Urban wildlife
Don't blame vandals for downing several trees along the Spokane River. Those are teeth marks, not hatchet chops in the trunks.
County Parks officials first heard of beavers along the trail last fall, when an apartment dweller who lives along Upriver Drive requested they stop the rodents from felling trees that screen an unpleasant industrial view. Other people thought kids with hatchets were cutting trees near Upriver Dam.
The beavers now are working on the south bank of the river, near the Centennial Trail bridge at Plantes Ferry Park. They've felled at least four deciduous trees.
Department of Wildlife spokeswoman Madonna Luers said beavers range all along the river, but the department has not received any recent complaints about them in urban areas.
Most complaints of damage come from suburban and semirural areas, where the beaver populations appear to be growing. In cases of severe damage, the department will capture and relocate the animals. In rural areas, licensed trappers may be called to do the job.
There's no sign the Plantes Ferry beavers are trying to add another dam to the six that humans already have built across the Spokane River.
