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Cross Island Farms Partners with Beavers to Irrigate Organic Vegetables

David Belding with the irrigation system supplied by the beaver pond, rear.

Wellesley Island – The beavers have been busy supplying the water for the certified organic

produce grown by Dani Baker and David Belding at Cross Island Farms, Wellesley Island. With

the weather becoming more unpredictable (witness the unusually dry spring this year), a reliable

irrigation system is essential for successful vegetable production. This spring Dave partnered

with beavers to engineer and install an extensive irrigation system using one of several beaver

ponds as its water source.

The system Dave developed employs water-conserving drip tape and micro-irrigation sprinklers

shipped from California to deliver water to the gardens. The water is pumped from the beaver

pond by a swimming pool pump and filter and pressurized using a well pump and pressure tank.

Timers automate the delivery of water through the drip system. The row of sprinklers is manually

placed where needed to moisten newly planted seeds or sets. When it rains, water is stored

behind dams built by the beavers in upstream ponds, available for later use. Thanks to the

beavers’ and Dave’s ingenuity, Cross Island Farms now has a reliable way to bring water to their

gourmet vegetable gardens.

The produce resulting from this partnership is available for sale at the Alexandria Bay Farmer’s

market on Fridays from 9a.m. to 3 p.m., at Cross Island Farm’s self-serve farm-stand (4430l

Cross Island Road, Wellesley Island), and can be found on the menus of area restaurants

including Wellesley Island’s Hart House and Clayton’s Harbor Inn. For more information or to

arrange a farm tour, contact Dave or Dani at 686-3751 or email them at

organic@crossislandfarms.com.