A sudden storm on June 7 brought down torrents of rain over Glen Helen, causing the Yellow Springs Creek to overflow and surge through the locally famed beaver dam and onto nearby trails and boardwalks, as shown above. Humans and animals alike have since begun repairs on their structures. The Glen is seeking volunteers to aid in their restoration efforts of the waterlogged and mangled boardwalks. (Photo by Rose Pelzl)
Flood ravages Glen Helen
- Published: June 17, 2025
A brief, but violent storm system passed over Yellow Springs late Saturday night, June 7, causing flooding and downed tree limbs throughout portions of the village.
The brunt of the storm seems to have hit Glen Helen Nature Preserve the hardest.
An estimated three inches of rain fell in a single hour that night, according to Glen Helen Executive Director Nick Boutis, causing the Yellow Springs Creek to rise suddenly and surge over public trails and walkways.
Rushing water from the creek flowed over adjacent boardwalks along the Inman Trail system, damaging them significantly. There and elsewhere in the preserve, trees fell across popular paths and some access roads.
“This was one of those microbursts in terms of rainfall — it was a flash flood that hit us like a rifle and brought up water levels really fast,” Boutis told the News in a phone interview earlier this week.
He added that, while this wasn’t the first time Glen Helen has flooded, and “it certainly won’t be the last,” it was the worst he’s seen in years.
The most dramatic effects from the storm can be spotted at the site of the locally famed beaver dam — one of the preserve’s most prominent natural attractions, which was built by a mated pair of beavers around 2021. What was last week an orderly architectural marvel is now in ruin; the pond and wetland that stood behind the dam has spilled a great deal downstream.
Boutis said the resident family of beavers — estimated at six or seven little fellers — was displaced from their lodge on the creek, just upstream from their dam.
“They had to flee the building,” he said.
Though Boutis didn’t know the beavers’ “gameplan,” as he put it, he said he expected the critters who survived the watery eviction to return soon and get to work repairing their structures.
Owing to beavers’ crepuscular and elusive nature, Boutis was unable to confirm how many survived the flood; however, a Glen Helen staffer shared on social media Tuesday that four adult beavers were spotted patching up their dam.
“We wish the beavers the best,” Boutis said. “But there’s a decent chance that a catastrophic event like this may have impacted their population. I know it’s sad, but this is the circle of life, right?”
Glen Helen’s resident beaver family — which moved into the nature preserve several years ago, and built an impressive dam below the stone steps — was displaced from their lodge by the flood waters. Glen Helen staffer Holly Noel Pohlman helped rescue this young feller. (Photo by Holly Noel Pohlman, courtesy of Glen Helen)
Like the beavers, Glen Helen staffers and volunteers have been at work since Sunday recouping their losses and undoing the wreckage wrought by the weekend storm. As of press time, crews were still assessing the damage to the boardwalk that runs along the beaver-made wetland.
For the foreseeable weeks ahead, as restoration efforts are underway, sections of the Inman Trail and the Glen’s main entrance off Corry Street that leads to the stone stairs are closed to the public.
Though Boutis was unable to provide a timeline for the reopening of the trails, he said the first order of business is to rebuild the portion of the boardwalk closest to the dam, at the base of the stone stairs. From there, crews will press ahead with fixing the wooden boardwalk that wraps around the wetland, which was warped and upended by the gushing waters.
In moving these repairs along, Boutis said community members are encouraged to chip in and volunteer.
“Folks who might have some skills in woodworking could be useful, and also people who could help clean up,” he said. “Plus, we’ll need help getting materials down to the worksite — four-by-four posts aren’t going to levitate down the stone steps.”
He continued: “So anyone who can help us move this from being daunting to doable should reach out. And, of course, we’ll take your financial support. These repairs aren’t going to be free.”
Boutis said any would-be volunteer or donor should contact him and his crews through the Glen’s primary contact form online at http://www.glenhelen.org/volunteer.
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