It isn’t every morning you wake up to beaver appreciation in Pennsylvania, Maine and Delaware all at once. This might, in fact, be the only morning it has ever happened. Let’s appreciate the serendipity and just go along for the ride, shall we?
Starting with our most distant national cousins, there’s a hunting column by the former head of the State Sportsman Alliance – call it a surprising twist from Maine by George Smith.
My father’s wisdom on Sunday hunting, moose, beaver and more
I have had the privilege of living in Maine all my life and being able to hunt and fish and enjoy the outdoors. As we all know, this opportunity is fast disappearing and we must think very carefully before extending open seasons that would jeopardize any species of wildlife.
Leave it to beavers
For those folks who have the good fortune to travel from Readfield Corner to Mount Vernon Village, I have some good and some not-so-good news. I have in the past criticized the DOT for the condition of this section of Route 41 and am more than pleased that they are finally fixing it up. If the weather holds out and the coffee breaks aren’t too frequent, come fall they will have a good stretch of road.
But I am concerned about all the money the fish and wildlife department is spending on a dam by the old chimney at West Mount Vernon. A couple of beavers let loose at that site would have done the job for free. I just don’t understand the thinking of these folks, who are supposed to be so concerned about wildlife.
Just think what a great tourist attraction it would have been to have beaver maintaining a dam and keeping the level of water on Taylor Pond where it should be. Upstream to the north they have two dams and are doing a splendid job of keeping Hopkins Stream suitable for many species of wildlife. Now we are going to have a mess of rocks and cement.
Well, my my my. A man who realizes where water and wildlife come from. Even though I don’t relish hunting, I can see that this is a man you can form alliances with and get things done. He understands that beavers mean more game for him to hunt, but also just to appreciate. I, for one, don’t think that kind of thinking is a deal-breaker. Even though our ultimate destinations might be far apart, part of the pathway we walk together. So be it. Let beavers do their jobs. This is the kind of hunter that helps you think about focusing on the environmental ‘politics of the possible’.
On to Delaware where a nice Dad takes his daughters out for a nature hike and a game of ‘Shadow Tag’ near a beaver pond.
Beavers, fox skulls and February shadow stomping
We were walking back from checking out fresh beaver activity along Freeman Highway. The new bicycle and walking trail edges up to a marshy area watered by the 16-acre White’s Pond that borders the new Showfield community. Could there be anything better to do on a Saturday afternoon?
The beaver, or beavers, that had felled three or four trees with just their teeth were nowhere in sight. But they had expertly dropped one six-inch diameter tree squarely across a shallow stream that was just barely moving. Fresh shavings from their work surrounded the stump.
While we were admiring the work of the beavers and the fox skull with its sharp white canine teeth, Wayne and Mary Lou happened by. They were off on an afternoon amble. “I spotted that beaver activity back in December,” said Wayne. “My first question and it’s still my question: Where did they come from?” From the interior of Sussex?
We speculated for a while. They had to cross a lot of territory to come east from some beaver pond in the interior of Sussex. Did they grow up along Beaverdam Road, Route 23, that passes a few freshwater ponds – prime beaver territory – as it meanders southwest from Five Points toward Long Neck? Or maybe from Beaverdam Creek? Cave Neck Road and Round Pole Branch Road cross that creek east of Milton where it flows toward the Broadkill River. Beavers dammed it years ago.
Nature yields amazing treasures for those who get out in the thick of it all and look carefully.
Yes it does. And we love how you are raising your children to pay attention to it. The mystery of the beaver finding its way from one body of water to another is not really hard to solve. They travel many miles over land, and even more over water, (and salt water) looking to claim a homestead of their own. Just yesterday there was a young beaver found in a carport in Pittsburg and taken to the Lindsey Wildlife Museum. Resettling an entire continent is a big job, and they don’t have a moment to lose.
Finally an evening of beaver education from Hamlin Pennsylvania. This one without the actual beavers.
Learn about beavers in free, family event
HAMLIN – On Thursday, Feb. 16, join Audubon naturalist Kathy Dodge, Lindsay George and their beaver puppet helpers in a free family program at the Salem Library in Hamlin from 6 until 7:30 p.m.
The program, titled ‘Chew On This!’ discusses the wonders of wetlands.
Everyone can make an edible beaver lodge to take home.
Well now, I’m not exactly sure that this edible beaver education will include a discussion of their importance to water and wildlife, but it’s Pennsylvania and we’re grading on a curve. Remember 7 years ago th
ere was a beaver night at a nature center one state over taught by a trapper, that I mocked so soundly I got mean letters from the trappers aunt. Puppets and naturalists are better that conibears and corpses. Right?
The edible lodge idea is done by The Lands Council folk in Washington. And it’s on the list of activities on our teachers page. The idea is to let kids use pretzel sticks and frosting to make a lodge, which is cute – although not wildly sanitary I imagine, since there all sharing tubs of frosting. But laying those concerns aside, I’m not really sure what it teaches exactly. I tend to think there’s an optimal amount of stimulation that kids learn best at. Too much and and too little both produce failed results. But the world’s a big place, and it needs all kinds of teachers and all kinds of lessons about beavers.
Now this isn’t frosting, but dam, its sweet. I stumbled upon it this morning and thought I’d share.
