The sounds of beaver  change, Thanks To Mike Digout of Saskatchewan.

I started wondering whether beaver dam cascades would work in a beaver silhouette. What do you think?

When I read even a sliver of an article like this my heart swells with joy to have ridden this beaver train so far that such things are even possible. Colorado really has seen the light. We could even call them “Castorado”.

Loveland grapples with beavers in the Big Thompson

Nearby, Loveland stormwater senior engineer Colin McKernan stopped short and pointed toward what looked like a pile of sticks, mud and river debris.

Looking closer, the structure came into focus — a beaver lodge, built tight against the bank, its entrance hidden just below the waterline.

“This is so cool,” he said, leaning in to point out the details. “I love seeing this. They have their own little tunnel. They just know how to hide out.”

“They’re such neat critters,” he added. “I don’t even like calling them rodents.”

McKernan has been monitoring activity like this for the city in recent months as part of an effort to track a growing beaver presence in Loveland’s urban corridor and prevent damage to trees, infrastructure and the river channel before it occurs.

So far, the busy rodents haven’t caused any major problems, and may even be a boon to the Big Thompson as the region faces drier-than-normal conditions and a snowpack lower than it has been in years.

“The beavers coming back in the urban environment is this wonderful thing,” he said. “There’s a ton of ecological benefits.”

Can you even believe that? Honestly when I try to imagine these words coming out of Dave Scola’s mouth in Martinez I make such a strange sound I can’t tell whether I’m laughing or choking.

You know the man who told his crew to PULL UP the willow stakes the Americorp watershed stewards had planted for regrowth along the creek and then when he was scolded by the city engineer made them put them all back – UPSIDE DOWN.

Along stretches of the river, beavers have left behind a growing number of downed trees, particularly those about 4 to 6 inches in diameter — a size they tend to favor, Hilgenberg said. To slow the damage, the city last fall began protecting cottonwoods, willows and other softwood trees by wrapping their bases in wire or coating them with a gray primer that beavers dislike.

Around their dams, the animals are reshaping the river itself. The structures create small pools that alter the river’s flow through the city — changes that can be beneficial, but, if left unchecked, could expand enough to flood nearby trails or contribute to bank instability.

Those same changes can also bring significant benefits, according to McKernan. Notably, dams act as a type of filter, allowing sediment and pollutants to settle out and improving water quality downstream.

“You’ll see on the dam side, the water might be a little murkier or a little greener,” he said. “But then on the other side, it’s going to be cleaner.”

The dams also raise groundwater levels, helping sustain vegetation along the riverbanks and supporting a healthier riparian zone, benefits that can be especially valuable during dry years.

“You’ll see more of a thriving ecosystem near the beaver dam,” he said.

I’m glad they’re wrapping trees and they have earned the benefit of the doubt so I’m going to assume the primer painted on the tree has mason sand in it because beavers aren’t afraid of gray.

“We’re monitoring it,” McKernan said. “If the risk level changes, then we’ll look at other options.”

He said those options could include installing flow devices — sometimes called “beaver deceivers” — that allow water to pass through dams at a controlled level, reducing the risk of flooding while allowing the structures to remain in place.

City staff are also consulting with Colorado Parks and Wildlife and looking to guidance in a recently completed statewide beaver conservation and management strategy, which emphasizes nonlethal approaches and coexistence when possible.

I dreamed something like this once. Congratulations to Loveland for making that dream come true.