----- Original Message -----
From: Mayor Scott Young youngs@portcoquitlam.ca
To: Animal Advocates
Cc:Mayor & Councillors mayorcouncillors@city.port-coquitlam.BC.CA; admin@portcoquitlam.ca
Sent: Wednesday, March 08, 2006 2:27 PM

Dear Ms.Stone,

Thank you for taking the time to write me on the subject of Beaver Management in our City. I am afraid that you have drawn the wrong conclusions from the information provided by Mr. Rogozinski. The City's policy is to use as many means as is practical to manage beavers before resorting to the use of traps as recommended and endorsed by the Province. The City is always receptive to hearing new approaches to enhance our service delivery to the community. I am providing the following exchange of very recent e-mails between Mr. Rogozinski and our Operations Manager, Gord Voncina for your information. I trust that after having read these e-mails you will agree that the City is taking a reasonable approach in managing the beavers in our City.

Sincerely,

Scott Young,
Mayor

-----Original Message-----
From: Gordon Voncina [mailto:voncinag@portcoquitlam.ca]
Sent: Tuesday, March 07, 2006 6:14 AM
To: mrogozinski@shaw.ca
Cc: Tony Chong; Francis Cheung
Subject: FW: Beaver management processes

Good morning,

Thank you for you inquiry. The City has undertaken a number of methods in an attempt to manage beavers in various water sheds throughout the community.

We continue to monitor beaver actitivity to determine the extent of impacts upon particular drainage systems. In cases where beaver activtity does not impact a specific drainage catchment area, we do not intervene. Where beaver activity impacts the City's drainage system or property damage has occurred, we commence remedial work while attempting to minimize the impacts upon the beavers.

Intervention actitivies, such as tree wrapping with wire, removal of dam building materials and partial removal of beaver dams is undetaken to maintain sustainable water levels for beavers and to allow commnunity drainage systems to function properly. The City also installs pond leveling
devices to maintain adequate water flow and provide fish access upstream of ponds.

Combinations of techniques seem to have the best results; however, each of the methods and systems we have implemented have not been sustainable. The more trees we wrap, the further inland the beavers travel to cut down trees for dam building activities. Partial dam removal and levelling devices require constant monitoring and cleaning as beavers continue to bring in more materials to build dams and plug pond levelling devices. The capital and operating costs related to this work is becoming increasingly expensive.

Without sufficient numbers of natural predators in the area, the rate of beaver proliferation has increased throughout watersheds within the community. The additional beaver populations move away from their original habitat and establish new ponds throughout the watershed or create new wetlands adjacent to the water shed.

Finding an approporate balance of preservation of beavers and the prevention of flooding and other related damage for residents is a challenge for our community. We would be most appreicative if you had a proposal for consideration.

I have included an e-mail address for Jack Evans at Wildlife, Jack.Evans@gems4.gov.bc.ca"