Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

Day: June 17, 2010


How long has it been since you’ve had a side-splitting, tear-streaming, about-to-wet-your-pants laugh? Our two newbies kept us in stitches last night with their artless antics. They definitely had designs on mom’s dinner and wrestled her to get it until she had to swim out of reach. They had designs on each other’s dinner and did lots of whining to indicate their dissatisfaction with their own. They did unplanned back flips and front flips when their unsteady balance found them head over heels, as in the above video. Watch all the way to the end. You won’t regret it.

But the show stealing climax was when the kits decided to try to try and eat a buoyant food in the water. Since it was just floating on the surface, and they were just floating themselves, they had no purchase to get their teeth sunk in. This meant that they swiped at the food, fell nose over tail, and splashed hopelessly in the water. The kit would bravely right himself, shake the water out of his nose, and try again, with the same or worse results. No lion in the serengeti could have pursued his prey more diligently. Except for the fact that the prey in this case was not alive and couldn’t actually swim away. It was twenty minutes of epic national geographic footage. By the end of the tussle we were in hysterics and begging for it to stop because it hurt to laugh so hard.

Which is, just to say, I’m sure the show will repeat tonight. Plan on nine and bring a sweater. Oh, and check out our new map from beaver supporter and graphic designer Libby Corliss. Thanks Libby!


A while back I came across this article from Jim Junttila of the Mining Gazette in Michigan.

Woods, water & worse/Jim Junttila

Area beavers busier than you know what

Any Yooper brookie fisherman will tell you the economic stimulus plan has kicked in big-time for beavers. Yooper beavers have been busier than you know what this spring, putting on a full-pond press and enacting liberal overtime policies to complete multi-dam projects like their lives depended on it.

They do. The only reason they build dams is to protect themselves from predators. It’s what they do. They can’t stand the sound of running water. If new dam starts, construction and completions are any indication, the economy is making a comeback in the Keweenaw. I keep a close watch on beaver dams as a leading economic indicator, especially when it comes to my brookie stock.

It’s a bit of a love-hate relationship. I like beavers but I’m torn, and here’s why. Their work is fishcally responsible in the short term, but destructive long-term.

Ahh he had me until the part about beavers ruining habitat for fish over time. So close! A beaver advocate manque again. So of course I wrote him about the research on the relationship between beavers and trout. I was very pleased to get this back, which he agreed to have posted as a guest blog. Great photos, enjoy!

Wow! Thanks for the kind words and the wealth of research reference. I also clicked around your website, very nice and informative. I have been a beaver fan since I was a kid and admire their work ethic, ambition and persistence. Here in the U.P. of Michigan, they have become a favorite food of the wolf and coyote who know they are easier to catch than a deer. Jim
Natural-born architectural, engineering and building skills are evident in the strategic site selection and quality dam construction using natural riparian building materials nearby to turn this stretch of meadows along a Yooper trout stream into a working beaver pond. The hard-working nocturnal mammals can throw up a dam like this overnight. Photos and caption by Jim Junttila.
Wow, thanks Jim for the kind words and amazing photos! It is always lovely to see how beavers show themselves in other parts of the nation. Keep us in mind if you find any beaver troubles or questions on the horizon, and we will definitely wish you happy fishing!

If seven maids with seven mops
Swept it for half a year.
Do you suppose,” the Walrus said,
“That they could get it clear?”
“I doubt it,” said the Carpenter,
And shed a bitter tear.

Lewis Carrol

For our gulf update I thought I’d share something take-charge and powerfully presidential with you….and no, its not what you think.

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

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