Adirondack Beaver 133 



Beaver River Flow from the northeast, almost due north of Beaver 

 River Station. The beavers have just recently started their build- 

 ing operations here and three dams not more than a foot or a foot 

 and a half high have been placed across the creek near its mouth. 

 The ground bordering is very low and it is necessary only to raise 

 the water a few inches in order to affect perhaps eight or ten acres 

 of spruce in which are included a number of very large pines. A 

 part of this timber is already turning yellow. 



The most extensive damage to timber in this district is at Witch- 

 opple Lake. At the outlet of this lake is a dam about 175 feet long 

 and 2 feet, 6 inches high between the water levels (figures 13). 

 On the adjacent northeast shore is a patch of dead timber, and a 

 belt also extends eastward along the same shore, visible in the 

 photograph. The greater part of the lake shore, however, is still 

 unaffected because of the incline of the ground. The full effect 

 of the dam may be seen along the inlet stream at the northeast 

 end of the lake. Because of the low ground bordering this creek 

 the high water of the lake has inundated the banks the full 

 length of the stream, from Witchopple Lake to what is called 

 "Beaver Dam Pond," a distance of approximately half a mile. The 

 width of the dead timber belt was estimated to vary from about 

 20 to 25 or 30 rods. The timber is predominantly spruce. Figure 

 14 is a view along this creek. 



At Woods Lake complaint had been made in regard to a new 

 beaver dam on the creek which is the outlet of Razorback Pond. 

 The dam in question was found to be about 55 feet long and 1 

 foot, 10 inches high, firmly anchored against large boulders (figure 

 15). The ground above it is low and the dam is favorably placed 

 for flooding a comparatively large area with but slight increase 

 in its height. A fine stand of spruce is already in water and unless 

 the dam is torn out this timber will be damaged. 



4. Sabattis Region. In this territory (map 2, insert), accord- 

 ing to Ranger Willard Sutton, the damage to timber has been insig- 

 nificant because the land has previously been denuded by logging 

 and fires. But a case of beaver trouble of a different sort was met 

 with here which may be mentioned at this point. About two miles 

 northeast of Sabattis station the New York Central Railway 

 crosses the outlet creek of Little Trout Pond. This creek is nor- 

 mally a very small stream and a tile culvert forms its conduit under 

 the roadbed. A beaver dam a short distance down stream has 



