Amherst, NY (WBEN) Though done in the past, Amherst's supervisor has a clear message to highway crews dealing with tree-damaging beavers: leave them alone.

Dr. Barry Weinstein tells WBEN's Tom Bauerle this morning he walked along the bike path less than one mile, and saw one tree damaged and two other wrapped, unable to see under the wrap.

"I don't think it's a big problem, and I've told our highway crews to leave (the beavers) alone," says Weinstein. "I called the highway superintendent, and I asked if we were harming beavers, he said no. I asked if they were going to, he said no. They did it in the past before my time, but as far as I know we're not harming any beavers now."

Weinstein says if beavers build a dam, and the DEC tells the town to tear it down, they'll do that. "I'm in favor of leaving beavers alone. We had a similar problem with Canada geese, I told them don't harm them, just move them out of here," explains Weinstein.

Highway Superintendent Robert Anderson says memorial trees had been damaged by beavers. "It's not that big of a problem at all," says Anderson. He told Buffalo's Early News some of the beavers captured were killed. "We don't automatically see a problem when we see a beaver, we harass them and try to get them to move when we rip up the dam," explains Anderson. "Many times they go on their way and we don't have a problem at all."

Anderson says DEC rules prohibit moving beavers to other towns.