The impact of beaver and deer on the park is discussed

by Dan Holland

The impact of beavers and deer in Richfield Heritage Preserve on flora and park infrastructure has been under discussion in recent months.

Shortly after the park was purchased by Richfield Village and Township, Friends of Richfield Heritage Preserve formed a partnership with the Cuyahoga Soil & Water Conservation District to provide advice on land management, particularly invasive species and beaver and deer management. 

In March 2024, Friends representative Beth Sanderson asked that Meg Hennessey, watershed coordinator with CSWCD, tour the park with her and Park Director John Piepsny for consultation on management of deer and beavers within the park, and the impact beaver dams can have on nearby roads, trees and flora. 

Hennessey assessed two of the three beaver dams in the park. She concluded that the dams built in the streams would not have a negative impact on crucial roads and bridges within RHP.

She indicated in her report that removal of beavers is a temporary measure, and she noted that beaver dams in streams could provide stormwater management benefits by producing downstream flood reduction. The dams can also produce floodplain connectivity, including water retention during times of drought and habitat creation for amphibians, birds, fish and mammals. 

Hennessey noted that trees at risk of being toppled by beavers could be protected by fencing or by painting the trunks with a latex paint/sand concoction. She added that ephemeral wildflowers are unlikely to be affected by beaver dams.

The Friends have painted several trees with the sand/latex mixture and have fenced others. 

Hennessey did not evaluate or address a beaver dam that has been built across the top of the Lake Linnea Spillway. However an Ohio Department of Natural Resources Dam Safety Fact Sheet advised that beavers could plug a spillway and damage the structural integrity of a dam. An RJRD park staff member regularly removes some of the trees and limbs that the beaver pile on top of the Lake Linnea dam.

Lynn Richardson, who serves as historian for the Friends, said that records indicate beavers were removed from the park around 2012-2013 when the Girl Scouts stilled owned it, so the lake level would not rise because of tree limbs across the spillway. The beaver returned.

Richardson added that the group has been strategically painting trees in the park with a latex/sand application. “There are two islands on Lake Linnea, and one of the islands has a number of mature oak trees, which are very important to the ecosystem, and [beavers] are trying to take down the oak trees,” she said. 

RJRD Board Chair Anita Gantner said she has relied on the advice of Dr. Joe Blanda with regard to the beaver. A retired orthopedic surgeon, Blanda, who has volunteered at the park, obtained his undergraduate degree in biology with a focus on wildlife management; in particular beaver ecology. He noted that RHP is one of only three parks in Summit and Cuyahoga County where beaver can be observed in their natural habitat.

“More recently, [beaver] have come to the forefront with a lot of research showing how beneficial they are to an ecosystem,” said Blanda. 

He acknowledged the work that is needed to protect the trees and to remove the branches from the top of the Lake Linnea spillway. “But the important point is that a beaver dam in a gully helps slow erosion, which is a problem with the steep valleys in that park.”

Blanda added that many park areas around the country are reintroducing beavers as a natural means of slowing stream erosion and building up sediment for healthy soil.

“Fallen trees help create a beneficial habitat when some of them fall into the lake by creating habitat for the fish, and they create protection for creatures on the forest floor,” he said. “And, when they decay and contribute to the microorganisms in the soil, that contributes to the whole circle of life.”

The RJRD board has not taken a position on managing the beaver in the park.

Deer damage

Hennessey noted in her report that there are signs of deer overpopulation in the park, based on a lack of tree saplings in the forest understory.

Richardson said the Western Reserve Land Conservancy aided in the purchase of the property in 2015 because of the pristine condition of the land due to there not being any deer in the park. She added that the Girl Scouts’ park managers repaired the fences as needed and kept the deer population under control. 

Today, hikers encounter collapsed fences throughout the perimeter of the park. Richardson said a clear browse line indicates the presence of a regular deer herd and flora are disappearing.According to Piepsny, the perimeter fence is repaired as needed and as funding is available. At a Richfield Joint Recreation District board meeting in November 2024, he said it is cost prohibitive to maintain all of the broken fences that are collapsed, usually from trees and limbs falling on them. In addition, the Broadview Road entrance gate was unlocked during the wedding season because guest left late at night and arrived early in the morning. 

Photo caption: Even though beaver are largely considered nocturnal, this beaver was spotted in the evening, swimming in the lower lake near a beaver dam, in Richfield Heritage Preserve. Animals that are active at dusk and dawn are categorized as crepuscular. Photo by S. Serdinak