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Indiana Dunes interpretive naturalist Brad Bumgardner says beavers make dams, like this one, to flood an area so they can swim and access trees safely.
Photo courtesy Chiswick Chap, CC-BY-SA-3.0CHESTERTON, Ind. (AP) — Indiana Dunes State Park is looking for volunteers to help break up a more than 600-foot-long beaver dam that has caused flooding.
Park interpretive naturalist Brad Bumgardner says beaver activity is common and it threatens some park infrastructure. Bumgardner says with all the recent rains the dams need to be removed so water can flow through.
Bumgardner says knocking down the dams doesn't hurt the beavers. He says they make the dams to flood an area so they can swim and access trees safely.
It's a continuous effort though. Bumgardner tells The (Munster) Times that when the beavers hear the water flowing again they'll repair the dam within two days.
A research crew found the recent "super dam," which is the length of two football fields.
Volunteers can visit the park's Nature Center to complete an application or to learn more information.
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