Have you ever heard the saying “Take care of the Pence and the Pounds will take care of themselves”? It’s an old english addage that means worry about saving the little money and it will add up to big money. Lewis Carroll altered it with his brilliant “Take care of the Sense and the Sounds will take care of themselves”, expressing (as only he can) that you should worry about what you’re saying, not how you’re saying it.
I often find myself struggling for a creek-beaver variation, which could communicate “put your resources into a healthy beaver colony and they will maintain the habitat for you.” Maybe “take care of the kits and the ‘kreek’ will take care of itself” Doesn’t rhyme though, but the point is there. Invest in a healthy creek and everyone reaps the reward.
[youtube:http://youtube.com/watch?v=aIYS7g_sNwY]
Water quality and flow
- Cool, clear water free of contaminants and excess algae
- Varied flow cycles
Creek bed and banks
- Stable vegetated banks with minimal erosion
- Presence of both slow pools and fast water running over shallow, rocky stretches
- Abundant rock and clean gravel of various sizes (critical for fish spawning)
Plants and wildlife
- Native riparian tree canopy, which stabilizes banks, provides habitat for birds and small mammals, and keeps water temperature cool for fish populations
- Abundance of native riparian vegetation, providing cover for wildlife and root systems which stabilize banks (riparian refers to the land adjacent to creeks and rivers, where the vegetation is influenced by the presence of water)
- Thriving fish, amphibian, and aquatic insect populations
- Leaves, small branches, fallen logs and other natural vegetative debris within the stream bed and along banks, which support the aquatic food chain and provide hiding places for fish and invertebrates.
Beaver ROI is very profitable indeed: you can take that to the bank!
