We can always rely on the Canadians to remember their history with beavers. It a great way to stop and think about how beavers shaped the culture, borders, fields and farms we have today. Plus this one comes with a really great photo.

Canada’s furriest icon has been a valued resident of Northern Ontario

Canada’s furry friend, the beaver, has been a treasured critter for centuries. Not only are they on our money but they were also a vital part of the fur trade. Beaver furs, known as made beaver, became a form of currency amongst trade companies, hunters and indigenous groups.

The value of furs were measured against the value of a beaver skin. For example, in 1783, six muskrats were valued at one made-beaver. Trading with one of the trade companies in this region, one could also receive eight knives, two hatchets, 18 yards of gartering, 20 flints, nine arrowheads, 12 needles, one pair of shoes, or one pound of tobacco for one parchment beaver skin or its equivalent.

We should do the same thing now, only with tallies of ecosystem services. Their value should be 20% less erosion, 10% less nitrogen, 100% less suspended solids, 6 frogs, 7 salmon, three woodduck, two otter and one running stream.

That sounds about right.

Other staple items traded were: flour, sugar, canned goods, rifles, ammunition, traps, clothing, and yard goods. When furs were brought forth, a set value was determined for each type of fur and its condition. For example, a beaver pelt could be worth a case of canned goods, or a wool blanket etc.

Because of their value and high demands overseas, they were over hunted. By the 20th century, the population was almost wiped out completed in the north. Because of the decline in wildlife after the fur trade era, the Chapleau Game Preserve was made in May 1925, closing the hunt for beaver and otter trapping.

Yes the best way to make something go extinct is to attach value to it. Here’s what Father Paul le Jeune observed way back in 1634

In 1634, Father Paul le Jeune, the superior of the Jesuits at Quebec observed, “I heard my (Indian) host say one day, jokingly, ‘The Beaver does everything perfectly well, it make kettles, hatchets, swords, knives, bread; in short, it makes everything.”