Sequiota Park temporarily closes soft-surface trails due to damage caused by beavers

Greta Cross, Springfield News-Leader
·1 min read
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Perhaps the critters at Sequiota Park are a bit jealous of all the attention the Buc-ee's beaver is getting down the road. The Springfield-Greene County Park Board announced on Tuesday that the soft-surface trails on the eastern side of the park's lake will be temporarily closed due to "extensive damage" caused by local beavers.

The soft-surface trails are marked as closed in the wooded area between the two bridges on the north and south sides of the lake. The temporary closure will last about two weeks, according to a park board news release, as park staff remove damaged trees, level sharp-pointed stumps, fill holes in the trail and remove debris.

For many of the damaged trees, the bark has been stripped off, which will not grow back. Although these trees are standing now, they will likely die.

Beavers caused "extensive damage" to the soft-surface trails on the eastern side of the lake at Sequiota Park. The trails will be temporarily closed for two weeks as park staff clean up the area.
Beavers caused "extensive damage" to the soft-surface trails on the eastern side of the lake at Sequiota Park. The trails will be temporarily closed for two weeks as park staff clean up the area.

Park staff are working with the Missouri Department of Conservation for permits to trap and remove the beavers from the park.

“They’ve caused a lot of damage in a very popular and heavily-used city park,” Miles Park, assistant director of parks operations, said of the beavers in a news release. “If left unchecked, these animals will continue to destroy our trees and negatively impact the park’s environment.”

The rest of Sequiota Park remains open, including all paved trails, the Galloway Creek Greenway and soft-surface trails near the park's save and downstream from the southern bridge.

Beavers caused "extensive damage" to the soft-surface trails on the eastern side of the lake at Sequiota Park. The trails will be temporarily closed for two weeks as park staff clean up the area.
Beavers caused "extensive damage" to the soft-surface trails on the eastern side of the lake at Sequiota Park. The trails will be temporarily closed for two weeks as park staff clean up the area.

Throughout the winter, beavers mostly eat tree bark, bushes and woody vines, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Beavers are also known for building wooden dams, but in Missouri, they often dig underground dens on stream banks, which explains the holes in the soft-surface trail.

Greta Cross is the trending topics reporter for the Springfield News-Leader. Follow her on X and Instagram @gretacrossphoto. Story idea? Email her at gcross@gannett.com.

This article originally appeared on Springfield News-Leader: Soft-surface trails at Sequiota Park temporarily closed due to damage