It’s estimated the Glen received three inches of rain in the span of an hour, said Glen Helen Executive Director Nick Boutis. Glen Helen exists within the small Yellow Springs Creek floodplain.
“This was one of these rare floods that completely filled the floodplain,” Boutis said. “It wasn’t just that there was water there, but there was water there that came through at speed.”
Already, members of the community have reached out, offering support and assistance rebuilding the bridge and boardwalk, Boutis said.
“As an example, today is the first day of our summer eco-camps,” he said. “A massive tree that came down right on the entrance drive to the Outdoor Ed Center, and one of our volunteers yesterday showed up and got that tree cleaned up.”
The family of beavers that moved into Glen Helen a few years ago was initially displaced by the storm, Boutis said. The beavers, who have gained their own small online following, are estimated to have as many as seven babies, or kits. Though only two are accounted for at the moment, Boutis advised people not to worry too much about them.
“Beavers know more about living in water than we do. So we trust that they’ll be fine, should they choose to (and we hope they will) over the course of the next few weeks, rebuild their dam,” he said.
While there has been some speculation on social media that the beavers may have caused the flooding, the beavers’ home actually may have prevented it from being worse, Boutis said.
“We think of the beaver pond as a little bit of a surge protector,” he said. “The pond kind of slows flood waters down, whereas (in places) where there’s human habitation, that speeds water up. The beaver pond breached in a couple of places, so the water has gone down about a foot...and that’s good, that’s kind of tripping the surge protector, as it were.”
The beaver parents have some work to do to repair their home over the next few weeks, as do Glen Helen staff and volunteers.
“We are continuing to assess the full extent of the impact as the floodwaters recede and will be working closely with our land management team to develop a repair and recovery plan,” the organization posted on Facebook Sunday.
On Sunday, Glen Helen officials said the Inman Trail was closed from the Grotto to the Stone Steps, and that sections of the boardwalk had been twisted and lifted and hit by falling trees. They said a large tree fell directly onto the bridge.
For those interested in donating their time or their money to the organization’s rebuilding effort, visit glenhelen.org/volunteer.
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