Salem Conservation Commission Approves $4,000 Beaver Pipe Fix, Schedules Land Hearing

SALEM -- June 3, 2026, Salem Conservation Commission votes 7-0 to address beaver flooding with $4,000 pipe installation. The commission, chaired by Georgia Brust and staffed by Community Development Project Manager Creighton Brubaker, approved two water-control pipes at a beaver dam site near Bluff Street after rejecting any removal of the animals, contingent on permission from an adjacent private landowner. The panel also unanimously approved $2,400 for a Phase 1 Environmental Site Assessment tied to an undisclosed pending land acquisition, drawing from a Conservation Fund that Brubaker reported now holds approximately $2 million after $5,800 in recent interest earnings and two Whistle Hill land-use-change tax deposits. A special public hearing on the acquisition was set for June 17 at 1 p.m., ahead of a planned Town Council presentation on June 15. Reynolds argued for the pricier two-pipe option over a $2,100 single-pipe alternative, saying "it's going to be cheaper now than sometime in the future."