Story Submitted by Ann Mort
The wild life at Middletown, Ohio's Smith Park has taken a dislike to Light Up Middletown and it’s light displays.
In past years, human vandals have caused a bit of trouble for the organizers of Light Up Middletown, a drive-through fantasy light display in downtown Middletown. This year, the problems appear to be caused by wild animals. The volunteers who erect and maintain the displays have long known they disturbed the ducks and geese who take some offense to lights flashing in their park after dark.
A few days ago, volunteers also noticed that a few strands of lights were out on a tree trunk. Closer inspection revealed what looked like teeth marks on the wiring…possibly from squirrels.
More recently, the lighted, animated swans anchored carefully in the middle of the fishing pond “broke loose” and floated near the shore. Barney Strassburger, chief of the display maintenance crew, found the 3/4 inch rope had been chewed into six pieces. Then volunteers noticed eleven trees along the shore of Smith Pond with the tell-tale signs of beaver teeth marks and the gnawed pattern beavers make when cutting trees to harvest branches for their dam building projects.
Men who regularly fish at Smith Pond reported several sightings of a large beaver in the pond and near the Canal Museum at the edge of the park. One of Light Up Middletown’s volunteers also reported the beaver “about the size of a hog with a very large tail” in the pond.
Light Up volunteers bought new rope, launched their borrowed boat and towed the swans back to the center of the pond to anchor them again, this time to a large fallen tree. The next day, they found the swans floating free again. It appears the tree was not strong enough to hold the swans in place. They’ve given up for 2003 and are just checking each day to see where the swans are in the pond. Next year, it’s steel beaver-proof cable.
In the mean time, it is a struggle for control of Smith Park…the volunteers or the wildlife. So far, its wildlife 2, volunteers 0.
Light Up Middletown is open every evening 5:30-9:30 p.m. through New Year’s Eve. The public is invited to drive through the display and make a donation at the entrance tunnel. Donations are used to repair, replace and purchase new displays and make improvements to Middletown City Parks.
After New Year’s Day, the volunteers will once again turn the park over to the year-round residents—the wildlife.
Discuss this on The Voice: Beaver Attacks