BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- Runners and bikers along the Kern River bike path near Calloway Drive have noticed that some of the trees along the way have been falling down.

It’s not an act of vandalism but rather an act of nature.

Over the last four weeks the Bakersfield City Parks and Recreation Department started noticing that several cottonwood trees along the bike path were being chopped down.

A closer look showed that the party responsible was a family of beavers.

Ten trees in three weeks were gnawed at the base by a family of castor Canadensis, better known as the beaver.

Director Dianne Hoover of Bakersfield City Parks and Recreation said, “The crews that have seen the beavers have seen a family, two little ones and then two adults.”

The beaver family is responsible for tearing down the $500 trees, which were planted by the Kern River parkway foundation.

While the damage is along the bike trail, where are the beavers?

It appears the family of beavers was living in an overflow area along the Kern River. It’s about a foot or two deep in most spots. On either bank, tree limbs and trees are piling up. It could be where they're building a dam, according to ABC23 reporter Chris Van Horne.

The animals are nocturnal, so people are not going to see them much during the day. There is evidence of them aside from trees gnawed in half, as there are drag marks into a nearby water area.

The Bakersfield City Parks and Recreation Department does plan to re-plant down the road.

The beavers were seen in the early morning hours by city parks crews. It’s advised that if people do see the beavers to just leave them alone.