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Biology and History of Beavers
    As the largest North America rodent, the American beaver
(Castorcanadensis) can be found everywhere in the United States except the Florida peninsula and the desert Southwest. Beaver create their own habitat or alter habitats to meet their needs. They create ponds by building dams made of sticks, mud, and rocks across small streams. These ponds provide valuable aquatic habitats for many species and provide beaver with protection from predators.
    Once considered a valuable economic resource for their
fur, beaver are no longer trapped in significant numbers, which has resulted in a growing population throughout the Nation’s watersheds. Today, large beaver tend to weigh around 70 pounds.  While they do eat some crops (corn and soybeans) and aquatic plants, beaver mainly eat the cambium layer just under the bark of woody plants.
    While American beaver can produce significant environmental benefits, they can also create safety hazards and cause significant damage. Beaver activity jeopardizes millions of dollars in transportation infrastructure and can also cause significant damage to timber resources.

Management in Faulkner County
    The "Beaver Eradication Program" created under Act 630 of 1993 and coordinated by the Department of Finance and Administration and county governments is now the "Conservation District Beaver Control Program" administered by the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission through Arkansas’ conservation districts
    If you are interested in receiving a bounty on beaver, you will
need to provide our office with a copy of your hunting license/trapping permit, along with the location of where the beavers were taken. With funding from the Arkansas Natural Resources Commission and the Faulkner County Road Department, our county is able to pay $15.00 a tail up to 10 tails a fiscal quarter.













From * APHIS Beaver Damage Management