A clever contraption will control the water level of locally treasured Yankeetown Pond off the road between Glenford and Wittenberg while protecting Pond Road and neighboring properties. It will also preserve the well-established beaver habitat there while providing a first step to restoring the pond to its past glory.
On August 13, the Beaver Institute installed something called a flexible pond leveler, or water leveler, oftentimes called a beaver deceiver. It is designed to prevent beavers from hearing or feeling water flow, which is what motivates them to fortify the dams they build. Those dams protect the underwater entrances to beaver lodges.
With a beaver deceiver, the pond is kept at a manageable level to prevent flooding. The deceiver channels water through a pipe in such a way that beavers cannot perceive water flow. A large cage-like structure at one end of the pipe serves as an intake and prevents beavers from blocking it.
For years, Woodstock’s town highway department pulled out part of the dam. The beavers would build it back. One year, the highway crew pulled out a bit too much of the dam due to miscommunication, resulting in a slap on the wrist from the Department of Environmental Conservation.
The town learned it needed a DEC permit. Though neighbors have trapped beavers, new beaver colonies have emerged. Well-read DEC experts have termed Yankeetown a beaver nirvana.
Get a water leveler first
“So now we’ve put a band-aid on a leaky faucet, and it’s a problem,” said Erin Moran, current owner of record of the west end of Yankeetown Pond. The New York City Department of Environmental Protection (NYCDEP) owns the east end.
The town had previously wanted to install a beaver deceiver, but restrictions against spending taxpayer money on private property had made installation complex. Moran agreed to obtain the necessary permits and pay for installation.
“If that dam was in our right-of-way, then we could have easily justified taking care of it,” said Woodstock town supervisor Bill McKenna. “The fact that it was on private land and out of the right-of-way made it more difficult, although not impossible, but there would have been all kinds of permissions that the town would have had to receive.”
Moran wants to restore the pond to what it once was, including getting rid of an abundance of lily pads and other growth, This action was the first step, she said.
“They’ve all advised me … Cornell Cooperative [Extension], Catskill Watershed Corporation, DEC, DEP …. They all said you got to get a water leveler first,” Moran said.
They know it works
The NYCDEP [New York City Department of Environmental Protection] owns the eastern end of the pond as part of efforts to protect the Ashokan Reservoir watershed. It signed off on the water-leveler installation.
That’s when Moran hired the Beaver Institute, a nonprofit that specializes in beaver management and watershed restoration.
“They did an amazing job,” Moran said. “They also had three interns from Westchester Parks that came and learned how to install these. They install over 100 a year, so this is their thing. “They do it a lot in the Adirondacks, so they know it works. They measured the water, and they took calculations, so they know how much they’re dealing with.”
When the water leveler was installed, Moran said she was surprised to learn the pond was nine feet deep at that spot.
“We’ve tricked the beaver,” Moran said. “So now we’re coexisting with the beaver, which is always the point. So they’re in there. They’re maintaining the water level. And the beaver aren’t going to try and, they can’t really do anything to fix it.”
A critical piece of property
Supervisor Bill McKenna said the pipe in the water leveler sets the pond level. It won’t drain below that level.
“I’ve heard people make accusations that they’re draining the swamp or draining the pond. That’s just simply not the case,” he said. “And now we have a reserve, one foot by over 100 acres, probably more, of area that can accumulate rainfall, snow runoff and whatnot. The road’s not going to flood anymore.”
From her knowledge, Yankeetown Pond was the first Woodstock CEA [Critical Environmental Area], said Moran. “You’re hearing all this stuff about Zena Woods. Yankeetown was the first CEA.”
Moran described Yankeetown as a sponge. Should it not exist, there’d be 30 percent water flooding in Bearsville.
“We’re talking roads, infrastructure,” she said. “That is a critical piece of property for water, not to mention the habitat.”
In the past, the abundance of lily pads and other growth in Yankeetown Pond had been attributed to eutrophication. Although eutrophication is a natural process, human activity can greatly increase the amount and rate of nutrients entering a water body. Introduction of phosphorous into freshwater systems from human sources leads to excessive production of algae and macrophytes in aquatic systems.
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