Cavendish Select Board reverses earlier approval of Main Street beaver trapping

By Lorien Strange
© 2025 Telegraph Publishing LLC

At its Monday night meeting, the Cavendish Select Board reversed its May 12 decision to allow beaver trapping on the town’s Main Street property following concerns over the environmental impact of the decision.

The town became involved when one Main Street landowner, concerned about mosquitoes and flooding, was given permission by the Game Warden to trap beavers on their land out-of-season, however, the trapper the landowner hired had accidentally placed traps on town property. The Select Board granted permission for the traps to be there last month, but on Monday, Select Board member Shannon Devereux asked that board members discuss rescinding the decision.

Main Street residents Wendi Dowst-McNaughton and Zachary McNaughton were there to address their concerns with May 12 decision. Dowst-McNaughton mentioned that while personally, she was concerned with the traps being on land that her kids frequent with salamander nets and kayaks, leaving the beavers wouldn’t increase mosquitoes. In fact, she argued, getting rid of them would worsen the issue because it would destroy the habitat of mosquito predators that the beaver pond provides.

She also argued that beaver dams actually decrease the flood risk in an extreme event because the already-saturated ground of the wetlands are primed to absorb more water, acting as a sponge and lessening downstream flooding. Additionally, she said, the dam itself is at a level far enough below the houses on Main Street not to pose a flood risk.

Zachary McNaughton added that the wetlands area is protected by the state as a Class II Wetland, which limits what is possible to address the issue without getting permitting. He stressed the uniqueness of having such a vibrant ecosystem right along Main Street and the importance of its preservation.

McNaughton also mentioned that the landowner is willing to work with the state, Vermont Beaver Association and Black River Action Team to mitigate the issues without trapping the beavers, potentially by installing a deceiver.

Select Board member Sandra Russo, while say she agreed with Devereux in putting the issue on the agenda, also acknowledged that not everyone along Main Street has had the same “wonderful wildlife experience” with the local beavers, including her own memories of mosquito issues 50 years ago that helped her understand why some people would not be as willing to leave them alone.

The Select Board then voted to rescind permission without opposition.

Cost of policing for Cavendish; Greven Field future in question

Ludlow Police Chief Jeffrey Warfle shared his cost estimates for increasing police coverage in Cavendish. “I started high because I figured it would be easier to start high and then take it down rather than the other way around,” Warfle said as he passed handed out estimate sheets to the Select Board.

The Select Board received the handouts with grim but unsurprised expressions. One full-time officer, not including holidays, overtime, on-call and standby time or equipment, would be about $68,868.80 plus a $34,880.39 benefits package per year. Warfle also included equipment costs and standby times in his total estimate: $283,591.79 for the first year with one officer. Realistically, Warfle said, Cavendish should have two officers.

Warfle recommended that the town apply for a Law Enforcement Grant to help cover the costs. However, this would require that Cavendish officially designate the Ludlow Police as its agency before July 1, a tight turnaround for the town.

The Select Board agreed that discussing the issue thoroughly should be a priority before developing next year’s budget.

To the visible surprise of the Select Board and many of the audience members, Town Manager Richard Chambers announced that Cavendish had been denied a grant to help Greven Field become a better floodplain after a recent study revealed that the project plan would not have significantly improved the field’s floodplain properties.

Instead, Chambers put out a call to the public for a special committee to decide what to do with the property. Interested residents should contact him at the Town Office or at CavTM@cavendishvt.org.

The Select Board briefly discussed the flooding issues on the road abutting Joe Vullo’s property on Brook Road, concluding that while nothing productive could arise from that evening’s discussion, they would work with Vullo and the state separately to resolve the 13-year issue.

The Select Board also approved the use of the Proctorsville Green this summer for the Cavendish Community and Conservation Association’s annual Concert on the Green series, which will take place on Wednesdays from July 9 to Aug. 6. Here’s the lineup:

July 9: Gypsy Reel

July 16: East Bay Jazz Ensemble

July 23: Wayne Canney & Friends

July 30: Bow Thayer and Krishna Guthrie 

Aug. 6: Bear Mountain Boys

The Cavendish Select Board’s regular meetings are at 6:30 p.m. on the second Monday of each month, at the Town Office, 37 High St.