Blink and you miss it. But it DOES happen. I think we should all take a deep breathe and remember that in 2021 for a brief shining moment the Buckeye state said a sliver of nice things about beavers out loud and in the paper.
All about American Beavers, inspired by evidence at Scioto Trail State
Park
American Beavers are just one of the North American mammals that inhabit Ohio.
These engineers alter our landscape by using trees to rebuild waterways. The highest numbers are in the eastern and western parts of our state. Their population is now stable.However, by 1830, fur trapping led to their extirpation or local extinction in our state. Their pelts were valuable. By 1930, they were back. Starting in eastern Ohio, these semi-aquatic creatures soon spread across the state again.
If I’m not wrong, “Population stable” translates into “We can trap them again now.” This is followed by the usual list of their odd physical characteristics, but this is the part the I thought was worth noting.
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It is no wonder that they live near trees and water. Felling trees to build dams is what they do. Beavers live in ponds, lakes, rivers, and streams in most parts of the continental United States. The desert areas in our Southwest are beaver-less.
These keystone species are special. They shape our surroundings and help other species thrive. The ponds and flooded areas that they create make new habitats for numerous plants and animals. Amphibians, birds, fish, insects, and some mammals can thank them for that. Some species only live near beaver ponds.
There now That wasn’t so hard was it? I just imagine the state standing on a stool screwing up it’s face to take some really nasty medicine in a large rusty spoon. Remember Ohio is the state that shot 17 tigers in one night. It’s not the best place to be a wild anything, let alone a beaver.
Beavers in Ohio do matter. By making great changes to their habitat to suit their own needs, they are a lot like us. It is good to have them back.
SAN PEDRO RIVER — On a cloudy December Saturday, a group of wildlife enthusiasts met on a dirt pull-off in southern Arizona to embark on a mission. Wide-eyed and unified, the cadre of researchers, advocates, professors and students had volunteered to spend the day collecting data for conservation. 
No snow in the valley, What a near miss. Reports that my parents home in the mountains got 14 inches in a single night and PGE is turning off power because of all the downed lines. The funny thing is we found out this year that Rob Rust (of beaver cycle fame) AND our own Leslie Mills own cabins up that way. Which I only learned about when they were watching the Caldor fire like me in terror. It’s lovely to think of all those scarred miles getting a drenching in this, although I imagine the Consumnes will look pretty rotten when it all melts, but getting rid of all that ash is an easier job with more water rather than less. Sherry Guzzi posted this photo of her Tahoe deck which she already shoveled earlier in the day!
In the battle between nature and the Michigan Department of Natural Resources, it looks like nature won: the DNR will remove two Roscommon County dams and “let the beavers do the heavy lifting.” 
