Funds Available for Mitigating Beaver Flooding
SPRINGFIELD - Thanks to a grant from the Nion Robert Thieriot Foundation, the Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals has funding to assist with installation of water-flow devices to humanely, non-lethally, and ecologically mitigate beaver-related flooding in the Berkshires.Any individual, town, business, or organization in Berkshire County can participate; other Western Mass. towns will be considered if funds are not exhausted in the Berkshires.
The criteria includes a willingness of all parties involved to resolve problems non-lethally for the long term, a site that is conducive to flow device usage, and permission of the landowners and the local Conservation Commission to install water-flow devices.
The state Division of Fisheries and Wildlife offers some information on flow devices.
To request assistance, send a description of the conflict site or sites and budget limitations to the MSPCA for consideration. Starting in the spring, the agency will evaluate the sites to determine if they are conducive to flow device usage.
The amount of funding offered to each applicant will depend on the number of requests, the amount of each eligible request, and the ability of each requester to pay for part of the flow device or the maintenance contract for the device.
Requests will be accepted throughout 2008 until funding is exhausted and will be considered in the order in which they are received. Include name, date, town of residence, phone number and e-mail address with the request.
Send requests to: Linda Huebner, MSPCA Western New England, 171 Union St., Springfield, MA, 01105. For more information: Lhuebner@mspca.org., fax 413-750-7660 or call 413-750-7623.
