CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – Residents near Fox Trail Court in Clarksville have had their properties damaged by a flooded drainage ditch for years, and they’ve figured out why: A family of beavers has been building dams near their homes.

All three beavers have since been killed with a compound bow and arrow. However, questions remain over the flooding in the area, where the water has become stagnant with mosquitos, snakes, spiders and a “sulfur, sewage-like smell.”

Beavers introduce themselves to neighborhood

Ian Blankenship told Clarksville Now the problem started in June 2025 when they moved into their rental property and noticed standing water near the back yard.

“As a month or two had gone by, we started to get this hole in our fence and then noticed we started having beavers come up in the yard,” Blankenship said.

Blankenship found two beaver dams built behind the property’s fence line, as well as a clogged-up storm drain. “When we first moved in, the water was super high, probably a good 2 to 3 feet in our yard, so it covered the entire fence line, and the grass was dead, it was just mush. Tadpoles actually swimming in the yard. So, we’ve actually cleared the dam twice (ourselves).”

Blankenship said they broke up the dams and dug around them to get some of the water moving and draining again. But the beavers rebuilt their dams, and the properties flooded again.

“The only other thing we’ve done is we found the den that was right here by the dam, so we were able to break that up, hoping it would drive them out. But they built another one across the pond behind someone else’s property that’s harder to get to. So, we haven’t touched that one.”

Beavers pick fights with neighborhood dogs

The problems didn’t stop there: The beavers began harassing Blankenship’s chocolate Labrador Retriever.

“The first time it happened he (the dog) jumped and barked, then got chased around the yard for a little bit before they slipped back underneath the fence,” Blankenship said. “After that, pretty much every time we let him out at night, he kind of stopped at the bottom of the stairs to check out the yard to make sure he’s good.

“So, (the beaver) didn’t harm him at all, but it chased and scared him. But the fact that it was up in the property and in the middle of the neighborhood in the first place is crazy.”

Blankenship’s dog wasn’t the only one harassed. Tim Dutton, who lives next door, said his two dogs had actually gotten into fights with the beavers. He said his dogs were curious at first, then when the beavers tried to get underneath his porch, his dogs were ready to fight as the beavers were acting aggressively.

Dutton said he moved into his property three years ago, and the beavers had been a problem ever since.

Beavers’ shot and killed, environmental concerns follow

Blankenship said last year, between Dutton and himself, the two neighbors had reached out to the City of Clarksville without them getting back to him.

They made contact with the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency (TWRA), and found out that beavers are considered a nuisance animal, and it’s OK to kill them. “So, there’s no permit or license that you have to have,” Blankenship said. “If they are creating property damage, or harming animals or people, that is kind of like the green light to get them. So, we took one out last year sometime in October, with a compound bow and arrow.”

Blankenship said that after the other two beavers came out of hibernation sometime in February, they were also shot and believed killed with the compound bow.

In a statement to Clarksville Now, TWRA spokesperson Barry Cross said, “The TWRA works to protect and conserve wildlife and fishes of the state. While beavers may be trapped anytime – year-round trapping season for beavers – they are a furbearer game species. Trapping is probably the main form of harvest, but there are areas where animals are removed for nuisance issues, such as the situation you’ve described.”

While the first beaver killed was bagged and transported to be processed and skinned, the second beaver was handed over to a local taxidermist. The third beaver, after being struck, retreated back into their den and has not been seen since, said Blankenship.

Dammed-up pond full of rancid water, mosquitoes

The beavers may be gone, but the neighbors still have concerns, including Dutton, who majored in environmental studies and is an environmental consultant.

“All of the mosquitos and other microbes and bacteria that live in this drainage area that was dammed up by the beavers, it poses considerable disease threats to family pets, any grazing deer, or any other ruminants. There are also kids who run around back here, and it’s also posing a threat to them and their safety,” Dutton told Clarksville Now.

“There is also a putrid smell, it’s like a sulfur, sewage-like smell and obviously it’s like stale water where it doesn’t flow,” said Blankenship. “So, anything that’s in there has been there for years. All of the animals that have dipped in it, died in it, or pooped/peed in it. It’s almost like smelling a landfill from far away every now and again.

“At this point it would just be nice to have the storm drain cleared,” he said. “It would be nice just to get the pond cleaned up with all the mosquitos and bugs gone, snakes and spiders too.”

Property damage as a result of flooding

Dutton said the beavers created holes in his fence as well, and his fence posts have been repeatedly ripped out. He was told that it would cost $3,000 to $5,000 to fix his entire fence due to the damage created by the beavers and flooding.

Blankenship said as a renter, there’s not much he can do. “There’s only so much authority that I have,” he said. “Obviously, I can tend to the grass and bushes, but as far as doing repairs, or doing stuff to prevent damage, it’s not really something I’m supposed to be doing.”

Frustrations with process, advice for others

Dutton told Clarksville Now this process over the years has been frustrating, but it’s been great for their community to come together to find some solutions.

Blankenship and Dutton offered advice for others going through similar struggles. “Truthfully, do your homework. Between the both of us, we called Tennessee Wildlife to make sure they were OK to be there, supposed to be here. While also finding out what the rules and procedures were about trapping them, relocating them and killing them,” said Blankenship. “Reach out to your local police department to make sure you are following their ordinances. Just locate the right agency.”

Dutton reiterated, “Do your homework, make sure you are not discharging firearms in a neighborhood. If you can use a bow, use a bow. If you can use a trap, use a trap. And really, the city needs to do their job, they should be coming out here regularly and checking these storm drains.”

When reached by Clarksville Now, Street Department Director David Smith said his department has had no recent contact or compliant lodged in the location of Fox Trail Court. However, said his staff will look into it.

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