There is truly no end to the number of destructive substances beaver dams can block. Take Uranium for instance. Did I ever mention that beaver block uranium?
Uranium Attenuated by a Wetland 50 Years after Release into a Stream
Wetlands have several important roles in the hydrological cycle, including maintaining water quality by removing surface and groundwater contaminants. Over time, the wetlands themselves can become contaminated, posing a secondary environmental threat.
About 80% of the U in the wetland was concentrated in a former beaver pond, a 73 000 m2 area (26% of the contaminated area). This contaminated wetland area was almost 2 km from the source, indicating that it comprised unique hydro-biogeochemical properties for immobilizing the released U.
So wait, your telling me that even a FORMER BEAVER POND has hydro-biochemical properties powerful enough to neutralize URANIUM? You mean like nuclear waste/weapon uranium? Like Boris and Natosha Karloff uranium?
Short answer, “Yes.” Because beavers are awesome and their effects are awesome.
This contaminated wetland area was almost 2 km from the source, indicating that it comprised unique hydro-biogeochemical properties for immobilizing the released U. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first data-rich study to quantify the long-term effectiveness of a wetland to immobilize inorganic contaminants. Significant environmental changes to the system, such as those associated with hydrology, forest fires, or anthropogenic land use, may alter the complex hydro-biogeochemical interactions necessary for the long-term immobilization of the U.
That’s right. Uranium boys and girls. You name it beavers can do it. Provided we let them live long enough to accomplish their goals.
