The Starke County Park Board hopes that drainage issues at the County Forest have been resolved. During Tuesday’s meeting, it was reported that a “beaver tube” that the board previously approved has now been purchased and installed.
Now, County Surveyor Bill Crase plans to wait and see whether it solves the problem, according to park board member Debbie Mix. “It is installed, and he has given Mr. Wakeland almost kind of like a last chance to make sure it works,” she said. “He’s going to give him time to see that it works, and if it does, everything’s hunky-dory. If not, he’s going to then trap the beavers.”
County officials have previously blamed the drainage issue on beaver dams blocking the flow of water. However, forest manager Bruce Wakeland has disputed that claim, and argued against beaver trapping as a solution. Instead, Wakeland believes the water backup is due to a ditch that needs to be dredged.
