No citations given for destruction of beaver dam on McLeod Creek

The remnants of a destroyed beaver dam on McLeod Creek, Sept. 20, 2023. Photo: TownLift Photo: TownLift.

An investigation concluded that the beaver dam was removed legally

PARK CITY, Utah — The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources announced that no charges will be filed in the destruction of a beaver habitat in Park City, and that no citations were written for the events investigated.

The habitat was discovered to have been destroyed in September, along with an observed lack of beaver activity. Community members raised concerns to the Division of Wildlife Resources (DWR) that the destruction of the beaver habitat and the subsequent flooding of the area were illegal.

On Sept. 18, a DWR officer was on site to investigate. According to the DWR’s investigations, a private company was hired to remove the beavers, with required beaver removal permits. The DWR officer reported that there was no evidence of recent beaver activity found at the site.

The Division of Water Rights separately investigated the beaver dam removal and found that the private company hired for the beaver dam removal did so legally.

The Division of Water Rights claims there are at least two older, more mature beaver dams farther upstream at McLeod Creek. Those dams could be removed with heavy machinery, with a permit, if they were found to be causing flooding or erosion problems.

The DWR said in a statement, “The investigating officer determined that the beaver dams had been located on a small diversion of McLeod Creek. The dams had flooded a portion of the low-lying area, and an excavator had been used to remove them. The remains of the beaver dams were found on the shore adjacent to the water. There was no evidence of recent beaver activity.”