Did you know that last month we celebrated the 100th birthday of the MIT beaver? (His name is Tim – get it? MIT backwards?). It’s an appropriate relationship because graduates from MIT and beavers both design things, maintain things, and come to think of it, a lot of folk really don’t want either of them around.

There’s an article about it here with a really fun slide show of Tim through the ages. I was able only to snag to photos that were my favorite, but you really should go look. A big thanks to Malcolm Kenton of D.C. who sent this my way and rightly thought I’d be interested.

MIT’s longtime mascot, the Beaver, turns 100 on January 17, 2014, and everyone is invited. Since its arrival, the beaver—now known as Tim—has become a familiar face around campus, both in person and in print. To honor his centennial, check out a gallery of rare images that honors Tim and highlights how much the beaver has changed over past 100 years.

Being an unimpressive graduate myself, I didn’t know about the MIT beaver until Captain Frye spoke passionately about the topic at the November 2007 beaver meeting lo these many years ago. He was a graduate complete with Brass Rat and described why beavers were highly respected engineers because they could dam a stream while the stream was still running, rather than forcing the water to detour while they worked like we do. I’m never forgot his sage advice.

Happy Birthday MIT beaver! Hope you had the ‘tim’ of your life! Given Massachusetts comically tragic relationship with beavers, I especially loved this photo.

This morning’s donation is a handcrafted beaver stained glass, designed by UpNorth Suncatchers. Designed, crafted and donated by Mark House in Michigan. I’m sure you know just the window it would work in, so get ready to bid high. Thanks Mark!

I think Louise Ramsay’s excellent article in the Ecologist has started a wonderful trend!

Beavers are re-introducing themselves – and we should let them

Jo Cartmell

Beavers are essential to thriving wetland ecosystems, writes Jo Cartmell, and will help not hinder flood control in densely populated England. We should all welcome their return.

Beavers create areas of natural habitat such as wetlands, pools and ponds with marginal vegetation, which enable other wetland species such as otters, fish, bats, water voles, frogs, dragonflies, water fowl and birds such as Reed Warblers to move in. The beaver is a vital part of a thriving wetland ecosystem.

Lovely start Jo! I’m enjoying this article already! Seems there was a beaver on the Thames that she saw with her own eyes in 2007. Now there’s one in Devon. Remember the English Channel is only 21 miles across. And there are many happy beavers in France. What ever you decide about the Scottish beaver trial, these animals might just decide to colonize themselves!

Their hydrological engineering helps to back water up, so that it slowly filters down to the rivers which prevents floodwaters from rushing downstream to flood our villages, towns and cities. Which is just what we need in this wet winter of 2014!

When you remove a species from the ecosystem, as we removed the beaver over 400 years ago by hunting it to extinction, it is going to have consequences.

You might think that wildlife needs to be placed back into large expanses of wilderness, but beavers are moving successfully into heavily populated areas in Holland. And now they are trying to do the same in England.

This just gets better and better….

We should welcome the return of beavers to our ecosystems to re-wild our lands and ourselves. We need to start rethinking our whole approach to environmental management – and rely more on freely provided natural processes, and less on human interference.

Jo! You are clearly a kindred spirit! What are you doing in August? Maybe you want to come to the beaver festival?

Jo Cartmell is a wildlife photographer, conservationist, amateur ecologist and natural historian with a particular interest in water voles. She has been involved in the recreation of several wildflower meadows and is co-warden of a local nature reserve.

I ran out of time for our share and tell party for the silent auction yesterday. Let’s get back on track with this very clever and sturdy bottle opener , a product of Brut Design in Montreal. Nicola crafts these indestructible beaver openers and kindly donated one to our silent auction. Jon’s eyes got a little big when it arrived, so get ready for a bidding war! Thanks Nicola!