Do you have problems with beavers plugging culverts or causing unwanted flooding of fields, roads, or trails and looking for a solution? If so, you’ve landed on a great website with effective solutions that include the How and Why they work.
The Stan’s Beaver Baffler (SBB) concept is based on a low-cost, low-impact device initially developed in Washington state in the early 1950’s and described in the July 1956 Washington State Game Bulletin. The goal then and now is to keep culverts functioning and to prevent flooding of infrastructure.
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Hybrid panels with 4×4” mesh for strength near the culvert and 6×8” mesh panels at upper end to allow large fish passage
where fast flowing water discourages dam building. Flooding of infrastructure is reduced while retaining beaver benefits and accommodating
fish passage.
The SBB incorporates key features based on beaver instincts that discourage them from building problem dams, rather than trying to block them.
Understanding beaver instincts that discourage dam building were identified and used to design the fish/wildlife friendly SBB, specifically:
- Beavers build their dams across a stream and not up or down the stream.
- Beavers are tunnel builders and may attempt to dig under protection fences.
- Beavers cut and drag food/building material into a pond and avoid dragging it out of a pond.
- Beavers prefer to live and build their dams where water is slow moving and avoid building dams in fast water with a steep gradient.
The Stan’s Beaver Baffler is recommended to be used at beaver conflict sites because it is effective while solving fish/wildlife passage and cost issues associated with flow pipe devices. It is easily installed in shallow water by landowners, road crews, and natural resource specialists.
See the How and Why section for more information.