The Sunflower County Board of Supervisors was on the verge of pelting the county’s beaver problem this past Monday, but it ran into one sticking point.
The cost of removing hundreds of the critters.
Richard Nations, with Nations Wildlife Removal appeared before the board after taking a tour of some of the county’s problem areas with Road Manager T.J. Fairley, and he presented a plan that could eradicate over 100 of the nuisance animals at a cost of $75 a beaver.
Nations said he works with nearby property owners to make sure that he is not disturbing them or any of their pets in the process.
His removal process is done exclusively by trapping.
“I do not (blow dams),” he said. “It’s a liability for me, especially with houses as close as they in the areas where Mr. T.J. took me.”
Nations said he will be in the area this month and can start tackling the dam problems immediately.
“That’s the time I’m proposing to remove as many beavers as we can,” he said. “I have access to hundreds of traps and years of knowledge, so I believe we can make a difference.”
Board Attorney Johnny McWilliams said that in Nations’ proposal, he said there were anywhere from two to 12 beavers at any given site between 10 locations, which would add up to around $9,000.
While Nations recommended an ongoing beaver removal program, the board discussed capping the number at a certain price.
District 1 Supervisor Glenn Donald motioned to table the discussion until the Feb. 13 meeting of the board, and while District 3 Supervisor Ben Gaston expressed his support for the program, the board agreed to wait until Monday’s meeting to make a decision.
