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Can You Trap Beavers? If Yes, L.A. Has a Job for You!
The City of Los Angeles has a job opening for a gig that pays just over a grand a month, and comes with a one-year contract. Bids open next week for a job as a beaver trapper, reports the Daily Breeze. Although it's a City job, the beaver trapping will actually go down in the Owens Valley on a piece of land similar in size to the city of Los Angeles. L.A.'s next beaver-trapper will be charged with "protecting Department of Water and Power equipment and operations that bring water to Los Angeles."
Turns out beavers, cute as they may be, are actually pretty destructive, and can "rapidly take down many trees in environmentally sensitive areas if they're not controlled," says a DWP rep. When that happens, that means trouble for our water supply.
Bids are coming in, and a decision will be made on Tuesday. The job is nothing new, though--the "DWP has worked with beaver trappers for more than a decade," but the current contract is up in March.
Beaver re-location isn't an option, unfortunately. The DWP says that would just shift the problem to another location, and affect another waterway. In some areas, beaver population is as dense as 60 beavers per mile.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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