(Ignored) Lawrence Park Beaver Public Comment by Branden Doiron and Bicha ResponseJudi Funk
From: Branden Doiron <brandendoiron@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2026 5:20 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment
Subject: EXTERNAL Ignored
[NOTICE: This message includes an attachment -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you know
the content is safe.]
I personally contacted the Parks Dept. Director a few months ago and warned him that every major tree along
Stillwater River near the rear parking lot in Lawrence Park washer being cut down by a beaver and we where about
to loose a major one. I requested that he have an employee wrap the trunks of all of them to protect the
embankment from erosion. I guess he decided it wasn't necessary because today, the largest tree of the five is
down and the four remaining are close to it. Why can't we act smarter with taxpayers money? A few dollars could
save the trees and later we will spend millions to investigate why the erosion is so bad
Branden S. Doiron
Judi Funk
From:
Fred Bicha
Sent:
Friday, June 26, 2026 9:07 AM
To:
Chad Fincher
Cc:
Colter Hanson
Subject: FW: EXTERNAL Ignored
Hi Branden,
Thankyou for bringing this to our attention.
I did follow up with our staff and learned that you spoke with our Parks Superintendent regarding the
beaver activity. He visited the site and called you back to discuss your concerns at that time.
As for the beaver activity, we try our best to allow nature to take its course in our parks, particularly within
our more natural areas. While I certainly agree that losing large, mature trees is unfortunate, beavers are
a natural part of the Stillwater River ecosystem and play an important ecological role.
Our Parks Superintendent explained that while wrapping or fencing individual tree trunks can be effective
in protecting select trees, it is not practical to protect every cottonwood along this section of the river. If
one tree is protected, the beavers will typically move to the next unprotected tree, making it difficult to
manage on a large scale.
From our observations, when beavers fell cottonwood trees, the root ball generally remains intact, which
helps maintain streambank stability and reduces the immediate risk of erosion. Additionally, the loss of
mature cottonwoods often stimulates vigorous root sprouting and natural regeneration, resulting in a
new generation of cottonwood trees that will continue the riparian forest over time.
We recognize the value these mature trees provide and understand your concerns. Our goal is to balance
protecting park resources with allowing natural ecological processes to occur in these river corridor
environments.
Thankyou again for taking the time to reach out and foryour continued interest in Lawrence Park.
Sincerely,
Fred Bicha
Assistant Director
Kalispell Parks and Recreation
P.O. Box 1997
Kalispell, MT 59903
(406) 758-7716 office
IRA
From: Judi Funk <jfunk@kalispell.com>
Sent: Friday, June 26, 2026 8:12 AM
To: Chad Fincher <cfincher@kalispell.com>
Cc: Colter Hanson <chanson@kalispell.com>; Fred Bicha <fbicha@kalispell.com>
Subject: FW: EXTERNAL Ignored
FYI
From: Branden Doiron <brandendoiron@yahoo.com>
Sent: Thursday, June 25, 2026 5:20 PM
To: Kalispell Meetings Public Comment <publiccomment@kalispell.com>
Subject: EXTERNAL Ignored
[NOTICE: This message includes an attachment -- DO NOT CLICK on links or open attachments unless you know
the content is safe.]
I personally contacted the Parks Dept. Director a few months ago and warned him that every major tree along
Stillwater River near the rear parking lot in Lawrence Park washer being cut down by a beaver and we where about
to loose a major one. I requested that he have an employee wrap the trunks of all of them to protect the
embankment from erosion. I guess he decided it wasn't necessary because today, the largest tree of the five is
down and the four remaining are close to it. Why can't we act smarter with taxpayers money? A few dollars could
save the trees and later we will spend millions to investigate why the erosion is so bad
Q
Branden S. Doiron