We are happy to be able to witness again in two weeks, good practice example from the Municipality of Šmarješke Toplice in the southeast of Slovenia. It is possible to observe an untouched beaver meadow in close proximity to castle Štrlek, which lies walking distance behind spa resort Šmarješke toplice. A footpath winds past it and along it, and it is possible to observe historical ruins of a 13th century castle.
The landowner is positively inclined towards beavers and wants to incorporate them into his land management plan. There is even a sign hanging from one of the fallen trees, which reads Beaver Valley.
We discussed different possibilities of protecting some of the older trees. A more useful advice was to leave some of the fallen trees for the beaver to continue to gnaw on, as if the logs are immediately removed, beaver will soon start gnawing new ones. If the fallen tree is in our way, it can be cut up and left to lie along the water course for the beaver to be still able to use it. Beaver is feeding itself on the bark mainly during winter time, when green herbs are absent.
