URGENT: KINGSTOWNE HOA HIRING TRAPPERS TO KILL ADOLESCENT BEAVER- TAKE ACTION NOW!

Meet Wally—a young single beaver that has been seeking refuge in Kingstowne Lake (behind Ross) since September of last year. Wally has cut a few tree saplings, mostly near the southwest corner of the lake, to build a small dam and lodge to call home. The dam has not damaged any buildings, landscaping, or infrastructure.

The management of Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation (KROC), which owns the lake, feels that Wally is a nuisance and must be handled swiftly with the lowest effort and cost possible. In Virginia it is illegal to transport or relocate a beaver, therefore they intend to trap and kill Wally. A trapper has been hired to set a trap in the coming days.

It is far too premature to choose to kill this young beaver, and the Friends of Kingstowne Lake (FOKL) believe there are more humane and thoughtful solutions to any issues Wally may cause.

FOKL believes we can coexist cost-effectively with beavers while mitigating damage to property and the ecosystem. Other local homeowners' associations such as Lake Barcroft and Reston Associations already do. Valuable trees can be protected with wire fencing, and FOKL volunteers are willing to provide materials and labor. Dams can be managed with flow management devices.

Beavers can improve and create habitat for other wildlife; Fairfax County notes that beaver dams also filter sediment and excess nutrients (an issue the lake has had with algae blooms), improving the quality of water both locally and eventually in the Chesapeake Bay itself.

Please sign our petition to help spare Wally's life. We are asking KROC to postpone trapping and to meet with us to consider alternative options for managing him or her.

ABOUT FRIENDS OF KINGSTOWNE LAKE

Friends of Kingstowne Lake is an independent association of people who love Kingstowne Lake and its wildlife, and are dedicated to preserving its health and beauty, and protecting it from the pressures of overdevelopment.

Friends of Kingstowne Lake (FOKL) is the successor organization of the Kingstowne Lake Improvement Association. Only the name has changed. It is not affiliated with the Kingstowne Residential Owners Corporation (KROC) or the Chancery Condominiums.