Conservation Beaver Bounty Program

A new program for Pottawattamie County is aimed at helping mitigate damage created by beavers in Southwest Iowa.

Tuesday, January 10th, the Pottawattamie County Board of Supervisors approved a motion to adopt the Beaver Bounty Program. The program allows participants that harvest beavers for their pelts during trapping season to be paid $25 per beaver harvested in Pottawattamie County. The season ends April 15th.

“Beavers can place a lot of stress on many areas of our infrastructure, with dams preventing water to flow to designated areas,” said Board of Supervisors Chairman Brian Shea. “Pottawattamie County is responsible for maintaining many roadways and drainage ditches in our area, and some of these dams can end up causing a lot of damage, costing our county a considerable amount of money to repair. We hope this program helps in minimizing the possibility of that happening.”

The Beaver Bounty Program is one that’s been used by other counties in Iowa, including nearby Shelby County since 2012. To receive a reward, participants must adhere to rules and regulations of the Iowa Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) and follow specific steps outlined by Pottawattamie County.

Participants will be required to complete a claim form detailing the location and date of harvest and, if applicable, landowner permission to trap on the landowner’s property. Participants will also need to complete a W9, allowing Pottawattamie County to issue payment. Once a participant has the beaver harvested, and all forms completed, the participant must contact a Park Officer at Arrowhead, Botna Bend, or Hitchcock Nature Center. Staff will confirm the harvest, send the forms to Accounts Payable, and a check will be issued to the participant.

“There are a few processes we need our participants to follow in order to make this program possible,” said Shea. “But we’re optimistic that the added incentive we’re offering will help us, as it has other counties in our area.”

Pottawattamie County has budgeted a total of $5000 for the program. Once the $5,000 is expended there will be no more payments issued for the season. Prior to implementation, Pottawattamie County Conservation officials contacted the IDNR. The IDNR has no concerns with the program. Pottawattamie County officials plan to evaluate the effectiveness of the program this season, before considering if the program will continue in the future.

Download a claim form

Download a W-9 form