Since 2021, beaver sightings have been reported to this website. On Monday (4/29), Pete Shawaker saw something new – two of them. This pair was swimming slowly by the dock at his Eagle Point condo on at 7:30 am. Pete believed this pair may be engaging in mating rituals. They were circling and nuzzling each other. So, the beaver population at Clark Lake may be on the cusp of expanding.
Pete took this photo on a beaver visit yesterday (Tues 4/30).
Describing the sighting, “I could see their relatively huge heads and underwater body size. I also see muskrats swimming by, and these beavers were over four times their size!”
The beavers have taken up residence along the Eagle Point Cove shoreline. In September 2021, Carolyn Nichols took this photo as a beaver swam by her dock, also in the Cove.
In July 2021, a beaver was spotted at Kentucky Point. Laurie LaZebnik forwarded this photo.
At the time, discussion questioned whether it was a muskrat or beaver. Given subsequent evidence, this appears to be a beaver.
Pete believes the beavers “have adapted to being around people, boats and dogs, by intentionally travelling in the dark to find plants to eat along the shoreline. They then return to their secret den to sleep during the day.”
John Deming has found evidence that his front yard has been visited – trees and sticks either cut or stripped of their bark. Beavers do this sharpen their teeth.
John adds beavers also build lodges of sticks and mud, leaving the center open to admit air. The Michigan DNR indicates some beaver activity can be destructive “by cutting down trees and building dams that cause flooding in yards and basements. Beavers are also attracted to dams and reservoirs, which can weaken the embankment and spillway, and may cause the spillway to plug and raise the pool level.” “That is not happening here,” says Pete Shawaker. “They aren’t going to build a dam if they can access the whole lake.”
How did the beavers get to Clark Lake? John points out that the Grand River is quite close to Clark Lake. They could have made the trek across the short distance of land, took a swim in Clark Lake, and, like a lot of us, decided to stay.
