There is just about no bedtime story I like better than someone coming upon a beaver pond and cherishing every single drop of water it reserves, while revealing in the wildlife it harbors. And if that story is set against some surly backdrop of a place that doesn’t love beavers and a strong woman who has pledged to save them no matter what, well that’s even better.

Meet Julia Zickefoose.

Sacred Surprise

May 25 was one heck of a day. I got out early because it was going to be hot. I wanted to see what was going on down Dean’s Fork. As I trotted along, I heard the twanging “glunk!” of green frogs. I hadn’t heard that down there for several years, not since someone who shall remain nameless took out the beaver dam with a backhoe and killed the beavers who’d made a watery paradise there. Illegally, I’d add. Trespassing, and acting against the express wishes of the landowner, who wants the beavers left alone. Murdered the beavers, destroyed their home and the homes of countless other aquatic creatures, just because he could get away with it. They weren’t hurting a thing in the world there.

Cautiously, I moved forward, calling Curtis to me. And I saw…water. Lots of water. THE BEAVERS ARE BACK!!!

This is the fullest I’ve ever seen it, with the most magnificent sweeping curve of a dam. These photos can’t really capture the scale of it. It’s BIG. big big big.

Oh how excitedly I share your excitement. Although I might correct that they’re not so much back as replaced – which means that whoever rented that backhoe the first time should be reminded that getting rid of beavers is a temporary soluion at best, and regarding the fish, wildlife and birds it impacts, a very expensive one.

I was so glad to see a pond where there had been an overgrown mudflat, I wept. And my next, immediate thought was, “I have to stop him from killing them again.”

It was a drumbeat in myth pond on the e head. How to stop him?

Suffice it to say that I’ve been working on it, through carefully placed conversations with key witnesses, through the best channels I have. Tracking down the involved parties, hearing their stories. I’ve been busy, working with dogged determination and a cruel and insensate devil breathing down my neck.

Been there done that as they say! We can help you think of solutions. Given the pandemic it might be hard to get a bunch of kindergartners in beaver tails lined up at the pond on the evening news, but we can be creative. It sounds like you know who ripped it out the last time. It’s time top sit down with him directly and find out what he’s worried about. Given that he used a backhoe on someone else land I’m going to guess he owned one and didn’t rent, so maybe a downstream farmer who was worried about the dam ripping out? Or objected to his stream being reduced to a trickle? Take a neutral respected party, some old timer who can be in between, keep your voice calm and come armed with solutions, Flow device, dam reinforcement, tree wrapping. Whatever is needed,

And I would say add a little pressure from the outside. An article from the local outdoor columnist. A high school teacher who’s willing to have her students do water sample testing in the fall, A local university who can have a grad student analyze new species in the area. An adopt a beaver campaign where children send photos of beaver drawings to the local council. A trail cam that can document all the changes at the pond.

With the great joy that this beaver pond brings me comes a great responsibility to try my best to keep the furry architects safe. I cannot bear the thought that they’d be shot again and their beautiful creation ruined. This incredible pond! It’s alive with fish and frogs (four species were calling as I made these photos) and turtles and green and great blue herons and belted kingfishers and red-shouldered hawks and wood ducks and who knows what all else. Later on, dragonflies! And they all lose their beautiful watery home when the dam is ruined and the pond is drained.ery good. You have officially set of the bat signal for beavers and called in the troops. She was so excited she came back that evening to film the resident builders, Look and listen to this lovely glimpse of the treasures.

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Julie apparently is on NPR so I’m guessing she has a head start in all this. Use what you know and learn what you don’t! I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship,