The Springfield-Greene County Park Board temporarily closed the trails and wooded area east of the lake and stream and Sequiota Park for about three weeks in February due to extensive damage caused by beavers.
Parks staff removed down heavily damaged trees, leveled sharp-pointed stumps, filled large holes in the trail and removed debris, including logs accumulating beneath the bridge. The rest of the park remained open, including all paved trails, the Galloway Creek Greenway, and soft-surface trails upstream near the cave, and downstream from the southern bridge.
Parks staff worked with the Missouri Department of Conservation for permits to trap and remove the beavers from the park, which was successful.
Miles Park, assistant director of Parks – Operations, said the beavers caused a significant amount of damage in a short amount of time, with an estimated 30-40 trees damaged or killed. Several damaged trees are still standing, with bark and chunks of the trunks missing. Dozens have already fallen, leaving sharp knee-high stumps along the trail.
“Beavers caused significant damage to the tree canopy on the east side of the lake — including right on the trail,” said Park.
According to the Missouri Department of Conservation, in the winter, beavers eat mostly tree bark, bushes and woody vines. Several trees at Sequiota have been stripped of bark around the base of the trunk. Bark does not grow back, and these trees, although still standing, will likely die. Beavers are known for building wooden dams, although in Missouri, they often dig underground dens on the stream bank, explaining the holes in the trail.
“They caused a lot of damage in a very popular and heavily used city park,” Park said “If left unchecked, these animals would have continued to destroy our trees and negatively impact the park’s environment.”