Because the beaver isn't just an animal; it's an ecosystem!

BEAVERS AND FLOODING


It rained, and rained for forty dayses dayses
rained and rained for forty dayses dayses
Nearly drove those poor animals crazy crazy
Children of the lord.

I’ve been in the beaver biz for so long I’ve used this very song to describe my alarm at how beavers manage in high flooding. Lord knows we saw some glory days and some fire and brimstone days in our decade with the beavs. One year their lodge washed away entirely. And recently the little secondary dam was topped.

Now Tulocay creek in Napa is worrying about the same thing.

Tulocay Creek Beaver lodge flooded Sunday This morning Rusty forwarded me an email from a concerned neighbor who asked worriedly if beavers could survive in such flooding? I replied  of course and much. much worse but I’m glad to know there are folks worrying about them and grateful Rusty braved the storm and took these photos.

In case you can’t make that out that’s their little island lodge flooded to the rafters in the background. Here’s a closer look.

A wise woman once said to me that the human vagina is a potential (rather than an actual) space. And that must be true for beaver lodges too. I remember after the great flood of 2011 we were so worried where our beavers would sleep when their lodge was flattened. The next morning we went anxiously to look and saw footprints in the mud where the youngsters had walked back and forth searching for their cozy home that was no more.

But beavers find a way. That’s what they do.

What I learned in my decade as a beaver guardian is that if there is a way to be found then beavers will find it. This too shall pass.

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