Is there currently any action to get rid of these in Oregon? It seems that they are fairly common, but they are definitely becoming a bit of a nuisance for us lately.

Reporter
Dec. 17, 2008, 2:12 p.m.

Thank you for submitting the report. Unfortunately, nutria are are now common in urban wetlands and streams around the region.

All nutria management at the current time is being conducted at the local level. A regional workshop was held in April 2007 to address nutria problems at a regional scale, and that information can be found at the website below. The goal is to develop more regional coordination instead of only conducting local efforts. It is important for local landowners to contact their local government about the need for a regional plan.

It is also important to realize that nutria are potential reservoirs for a variety of diseases that can be transferred to other species, including humans in some cases. We will be testing nutria feces for the presence of Salmonella bacteria in the near future.

The nutria page on the Center for Lakes and Reservoirs website at http://www.clr.pdx.edu/projects/ans/nutria.php contains more information on nutria impacts if you are interested. My contact information can also be found on this site if you have questions or would like further information.

Trevor Sheffels
Center for Lakes and Reservoirs
Portland State University

Trevor Sheffels
Dec. 18, 2008, 2:44 a.m.