Culvert Protection Installed

“Beaver Deceiver” installed in the Town of Barnes
Last spring, Friends’ members Kathy and Kim met with members of the Bayfield County Highway Department to discuss non-lethal solutions to the problem of beavers blocking road culverts. To a beaver, a culvert is a hole that needs to be plugged to keep water from escaping. The sound of water passing through a culvert triggers their instinct to dam it. We offered the FNPCW’s help with the design and installation of a few culvert protective devices to demonstrate how the installation of a trapezoidal fence around a culvert’s inlet would protect it from beaver damming, while preserving the critical wetland habitat they create.

The decision was made to use a 3-foot culvert in the Town of Barnes for a demonstration project. It offered the opportunity to show how the installation of a trapezoidal culvert protector could solve a beaver culvert damming problem. The Barnes road crew had been clearing mud and sticks from this culvert twice a week to keep it from becoming blocked – at an approximate cost of $300 per trip. Two culverts are located here where the road crosses the outlet of a large marsh and a pond that drains hundreds of acres of wetland habitat. The primary 3-foot culvert manages the outflow, while a smaller, 30-inch culvert is placed higher and only channels water during heavy rainstorms—otherwise, it typically remains dry.

A trapezoidal-shaped culvert protector – sometimes referred to as a “beaver-deceiver” – was built at the Barnes Highway garage and moved to the installation site. Members of the Barnes and Bayfield County Highway Departments were on hand to install the device, while a few curious onlookers watched.

This project was a bit more complex than a typical trapezoidal culvert protector installation due to the large culvert size, and the depth of the pond water. A digger derrick was used to lower the device into place, and a small boat was required to install the stakes securing the culvert protector to the pond bottom. In shallower water, culvert protectors can be slid into the water and placed by personnel in waders. (For more insight into the construction and placement of culvert protective fencing, visit Road Culvert Fence Instructions – YouTube.)

The culvert will now remain unclogged, and water will move downstream into the creek unimpeded. The Barnes Highway road crew will periodically check the culvert protector during routine road inspections, and remove any debris that may collect along the fencing and potentially impede water flow. This beaver deceiver will be a major cost savings for the Town of Barnes, while also demonstrating how people and beavers can co-exist.

Thanks to all the cooperators who made this project possible: the Friends of the North Pikes Creek Wetlands, the Bayfield County Highway Department crew members and all their really cool equipment, and the Town of Barnes Highway Department crew who embraced a project that would both keep the culvert functioning well at a minimum cost and continue to protect the wetland habitat for countless wildlife species.