Spruce Wheelock and his wife have lived on Pine Crest Drive in Bow for 24 years overlooking a small pond behind their property.

The little pond, nestled on town-owned land between neighbors on Page Road, Pepin and Pine Crest Drive, was a habitat to beavers and other wildlife. A snowmobile trail ran alongside it.

On the last Saturday in October, Wheelock went to fetch his mail around 9:30 a.m. and he was surprised to see an excavator pass the trail to the pond. Then he realized, the beaver dam had been destroyed.

“All the water receded between 10 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.,” said Wheelock. “It didn’t make it out slowly.”

Mud and debris were left behind where the small body of water once was. Upset, Wheelock and his neighbors set out to discover what had happened.

The Bow Pioneers Snowmobile Club received approval from the Select Board on Sept. 27, by a 3-2 vote, to trap the beavers and clear the area around the pond’s drainage system of debris.

The beaver dam had raised the water levels of the pond, and drainage systems that were installed to lower them had proven ineffective, according to club officials. The dam had risen past the bridge that leads to the main trail network used by hikers, runners and snowmobilers.

On Oct. 29, club members cleared away debris and a portion of the beaver dam. They said it was done to reduce the risk of flooding the bridge close to the pond and restore the pond to its original water level. Residents said the two beavers that were trapped were killed.

Beaver dams not only serve as houses for beavers but can help create habitats for wetland species including fish, birds, and turtles. However, their dam-building prowess can sometimes lead to flooding problems on both public and private property.

State law says any town, municipal or state employee is permitted to remove beavers, destroy beaver dams, build beaver pipes, or fences on their property to safeguard land, public highways, or bridges from damage. The law also allows machinery to be used as long as it does not enter the water, wetlands, or adjacent banks.

The Bow Pioneers received a permit to trap the beavers using snares from the NH Fish and Game Department’s law enforcement division. The permit, dated Sept. 28, was forwarded to the town of Bow.

Abutters are upset that they weren’t consulted before the dam was removed, and say the club could have found an alternative way to connect to the main trail system. They are worried about a drop in property values and an increase in mosquito infestations as a result of the pond’s water being drained.

They questioned if the town had given permission to drain the pond or just “remove debris,” as they had requested.

Debris or dam?

According to the minutes from the Select Board meeting on Sept. 27, Mark Dube, the Bow Pioneers Trail Master, asked for permission to trap the beavers and remove the debris around the pond’s drainage system.

Following the meeting, the club sent an email to David L. Stack, the town manager, asking him to confirm receipt of the approval. The email asked for confirmation of the authorization to remove the dam after the beavers have been eliminated in order to prevent further harm to the bridge.

In his email response, Stack said, “You are correct on the removal of debris and I have signed the permit for the beaver trapping.”

However, Stack later said the removal of the entire beaver dam was not a topic of discussion at the meeting.

But from a state perspective, debris is considered to be part of a beaver dam, said Robert Mancini, conservation officer for New Hampshire Fish and Game.

Members of the snowmobile club were trying to save the bridge from damage and were not trying to upset any neighbors.

“We knew that wetlands can pose an issue with NH DES so we were adamant that we verified with Mr. Stack and the selectman that we were authorized as per their approval and the regulation to trap the beaver and to remove the dam with an excavator,” said Anthony Foote, Vice President of the Bow Pioneers.

For their part, neighbors want the idyllic pond restored to what it once was – beavers and all.

To address the complaints of the residents and provide clarification on the matter, the removal of the beaver dam is expected to be discussed in the next town meeting.

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