A picturesque Colorado town is being destroyed by an invasive beaver family and residents have had enough.
Families in Englewood - just seven miles south of Denver - love to enjoy the town's natural beauty and gorgeous scenery. But in the past few months, beavers moved into Englewood's Centennial Park and began devouring its trees.
'It's a beautiful park. I love the birds and just the wildlife around here,' local Chris Aubrecht told Fox31.
He and some of the town's 35,000 residents worry that if something isn't done to get the beavers under control, their 'beautiful' landscape will be gone for good.
Some trees have been destroyed completely, while others were tainted by deep, obvious bite marks.
Aubrecht explained that in the last two months the family of beavers have cut down more than a dozen trees.
Stumps line the once picturesque lake and the city was forced to put up fences around remaining trees to keep the critters away.
Beavers have destroyed a 'beautiful' park in Colorado after gnawing on the landscape for months (stock image)
Some trees were destroyed completely while the city put fences around others to prevent further damage
One local said that the family of beavers has damaged more than a dozen trees
Beavers gnaw on trees to create dams that keep the water still around their lodges.
They also feast on the soft layers of wood just underneath the bark. According to Little Medical School, the herbivores store branches beneath the ponds they live in to feast on in the winter.
Aubrecht is skeptical that the old trees will ever grow back and is saddened by the loss of the once beloved environment.
'All these trees that are gone are probably gone for a decade,' he said.
Englewood officials are working with wildlife professionals to potentially relocate the beavers, but the big move can't happen until the summer.
Colorado Parks and Wildlife begin approving relocations statewide in June because beavers need time to adjust to their new surroundings before the winter months.
Fortunately, the creatures tend to slow down as temperatures drop to preserve warmth and energy, according to Critter Control.
Come spring, relocation may be the best option to keep the park intact.
Centennial Park in Englewood, Colorado once had trees standing tall all around its lake
Now locals worry they won't see the same lush greenery for a decade
The city has looked into relocating the critters, but they can't be moved until the summer
Beavers are handled as a 'nuisance species' in Colorado, which means wildlife officials keep a watchful eye on the ecological harm they could cause to the environment.
Whoever owns the property is responsible for what happens to nuisance species in the end.
However, some experts believe beavers are crucial to the environment. According to ABC News, they are a 'keystone species.'
Correctly placed, their annoying tree-gnawing habit can protect ecosystems during droughts, floods, wildfires, and other environmental disasters.
Regardless of potential long-term benefits, Aubrecht said, 'There's better places than this for this family of beavers.'
The Daily Mail reached out to Englewood Parks and Recreation for comment.