Talking trash about Omand’s Creek

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This article was published 29/04/2023 (980 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Beavers have been busy building dams on Omand’s Creek, but Winnipeggers have been just as busy tossing garbage into it.

Ken Yendrys, who for decades has lived a short way from the creek that flows south through St. James to the Assiniboine River, said the destruction and trash by and in the creek is the worst he has seen.

“The creek system can’t support beavers and that’s where the problem starts,” Yendrys said.

“You start losing some trees and you de-stabilize the creek. It’s just a case of complete destruction.”

Yendrys said more than one beaver dam has blocked the creek, causing the level to rise, and damaging at least one of the trails alongside it.

Winnipeggers are also responsible because they’re throwing out garbage that end up in the creek and on its bank. They also toss in abandoned shopping carts from nearby businesses.

“I’ve lived here since 1970 and I’ve never seen it this terrible,” he said. “It’s more than just beavers.

“How can we embarrass the city to look after what they should look after?”

Yendrys called St. James Coun. Shawn Dobson, who checked out at the creek.

“I’m looking at it right now,” Dobson said during a phone interview Friday.

“There’s a tremendous amount of debris here. It all needs to be cleaned up.”

Dobson said there isn’t just one, but three beaver dams along the one-block stretch between Wellington and Ellice Avenues.

“It has made three different elevations of water,” he said. “I don’t see the beavers now, but I see geese, lots of geese. These dams are holding the water back.”

Dobson said the city doesn’t have crews it will pay to conduct such a cleanup, so as soon as the water levels go down and temperatures go up, he will organize a volunteer cleanup for a day.

“We will get volunteers and we’ll have gloves, garbage bags, and we will get someone to take away the garbage bags. You will want to wear gloves because there could be needles here.

“It surprises me how much garbage is here. This is much more than I anticipated. This will take a lot of people and a lot of work.”

Dobson said anyone who wants to volunteer can email his council office and he will let them know when a date and time has been scheduled.

As for the beavers, “I think those are a provincial or federal responsibility because this is a waterway.”

Ken Allen, spokesman for the city’s public works department, said beavers are only trapped if no other option is available.

“Beavers are a part of the natural ecosystem in Winnipeg and their numbers and associated issues vary significantly from year to year,” Allen said.

“The city puts a lot of effort into allowing beavers to coexist and function within the natural habitat areas of our city where and when possible.”

But Allen said, when beavers cause problems to infrastructure, or create flooding and loss of forest, then they are trapped.

“Beavers are not re-located because they are territorial and will physically compete for suitable habitat,” he said. “Any suitable beaver habitat in the province will likely already have beavers inhabiting it. Moving of beavers late in the season, or winter months, is also not an option as it would result in starvation and death.”

As for garbage, Allen said the city works with both the province and community volunteers to clean and maintain natural areas.

“Spring is a time when trash that has accumulated in these areas becomes readily apparent,” he said.

“City crews will be attending to many of these issues, but as with the majority of our natural areas, we also rely heavily on volunteers to help out throughout the year removing litter, weeds and protecting the biodiversity of the city.”

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca