The Natick Conservation Commission held a public meeting this week to address ways the town might deal with beaver activities causing residents grief. Among these is a dam alongside the Hunnewell Town Forest that has resulted in a popular trail getting flooded out and affected water levels and the ecosystem in a couple of ponds adjacent to homes.
During the discussion, which included weighing options for breaching dams and removing beavers, Wellesley came up numerous times. That’s because there’s a big and persistent dam in Little Jennings Pond, which along with Jennings Pond, shares water with Morses Pond in Wellesley.
Pretty sure the Natick residents and officials were only joking, but there were a handful of references to Wellesley’s association with these beavers.
One resident quipped, regarding the cost of dredging the Natick ponds to allow for beaver deceivers to be installed: “We can simply determine that the beavers are coming from Wellesley and ask them to pay for the cost.”
Surprisingly, no mention of Babson beavers (the college mascot).
In discussing possible beaver removal, Commission members lamented that if you remove them from one place they will just migrate from another spot in Natick—or Wellesley! “Blame Wellesley, why not?” members chimed in. A reference was made to the beavers having “a whole different economic status” and possibly taking their Range Rovers back to Wellesley.
Or make that “Wellllllessssley,” as one resident pronounced it, eyebrows raised.
Meanwhile, “damn” Wellesley…spell-check will get you every time.
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