This Siuslaw national forest proposal hits very close to home as I am within 40 miles of the east boundary.
Here is a true story for you: About 19-20 years ago I received a notice from a prominent ODFW fisheries biologist that beaver trappers (among others) were being invited to a town hall meeting about critical endangered coho habitat on the Siletz river and its headwaters.
I listened for quite some while while the importance of beaver was discussed and how they greatly improve salmon habitat with their pond building activities. He had a pointer that he used to show a map of hundreds of square miles of the upper river's tangle of streams and a recent survey showing that beaver dams were practically nonexistent in the area. He went on to say that the most recent fur harvest data collected from trappers showed that 140 beaver had been trapped off of the Siletz. 130 from just one lone trapper!!!! All the while pointing to these small upper Siletz tributaries.
Now I had thought that beaver trappers were being invited so that we could share our wealth of information about beaver in the area. Nope. Became clear to me we were invited to be lectured to.
I raised my hand.
"Bob. The trapper that caught those 130 beaver off the Siletz was me." There was a gasp from the assembled crowd. "And all that territory that you are pointing to in the headwaters....Yes, says Bob....Well not one of those 130 came out of there. They all came off of tidewater on the lower river. I boat trap and I can't even get up in those areas. Tidewater has a good population of beaver because there is good habitat for them there. The upper area is all shaded out because logging is not allowed within 300 ft of any stream. Beaver can't find good forage".
I would like to say that Bob believed me and wanted to talk to me afterwards about my knowledge of beaver in the area. But his body language was clear. There were no beaver in the critical areas he wanted to see beaver ponds in because of scum trappers like me.
Last edited by beaverpeeler; 05/12/20 04:06 PM.