Over the past few years the beavers have been doing a great job of managing the wetlands at our Wigwam Brook Wildlife Sanctuary.
When LHAS acquired the property back in 2008 there was no active beaver activity. There was evidence, in the wetland areas, when a number of curious LHAS members explored the area for the first time before acquiring the property, that they saw an old breached beaver dam, indicating that they beavers had been there some time ago.
The beavers returned to the area around 2009 and began building a dam and a lodge in the wetland area some call Goose Lodge (the Canada Geese nest on top of the lodge). The beavers have remained at the Wigwam Brook Wildlife Sanctuary creating dams and lodges at various areas up and down the wetlands and streams where food sources and protection is abundantly available. At one point there were as many as 7 beavers residing in a lodge in the area near the power line.
During the recent storm that came through Connecticut, wreaking havoc in Southbury, Naugatuck and Woodbury, it also caused a problem for the beavers at the Wigwam Brook Sanctuary. The beaver dam on the North side of Lipeika road had broken in a couple or areas causing most of the water to drain out, leaving large puddles. On the plus side, the draining of the beaver pond also left mud flats where various types of shore birds appeared to feed on minnows, mollusks, and other aquatic life.
Today, due to the storm damage, the beavers have relocated, where two have been seen at various locations at the sanctuary.