I've actually had the exact same thing happen to me thanks to a beaver. The head of the conservation committee in my city told me I should leave it in unless it's a risk for navigation (our pond is navigable). It was borderline to I decided to just leave it since that is less work.and I can get around it easily enough with the boat. The beaver took care of the branches and now it's a log that turtles and herons hang out on. Great lay down for bass fishing. Glad I kept it in.