And on then seventh day, beaver rested.
That’s the way of the world I guess. Bad beaver news chased or avoided all week long and then when finally delicious beaver stories are released its always on the same day, Sunday. What a wondeful beaver day of rest, All the way from Alberta to Angor.
Where Beavers Go, Surprises Follow
BY GLYNNIS HOOD
It’s an usually warm day in January and my snowshoes are only partially necessary on the frozen ponds that aid my route through the Ministik Game Bird Sanctuary in east-central Alberta. Having studied beaver populations and their influence on wetland ecosystems for 20 years in the Beaver Hills moraine, this is my first serious exploration of the beaver ponds of Ministik. It is a world that defies explanation at times — towering lodges, beaver dams dropping in step-like formation to yet another perched wetland, and then to another, and another. As I rest against a beaver lodge to have my tea, I realize that after all these years, there is still so much more to learn about these rodents, which can engineer entire landscapes unlike any other mammal, other than humans.
You just know if Glynnis us writing it it’s going to be good. Go get that second cup and settle in.
By modifying the shorelines and basins of ponds so dramatically, habitat complexity increases, which in turn influences habitat use and availability for other species. In a study with Dr. David Larson, we collected samples of aquatic invertebrates at three different habitats within occupied and unoccupied beaver ponds: along the vegetated shoreline, in the open water column, and in beaver channels. We fully expected that beaver channels would function much like the vegetated edges of the ponds, but were surprised to find that beaver channels served as “hunting hotspots” for predaceous aquatic invertebrates. Perhaps the regular movement of water in and out of the channel when beavers used them to access foraging areas, or the release of other food sources as beavers excavated the sides and bottoms of the channels, provided a regular influx of new prey. Whatever the reason, these tiny aquatic predators were found in higher abundance in these often-overlooked habitats. Other invertebrate species were also found exclusively in active beaver ponds, regardless of the type of habitat they used within the pond.
Click on the headline to go read the whole thing, It’s that good. And if Glynnis cares enough to put down her professor/researcher hat and start writing news paper op-eds, its really the least we could do,
Beavers can be a valuable wildlife management partner on your homestead
- When it comes to designing wildhabitat, there are few things more efficient than a beaver. That’s good news for property owners who want to attract a diverse population of Maine animals and birds to their property. According to wildlife biologists, just about everything the beaver does improves its surroundings for other animals.
“If you t ” hink about it from a wildlife perspective, the beaver is the Tom Brady or the MVP of the wildlife world,” said Keel Kemper, regional wildlife biologist with the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. “The reason for that is the beaver has the ability to alter habitat for the benefit of every other critter out there.ere.Hmm. Beavers as Tom Brady.
Not a bad metaphor.Beavers as Tom Brady. Really really talented and still, for some reason, widely hated. That works for me.
The beaver shows up and pretty soon you have a pond that is great for fire protection,” Kemper said. “Those ponds also provide fresh water for crop irrigation or to water your garden.”
Sometimes beavers do their best work in not the best places,” he said. “People don’t always like them cutting down trees or backing up water on their land.”
The good news is, there are steps you can take t“o mitigate the impact of beaver activity on your property, especially when it comes to trees.
Ahh an article from Maine that praises beavers AND recommends wrapping trees. Be still my heart. The only way this could get any better us if he talks about installing a flow device.
