneers Snowmobile Club, which had trapped and removed the beavers from the pond last year, not to interfere. It was decided that the town would handle the matter and address it appropriately.

“We cannot have humans building a dam, that generates so many issues,” said board chair Michael Wayne.“Human activity has to stop now.”

As the discussion heated up, the issue of the construction of a bridge took a backseat, and the meeting quickly turned into a debate of the snowmobile club versus the residents determined to protect the beaver habitat.

Some Bow residents argued that the snowmobile club had been getting a free pass to do as they please in town. The sentiment was amplified by the removal of the beaver dam, which abutters say was done without oversight.

While the snowmobile club received permission from Town Manager David Stack to clear debris around the pond, the miscommunication surrounding the terms “debris” and “dam” has added to the confusion.

“My concern is that the Bow Pioneers Snowmobile Club has been doing whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want,” said Sara McCahan, who expressed worry about what club members are doing on other trails. “My question is when is enough, enough. There have to be consequences, or they’re going to keep doing whatever they want.”

In an effort to avoid future conflicts and promote effective management of beaver ponds, the subcommittee responsible for overseeing beaver dam management under the Conservation Committee has voted to approve a demonstration project involving the installation of a beaver flow device. This decision followed four meetings and consultation with experts.

Six locations in town have been identified for installation of the device, and one will be picked, said Sandra Crystall, chair of the conservation commission.

“We just need to work together and realize that there are solutions to these problems, these flow devices have been put in many places,” said Crystall.

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