Parish gets serious about beaver control

March 21, 2008
By William Johnson   
wjohnson@dailyworld.com

The St. Landry Parish Council has supported a plan to reassign parish resources to beaver control.

In past year beavers have become a growing problem, blamed for much of the flooding in low lying areas.

At Wednesday's meeting, Parish President Don Menard reported that David Coulon, who has been a member of the parish's road crew for the past four years, is now a full-time beaver control officer.

"He has been trapping beavers for us part-time. He has agreed to be put full-time on beaver control," Menard said. "He has done a good job. I think he will be a huge asset."

Menard said Phil Ruddock, a retired military veteran, has also agreed to help out. Menard said Ruddock has agreed to do the job for between $3,000 to $5,000 a year with the understanding he can keep the pelts. "This way we would have two people working on the problem," Menard said.

While the two would focus on the parish's many coulees and bayous, Menard said he has no problem allowing the men to address beaver problems in the parish's 13 special taxing drainage districts as time permits.

District 11 Councilman Jay Guidry proposed the parish enter into intergovernmental agreements with the districts, charging them a yearly fee of $1,500. "The six or seven (drainage districts) I've spoken with will get on board with that," Guidry said.

"Most are paying $1,500 for a one-time trapping session now," said District 8 Council member Pam Gautreaux.

To make the program work, Menard said the parish will need to supply Coulon with a truck, a four-wheeler to get into the back country and about two dozen traps.

"It will be next week, or the week after before we will have all our supplies," Menard said.