Metroparks Toledo Makes Move To Co-Exist With Beaver Population

Recently the Metroparks of the Toledo Area made a move to help newly-arrived beavers at Side Cut Metropark better co-exist with other park inhabitants, park goers, and the city of Maumee. As the second largest rodent in the world, beavers are well-known for their natural behavior of building canals, their homes (lodges), and most notably, dams. The nocturnal builders construct their dams to stop the flow of water which provides protection from predators and easy access to food during the winter months.

Rising waters causing trouble inside Sidecut Metropark

However, the dam the beavers built at Siegert Lake inside Side Cut Metropark was doing its job too well and causing the lake to overflow beyond its natural boundaries. The stoppage of excess water exiting the lake into the Maumee River was causing flooding of dry habitat, park trails, and in extreme cases, North River Road itself.

Beavers build the dam, park staff builds a solution

Metroparks Toledo devised a plan to install a mechanical bypass of the beaver dam. This bypass allows the beavers to continue their instinctual building efforts while allowing park officials to manually regulate the water levels of Siegert Lake. On bypass installation day, Metroparks Toledo asked Toledo Aerial Media to help capture the process from an aerial and ground perspective for documentation purposes and also to assist in educating the public. This beaver dam bypass project was significant from not only the utilitarian aspect, but also as a measure to remain welcoming to the resident beaver population at this popular northwest Ohio metropark, rather than simply rehoming them to a new area.

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