Leduc County removes nearly 300 beavers, 46 dams

LEDUC COUNTY -- It was a busy year for Leduc County's Agricultural Service Board.

Over the course of 2025, the ASB completed work across several categories, including crop control, roadside vegetation management, extension activities, and more. One of the busiest areas of work for the board was their wild animal pest control operations, which saw the removal of nearly 300 beavers from the County.

"Our pest control officer removed 288 beavers through a mixture of either shooting or trapping," said Aaron Van Beers, Leduc County's Manager of Agricultural Services. "In addition, we had a total of 46 dams that were removed from waterways within private lands, mostly through the support of our roads operations crew."

Van Beers adds that as part of their work, the County's pest control officer also removed 175 coyotes and responded to a potential Norway rat sighting in a neighboring municipality. During the ASB's presentation to Leduc County Council on Jan. 27, Mayor Tanni Doblanko brought up what she described as a perceived increase in raccoons across the region.

"We need to be mindful that populations change, and things like raccoons are starting to become an issue," said Doblanko. "I certainly wouldn't want them in my hay sheds or grain bins creating issues. Who knows what will happen in the future. Maybe it’s an isolated bunch -- and maybe not." 

The County is currently unable to remove raccoons from the region as they are not listed under the province's Agriculture Pest Act. Meantime, as part of their crop control operations, a total of 672 canola fields were inspected for the presence of clubroot.

"93 fields were confirmed positive for the pest," said Van Beers. "We also provided support to Alberta Agriculture and Irrigation, doing insect forecasts by surveying for bertha armyworm, grasshoppers, and wheat midge, specifically."

Clubroot is a soil-borne disease that can cause potential crop failure for cruciferous crops such as canola. It causes galls or swelling on roots, restricting water and nutrient uptake, leading to stunting and yellowing.

Last year, Leduc County's Agricultural Service Board awarded five $1,000 bursaries to eligible students pursuing agriculturally related post-secondary education. They also hosted seven webinars in the areas of horticulture and raising livestock, which saw over 220 people attend these events.

Other initiatives carried out in 2025 included the monitoring of 2,130 km of linear roadside right-of-way for noxious and prohibited noxious weeds, while weed inspectors conducted 2,877 unique weed inspections within the municipality.