Irene has it in for beavers. If something doesn’t catch her attention elsewhere she is headed directly towards Sarah Summerville at the Unexpected Wildlife Refuge, then she’ll stomp through Mike Callahan’s doorstep at Beaver Solutions and Skip Hilliker in CT before cruising past Sharon & Owen Brown at Beavers Wetlands & Wildlife after which it’s a final visit to Skip Lisle’s home in Vermont. Did she miss anyone? I’m not kidding.
Let’s hope NOAA is. Wishing our friends safe havens, clear roads and duct tape!
Open wide! Beavers are busy indeed. Right in the heart of Seattle. Tim Kuhn, photo
If you want to enjoy them, the Friends of Yesler Swamp has organized canoe tours to go have a look. Once abundant throughout the region, beavers are critical ecosystem engineers that make the plumbing of Puget Sound estuaries function as it should. To get some idea of just how important they are in the function of the ecosystem — and how widespread the estuaries they lived in used to be — read my story in the Seattle Times about a fascinating study by biologist Greg Hood on the role of beaver in the estuary.
Here, in our urban context, we usually think of them as pests, and it’s typical to see trees in Seattle fenced to protect them from chewing beavers. But put all the pieces back together in a functioning ecosystem, and the welcome role of beavers is plain.That’s just what the Friends of Yesler Swamp are seeking to do: spotlight the role of beavers in a swamp that has managed to hang on right on the fringes of asphalt in the heart of the city.
