Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Beavers Trails topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Council hears rising complaints about beaver dams blocking trails and livestock routes in San Rafael River
Summary
Ranchers and council members described beaver dams and felled trees in the San Rafael River that are increasingly blocking horse and cattle travel between Fuller's Bottom and Swinging Bridge. The council agreed to convene BLM and local permit holders to inspect the site and explore trapping, trail rerouting or other mitigation at the next meeting.
Ranchers, trail users and council members told the Emery County Public Lands Council that beaver activity in the San Rafael River is blocking historic crossings and impeding livestock and horse travel.
"I can't move my cows through there," said Jaren Hanson of the Utah Farm Bureau, summarizing a local producer's report about conditions between Fuller's Bottom and Swinging Bridge. Council members said flood season and a buildup of beaver dams in narrow canyon pinch points have repeatedly left crossings impassable and force pack- or hike-in access.
BLM staff present said the agency previously worked with local groups to clear or reroute trails and that some solutions used in earlier years were only temporary. A BLM representative said Fuller Bottom was not part of a recent agency release project and that they had not released beavers there as part of a relocation project.
Council members raised questions about what mitigation is allowed in designated wilderness (where mechanized equipment such as chainsaws are restricted) and whether trapping, trail rerouting or manual trail maintenance could be used. The group directed staff to identify exact locations, dig into the history and legal restrictions, and convene a site visit with BLM, permittees and stakeholders before the next meeting.
Council members emphasized a holistic approach to field visits: "Don't go down there looking at just the beavers," one member said, urging simultaneous review of trail crossings, fencing and erosion.
Next steps: the council will gather precise coordinates and invite the BLM, local permittees and user groups to re-inspect the pinch point and report back with feasible mitigation options at the next public-lands meeting.
