I’m certainly not the only one who found their life altered unexpectedly by beavers. Its getting to be a fairly common occurrence. The newest transformation comes from the mild mannered enviromental student at Carlton College in Michigan that that talked with me a few years ago about hosting a beaver festival to advocate for some uninvited beavers that showed up on campus.
Three festivals later I heard last week that he has graduated and been awarded a Watson Fellowship which means he has to pursue study on his topic in other countries for 12 months. Right now he is in Norway.
Beavers, humans, and environmental ethics
Jonah Docter-Loeb Carleton College
Norway, The United Kingdom, Chile, Argentina, Canada
Beavers are ecosystem engineers. Understanding their behavior allows us to unpack complex questions at the heart of conservation biology. Engaging with ecologists, national park administrators, ecohydrologists, animal behaviorists and the public, my project explores how this clever creature serves as a window into rewilding movements, species protection, and land management.
I am so excited thinking about all the great folks he will connect with and all the fantastic things he will learn. Congratulations Jonah and say hi to Duncan and Derek from us while you’re there!
I can’t imagine anything I would have wanted more in my senior year than to study abroad on a project I cared about for the next 12 months.
